Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
For reasons I couldn’t understand, Pierce’s mood plummeted, and nothing I said could salvage it. We left the bar not long afterward, but at least he didn’t argue with me anymore that we needed to take additional steps to convince his parents that he was in a genuine relationship.
His mood shift nagged at my wandering thoughts, though, as I lay in bed that night. I wanted to know why he was so anxious around me. Did he think Sawyer would have had a problem with our being together? That was silly. Why wouldn’t Sawyer want us together? My older brother had been a giant pain in the ass when I was growing up, but he’d always been protective of me. He’d wanted me safe, and he would have wanted me with someone who would love and care for me. Who could be better at that than Pierce Sutton?
No one, that was who.
Regardless, I’d get to the bottom of Pierce’s emotional turmoil eventually. I needed him to become comfortable with me. To let his guard down bit by bit. Not impossible.
Just really fucking hard.
7
PIERCE SUTTON
When I got home after that exhausting “date” with Simon, I had a series of messages from my so-called friends to contend with.
Sebastian
Wow. I didn’t expect you to make such a cute couple.
Rome
Seriously. I feel like Pierce got a glow-up just by being near Simon.
Sebastian
And that smile! He’s trying to be demure, but you can tell he’s over the moon happy.
Pierce
I hope you both rot in hell.
Declan
Parker says you’re going to be very happy together. I think he’s right.
Pierce
Assholes. All of you are assholes. This isn’t real. Quit using slang. You’re too old for it.
Rome
Knock. Knock.
Sebastian
Who’s there?
Rome
Pierce.
Sebastian
Pierce who?
Rome
Pierce and Simon sitting in a tree.
Sebastian
K-I-S-S-I-N-G?
Pierce
Fuck you. Fuck you both. I’m blocking your numbers.
Being in the office the next day was a relief. I could at least put the insanity of Simon and my parents behind me for a few hours. I hadn’t blocked the jackals, but they’d at least stopped texting me for a while.
Yet even alone in my office with a pile of work demanding my attention, I couldn’t fully distract myself. I still had Sawyer’s ghost whispering in my ear, hissing that I’d betrayed him and broken my promise.
I’d broken my promise the second my lips had touched Simon’s that night. It didn’t matter that I’d been intoxicated and not thinking clearly. I’d wanted to kiss him ever since I’d attended his college graduation and he’d smirked up at me with his tempting lips and laughter in his sparkling blue eyes.
Everything about Simon overflowed with joy, snark, and life. Being in the same room as him left me wanting to drink him in. He was bold and confident. No matter how I shot him down or acted rude, he never seemed deterred.
And I honestly didn’t want him to stop. My heart wanted him to win, even though I knew it would eventually destroy me. Sawyer’s last words to me still rang in my head, and I couldn’t turn my back on the promise I’d made.
“Stay away from my little brother.”
How was I supposed to do that when being near him was the only thing that made me truly happy?
But Sawyer’s warning pertained to dating Simon, being physically intimate with him. That I could avoid. This was fake dating, and that was fine.
Besides, my earlier plan of being standoffish and avoiding him completely was bound to fail. There was no way in the world Sebastian and the others were going to give him up. They were dedicated to Sawyer, and they genuinely liked Simon.
No, the best plan was to make it clear to Simon that the only future we could have would be as friends. As soon as I removed all hope, he would lose all interest in me. He’d realize that I was the most boring guy in existence.
I enjoyed going to the symphony and the theater. Yes, I wanted a family and a spouse, but there was no way I could have that with Simon.
Meetings filled my morning, and I was grateful for every one of them as they offered plenty to distract me. However, my father stopped by the office shortly after lunch. My assistant, Marie, hurried in as soon as the whispers rippled through the office that the head of the firm was visiting from Boston.
“Sir, Mr. Sutton is here,” she hissed, her dark brown eyes wide with panic. She swept her hand over her neat black hair, pulled back in a perfect bun. It even looked as if she’d refreshed her lipstick since lunch. It was all about maintaining the appearance of perfection in front of the big boss.
A weary sigh left me. I’d known this was going to happen. There was no way this trip to Cincinnati would remain a visit with his eldest son and some leisurely sightseeing. No, he had to meddle. Oliver Sutton was sixty-five and supposed to be on the fast track to retirement. Why couldn’t he quietly retire and travel like Sebastian’s father? Or pick up a woodworking hobby like Rome’s father?