Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 98226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Theo ordered in what sounded like perfect French to me, a chocolate croissant for each of us, along with two Caffé Americanos. Then, Theo left a tip so large it made both the women nearly weep in gratitude, and we took a seat at one of the small tables in front of the store.
“So, you speak French?” I asked as Theo pulled our pastries from the paper bag and handed one to me.
“A little,” he said. “A little Spanish, too. German. And about ten words in Mandarin.”
“You sounded fluent,” I said, nodding toward the bakery doors.
He chuckled. “Far from it, but I try.” Theo bit into his croissant, the buttery flakes littering the table as he did. He groaned his approval, leaning back in his chair long enough to catch one of the woman’s attention inside. He gave her a big thumbs up, pointing to the pastry, and she and the other baker laughed in tandem, the sound filling the street like a song. Their eyes were still glossy from the tip Theo had left, and I wondered if he did that often, if he realized how much it made their day.
In the same moment Theo sat up straight again, a beautiful, luxuriously dressed woman walked by our table, her high heels somehow steady even on the rutted stone. Her eyes found Theo, and she nearly broke her neck watching him even after she had passed our table. Theo smiled and arched a brow in her direction.
Bonjour, she said.
Bonjour ma belle, Theo said back.
And the woman flushed so hard it rivaled the natural red state of my cheeks.
“How do you say heartbreaker in French?” I teased.
“Bourreau des cœurs,” Theo said, the words rolling off his tongue, nasally and beautiful. But his next words were curt. “Why, is that what you think I am, Miss Dawn?”
My smile slid from my face like a blob of jelly, cheeks heating. “Oh… I’m sorry, I was just—”
Theo laughed. “It’s alright. Tease away. If the shoe fits, right?” He smiled with the comment, but I couldn’t help but notice the way his brows ticked together, like the joke wasn’t all that funny at all.
“I’m sorry if I offended you.”
He shook his head quickly, sipping his coffee. “I’m not capable of being offended.”
I snorted at that. “Sure, you are. Everyone can get their feelings hurt by something.”
“Not if you don’t have feelings at all.”
“Stone cold, are you?”
“I’ve found life is easier that way.” He shrugged, and I hated how much I liked the smile that found his lips, how sexy it was in its nonchalance.
When did I start to notice how sexy a smile was?
“Can I see the photos you took yesterday?”
I reached into my bag, retrieving my camera and turning on the preview mode before handing it across the table. It was always uncomfortable to hand my baby to someone else, to trust them to hold onto her and care for her and not drop her. But to his credit, Theo put the strap around his neck just in case, and he held the machine steady as he scrolled the photos.
He cringed as much as I did the night I took the photos as he looked through them, and after a few silent moments, he shook his head, handing the camera back to me. “I’m sorry I put you through that.”
“It was fine,” I lied. “They were nice.”
Theo arched a brow. “Do you always lie to make others feel better?”
“What? No, I…”
Theo took another bite of his croissant as he waited for me to defend myself.
“Okay, fine,” I conceded. “It wasn’t my favorite way to spend an evening, but this was part of our deal.”
Theo nodded. “Yes, well, it’s my hope that any other jobs I have for you won’t be as taxing. Once you send those to me, you can delete them forever and purge your memory,” he joked, but it was followed by a pause and a lift of his brows. “Audrey and Nicolette are one of a kind.”
The words by themselves made my stomach roll, visions of their tongues and hands on Theo’s body flashing in my mind. But the way he said them, the subtle shake of his head and widening of his eyes told me he wasn’t a huge fan of the girls.
But then why did he sleep with them?
I shook my head.
Not my business.
“They remind me of my sister in some ways,” I said. “She’s so naturally beautiful and charming that I think she sometimes forgets she’s not the center of the universe.” I chuckled. “Although, most of her ex-boyfriends treated her like she was, so maybe it’s not her fault she feels that way.”
“We’re all the center of our own universes,” Theo said. “We’re told not to be selfish, not to put ourselves first, but if not us, then who?”