Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
I laughed, already feeling lighter at the thought of a relaxed night with the guys. “That sounds—”
“Unfortunately,” Lucian cut in. “Miss Quinn will be busy this weekend.”
The muscles in my chest froze.
The breath halted in my lungs.
My heart stuttered to a stop before galloping to a race.
My shoulders pulled tight, reforming the knot in my back.
My brows dropped at the same time Parker’s rose high.
His gaze bounced from me to Lucian to me to Ezra and back to me again.
Mine slid menacingly to Lucian, wondering what the fuck he was thinking.
“Excuse me?” My soft question might as well have been an anvil dropping in the stiff silence flooding the room.
Lucian met my gaze, imperious and unaffected. “You have responsibilities.”
Incredulity expanded beyond the tight space in my chest and bubbled up my throat. “I am completely awa—”
“As well as responsibilities to your fiancé,” he cut in, evaporating every spare morsel of oxygen from the room. “We have things to discuss.”
Not a single sound permeated the room.
Not a breath.
Not a blink.
Not a single snap of a jaw falling open at the revelation.
And his casual stance let me know he basked in my wide-eyed shock.
I. Was. Going. To. Fucking. Kill. Him.
The past week of agony, waiting, and stressing over how we’d share the news, and this mother fucker dropped the information like it was on the menu for lunch.
The rumbles of the explosion I knew would come with the announcement shook the ground beneath my feet. It trembled up my legs and coiled around my chest until it was moments away from detonating beyond my lips.
Too much. Too much. Too much.
I hated him, but I couldn’t look away from him. I couldn’t face the chaos I knew waited beyond his eyes.
“Fiancé?” Parker asked.
Despite his question calling my attention, I still stared at Lucian.
Despite his long legs closing the distance between us, I couldn’t look anywhere else.
Despite my mind screaming at me to go anywhere to find some fucking oxygen, I stood still. Even when Lucian’s long fingers wrapped around my numb hand and glanced away to answer Parker.
“Yes,” he said with a smile I didn’t understand how he formed, before leveling cold eyes back at me. “Despite her decision to not wear my mother’s ring, we are, in fact, engaged.” If possible, ice coated his words more than his stare.
His thumb dragging across empty my ring finger served as a reminder that I’d jerked the diamond off moments before I saw he requested me to his office.
His words accused me of not having worn it at all.
But I had. All freaking week. I’d worn the ring and stressed over every encounter, and now he watched me with judgment like I’d done something wrong. Meanwhile, he showed up and announced our engagement without a single consideration to me.
How dare he.
The irritation sparked my muscles back into action.
I jerked my hand from his and forced a smile to a still shocked Parker. “Actually, whatever we need to discuss can wait.”
“Actually,” Lucian bit out. “It cannot. We need to discuss when the movers can bring your things to my place.”
I whipped my attention to him. The bombs I braced for around me detonated internally instead. Ringing resonated in my skull with the single statement bring your things to my place echoing through the barren waste left behind.
Parker, Ezra, and Lucian murmured words I couldn’t decipher beyond muffled sounds coming through the explosive chaos plugging my ears. They shook hands and patted my shoulder as they walked by with worried eyes before heading to the door.
I wanted to scream at them to not go because I wasn’t done with the conversation, but I couldn’t form the words. Even when Lucian walked them out, I stared at the empty place he stood in.
It wasn’t until the click of the door that I broke free from the shock. The snick of the latch slipping in place cut the tether keeping me from my senses. As soon as it did, I whirled on Lucian. “What the fuck?”
Lucian strolled back to where I still stood, appearing without a care in the world. His hands stuffed into his pockets and looking at me like I was the insane one asking a pointless question.
“Did you think we wouldn’t live together?”
My mouth opened and closed, trying to get my thoughts in line with his words. “I didn’t know what to think because we haven’t talked about it.”
“Just because we haven’t talk about it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t happen.”
“That doesn’t mean you get to tell people before we agree on it.”
“So, do you not agree that we would move in together?” He may as well have asked if I agreed clothes should be worn in public.
I sputtered. If I thought about it, I guessed it seemed to make sense to move in together, but I was still so pissed I couldn’t outright agree. “Yes, but that doe—”