Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“I’m sure she’ll do great here,” Stephanie said. “So, we’ll see you again in a few hours?”
I nodded, finding it hard to believe that my first day at work was going so quickly. I snuck out of Dawning City before Ada could see me and get distracted from her fun, then walked the three blocks to the square with the assembled food trucks.
It didn’t take me long to find the Korean taco truck. There was a line nearly twenty people deep, but I got at the back and used the time to check my emails. The line moved quickly and soon I was at the front, ordering a taco bowl with kimchi and bulgogi and a fried egg. My mouth was watering by the time I got my food and looked for a place to sit. There was an empty bench over to the side and I walked quickly, hoping to get there before anyone.
“Harper?”
The sound of my name made me freeze in my tracks. I turned around and my jaw nearly dropped.
Nico Ulrich was standing there, as handsome as ever, with another man who I didn’t recognize.
Fuck, I thought. Immediately, I knew it was my fault – I’d been thinking about Nico, and clearly I’d managed to conjure him up right here, in front of me, like some kind of handsome nightmare.
“Wait a second,” Nico said to his friend, and I heard that his Russian accent was far less noticeable than it had been four years ago.
And he was walking, walking, walking over to me until he was standing right in front of me. Despite the heat outside, Nico wore a black suit that was clearly tailored to fit him perfectly. His shoulders were even broader than I remembered and his sapphire eyes flashed at me with a clear mixture of lust and confusion.
The air between us grew tense and charged and my palms began to sweat. I was still clutching my taco bowl and I pressed my lips together and swallowed, suddenly feeling like I’d never be hungry again.
“Hey,” Nico said.
That’s it, I thought. After four years, we haven’t seen each other, and all you can say is ‘hey’?
His face was searching mine, looking for answers, and it was all I could do to put him out of his misery.
“I’ve been in Boston,” I said. “And I just moved back.”
Nico nodded, like he already knew that, but I could tell that he was relieved.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” I said abruptly, slipping my uneaten taco bowl back into the brown paper bag. “Lunch is over.”
Nico caught my wrist as I was about to leave. The touch of his hand on my skin was hot and it sent a shiver down my spine as I remembered the last time we’d been in such close contact. I swallowed hard and tried to breathe normally as he stepped closer, overwhelming me with his nearness and the scent of his cologne.
“My number’s still the same,” Nico said in a low voice. “You should use it.”
My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would break out of my chest. I felt so uneven, so off-kilter that for a moment, I was worried I would actually fall over.
And just like that, with no further words, Nico was gone. Vanished into the crowd, seemingly without a trace.
I stood there for a moment as people foamed around me like a rushing river, my heart still thudding against my ribs. Finally, I took a deep breath and began to walk, rushing back to the office as quickly as I could.
There was no time to eat my taco bowl, so I shoved it in the fridge just in time for a meeting with Nell, the content editors, and the feature writers in the conference room. I knew that I should be paying rapt attention, but my mind was all over the place – all I could think about was Nico, how hot he’d looked in that suit, how his black hair was now streaked grey at the temples in a way that made him even sleeker and sexier.
“Harper?”
Nell’s sharp voice brought me crashing back to reality and I flushed as I snapped my head to look at her.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I’m here.”
Nell gave me a pinched, disapproving look before she continued speaking and I scrambled to write down her every word.
If I was going to succeed here, it was clear that I would have to forget all about Nico Ulrich, and the way he made me feel.
I was determined not to fail at HAUTESCENE.
Gorgeous Russian millionaire or not.
5
Nico
“So,” Clint said, chuckling under his breath. “That was her, huh?”
I nodded, unaware that I’d let so much of my feelings show.
“I knew it had to be something. You’ve been so fucking mopey,” Clint continued. “We haven’t gotten beers in forever.”