Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Maybe you should talk to me first.” For some reason Reid seems nervous about letting Luca talk to me.
“I can handle myself,” I assure him even when my gut is in turmoil. Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe a clean break is better. Not that we’ll call it a break. We’ll get busy in our lives, and time and distance will do their work on our friendship.
“I said some things I shouldn’t have.” Reid moves to my side. As though if I’m being called into the principal’s office, he’ll go along for the ride.
“Yes, we’ve had a lot of that tonight,” Jeremiah agrees. He looks to Luca. “Your Majesty, they have serious problems with sexual tension. I know. It’s weird because grumpy and even grumpier shouldn’t, like, go together, but here we are.”
Reid frowns at his brother. “You do not have to help.”
Jeremiah’s voice goes low. “Well, if I didn’t, she might have taken your balls, brother.”
Luca’s gaze goes between me and Reid, and then his lips curl up the slightest bit and he loses some of his obvious irritation. “Which one is grumpier?”
Jeremiah takes a long breath as though realizing the danger passed. “I think it depends on the day. They pass the crown between the two of them.”
“We are not attract…” I begin.
“Really?” Reid shrugs. “I mean we can at least be honest about that part. I find you very attractive.”
And he has a fiancée. Such a lucky woman. “And I find you annoying.”
“Yes, your office will do.” Luca’s back to being irritated, and now it’s all turned my way because I don’t have a charming wingman who softens me. Nope. I’m alone and I’m going to be more alone soon when I don’t even have this project to work on.
Reid nods and steps into the hallway. “Fine, but you should understand she’s not the only one who said things she shouldn’t. It was mutual. Mutual… I don’t know… Should we call it hate? That seems a bit dramatic.”
“Hate works for me.” I can’t stop. Now that I’m walking into my worst nightmare, there’s a part of me that wants to get it over with. I’ve been moving toward this ever since Ivy came back and found her guy. I knew Anika would find her Prince Charming, but I guess I always thought Ivy and I would end up as bog crones somewhere cursing men who wander into our territory.
Now I’ll have to do it alone, and that sucks.
I should have done what I was taught to do—put all of my complaints in a well-worded email. But no, I had to rush right over, and I totally forgot I’d actually been invited to this party. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that Ani would be here.
She’d even texted me yesterday to let me know she and Luca were in town and would see me on Saturday since I was skipping this party.
Did I rush over here because subconsciously I want her to pick me? To prove to me that I’m more important than some country she’s trying to pull out of tragedy?
I suck.
Luca closes the door to Reid’s sleek office, shutting the Dorsey brothers out of their own space. He does it without a blink and then walks to the big floor-to-ceiling windows like he owns the place.
It’s good to be king.
“Has he done something he shouldn’t?” Luca asks.
He takes me off guard. But the answer is obviously yes. “He wants to take out a wall, Luca. A whole wall. Not take it out, exactly, but take this beautifully crafted architecture and turn it into a houseplant.”
“Harper, has he harassed you?” Luca carefully enunciates each word as though he needs to ensure he’s got the English right. His first language is German, though he speaks with only a hint of an accent.
I stare for a moment, the lights of the city illuminating this man my best friend married. I thought he was going to fire me. He’s worried about me? This is the perfect opportunity to take out my enemy. I can’t help it. There’s a ruthless asshole inside me. I think about it for half a second and then do what I always do, what I hope I will always do, shove the asshole down and do what’s right. “No. He’s hit on me, but I’m going to admit that was a mutual thing.”
A long sigh of relief goes through Luca. “Thank you. I was worried. I’ve never heard him talk to a woman that way. I brought him on this project because he’s always been so easy to work with.”
I hadn’t. “Well, rest assured he hasn’t done anything I would call harassment. I kind of came on strong tonight. He was giving me back what I put out. But I stand by my criticism. He is going to ruin the history of the house and turn it into some bland, resort-looking thing.”