Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 85443 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85443 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
"You sound so excited," he drawled. "Way to boost a man's ego."
"The last thing your ego needs is any kind of boosting."
"Babe, every time you scream my name out when I am inside you, that's all the ego boost I need," he told me, voice close to my ear, before he stepped away and left the room.
I got dressed feeling both excited and nervous. The dress he picked out was the color of champagne, the perfect golden beige. The hem fell longer than the blue dress he had gotten me, almost meeting my knee, but it made up for it with a sight more cleavage. I slipped into the nude shoes I wore to the party and tied my hair up in a clip which I thought made me look a little more sophisticated.
I grabbed my wallet and made my way down the stairs to find Byron waiting in the foyer, watching the steps for me. As soon as I rounded the bend, he gave me a small smile that didn't slip until my feet hit the landing. He moved closer, reaching behind me and pulling my hair out of its clip.
"What's with you and my hair?" I asked, shaking my head as he settled it around my shoulders.
He completely ignored my question and trailed a finger down my cheek, neck, chest, bodice. "Perfect."
I wasn't sure what, exactly, he was referring to, but my chest warmed. "Yeah, it fits..." I started, only to be interrupted.
"I wasn't talking about the dress," he said and the warmth intensified until it burned through me. "Let's go," he said suddenly, snapping me to attention as he turned from me and went to the front door. He held it open for me and let me pass, but didn't put his hand on my lower back like I had come to expect.
Outside, Byron's car was idling and Matt was standing outside the front doors. I know he noticed just as I noticed that Byron rushed off ahead of me, going down the steps without helping me down. Matt stepped in, taking my hand, leaning down, and saying in a sexy whisper, "I'd take a bite, honey."
"Hands off, Matt," Byron barked, standing beside the passenger door he was holding open.
"Didn't want her to ruin her pretty face falling down the steps in those heels," Matt declared unapologetically and I had to fight to keep from smiling. And, to my surprise, Byron didn't raise to the bait.
"Thanks, Matt," I said as he released me and I ducked inside the car. I barely had time to swing my legs in before Byron slammed the door.
The entire ride to Mandy's was in tense silence. Tense because Byron was in one of his moods and I was not about to get into a fight with him about it. So I stared out the side window and Byron focused on driving. My door was opened by the valet who offered a hand to help me out, but was promptly shouldered out of the way by Byron who must have run across the front of the car to get there that fast. I looked at his palm for a long minute before he barked out quietly, "Take my fucking hand, Prue."
I did, trying to ignore the sparks that seemed to ignite at the casual touch. He helped me out and led me toward the doors where he was greeted and I was given smiles. His hand stayed wrapped in mine and I swallowed hard."Is this proving some kind of point?" I asked, squeezing his palm slightly. When he didn't answer, I went on, "Matt was just offering some manners."
"Matt was laying the groundwork for getting up your skirt. If you think anything different, you're not as smart as I've given you credit for."
"Listen," I said, trying to pull out of his hold, but his hand was a vice on mine. Then suddenly, my body was jerked to the side as Byron opened a door and ushered me inside a room that was some sort of storage closet, brown boxes stacked on metal shelves in a space just big enough to throw your arms out in.
"I told you how I felt about this Matt shit."
"There is no 'Matt shit'," I said, shaking my head. He moved to open his mouth, but I beat him to it. "Look, you're always asking or demanding me to trust you, why the hell don't you trust me?"
"Because," he started, then shook his head and looked away, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
"Because why?" I demanded, moving my head into his line of vision again.
He released his breath on a sigh. "Because if you are vested in me in any way, even just exclusive sex, babe, you're incredibly foolish. And it's hard to trust someone like that."
"I'm... foolish?" I sputtered, yanking my hand hard enough to get out of his hold.