Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“Can you hurry?”
We’d never hurried, even in the mornings. Jamie was a lazy lover, in all the varied delicious ways lazy could be.
His brows rose. “Is that a challenge?”
I fiddled with his collar. “If you wish to take it that way.”
He surged up, and since I was in his lap, so did I, but he did it to his feet, and I did it in his arms.
Heiress leapt away with obvious outrage.
Jamie tossed me on the bed.
Oh my.
He went right to work on my sandals.
Once they were gone, I sat up, grabbed his tie and used it to pull him to me.
Before he kissed me, I asked, “Can you manage this feat without messing up my hair so Alyona won’t know what we’ve been up to?”
“No.”
I pouted.
He grinned. “Baby, when we’re done, you won’t give a shit about your hair.”
“Jameson, there has never been a day in my life I didn’t give a shit about my hair.”
His lips came to mine, his eyes holding mine, and he proclaimed, “Get ready, today’s that day.”
And that was when he kissed me.
Twenty minutes later, both of us dressed, and both of us with sex hair, we walked to the living room with Jamie going on to the kitchen to tell Alyona we were ready for dinner.
And he’d been right.
I didn’t give a shit about my hair.
CHAPTER 15
PRADA
Jamie
That Friday, Jamie negotiated walking through the busy lunchtime tables to where he saw Ned seated, his menu set aside, a bottle of San Pelligrino already on the table.
Ned got up when he saw Jamie, and their greetings included handshakes and claps on the arm.
They took their seats, putting their napkins on their laps, with Ned starting it.
“I was pleased when your assistant asked mine for this lunch.”
“It’s been a while,” Jamie agreed.
Ned’s eyes warmed. “Congratulations on JT.”
Jamie smiled at him.
“And on Nora,” Ned continued.
Jamie smiled again.
The warmth faded from Ned’s eyes.
“So it fucks with me that I have to share all I have to share with you,” he concluded.
Jamie’s smile died.
This lunch was about them being friends, and extended family, and not seeing each other for a while.
It was also for Jamie to broach the difficult subject of asking after Ned’s love life, which would also hold a warning, because Nora knew, and Chloe would find out, and Jamie had learned that when Chloe, or Nora, set their sights on something, things could get dicey.
Before he could ask, the waiter was there.
“Drink, sir?”
“The sparkling water is fine,” Jamie replied.
The waiter poured the water. Jamie quickly picked up his menu to make his decision, they both shared their preferences, and the waiter took off.
Jamie didn’t fuck around. “What news do you have to share?”
“Were you aware that Paloma was feeding Roland information about your relationship with Nora?”
Ah.
This was about that.
Jamie took a sip of his water, put it down, sat back, and replied, “Yes.”
“Were you equally aware she was doing this to have her path cleared to make a play for you?”
Jamie went still.
Ned read his response and nodded. “She was. And just in case you doubt my sources, this comes from Blake. She hears things through some female grapevine we’re not privy to, and she says the person who told her knows she’s close with you, so she told her so Blake would warn you.”
“How could she ever imagine…?” Jamie trailed off and shook his head. “Paloma knows I detest her.”
“I’m not sure you made that clear.”
“No, Ned. I made it very clear when she made a pass at me while my wife was dying.”
Ned flinched before he murmured, “Good Christ.”
“Yes. She’s a vulture. When she’s not being a viper.”
“Perhaps desperate times,” Ned suggested.
“I don’t give a fuck what it is,” Jamie clipped.
He’d not had time to find a way to get in touch with Paloma and share some truths.
The priority level of that had changed with this lunch.
“I hesitate to share that isn’t all the bad news I have,” Ned said.
“Terrific,” Jamie muttered.
Ned didn’t make him wait. “Roland, and I can only assume this is through Paloma, is making a number of meetings.”
“To do what?” Jamie asked.
“To gather the capital to buy the note on your family’s ranch.”
Jamie could do nothing but stare at his friend.
“Roland isn’t in ranching, he’s in shipping,” Ned stated. “But even with that, I can’t imagine what he’s trying to do, outside of fuck with you.”
Oh, he was doing that.
“The note isn’t for sale,” Jamie stated.
“It doesn’t have to be. AJ can pay it off if he remortgages with Roland’s group.”
“Goddammit,” Jamie bit.
He needed to stop delaying. With Chloe pregnant, then JT coming, and Nora and he what they were, then becoming who they are, not to mention, Jamie had to be emotionally ready to do all he needed to do, he hadn’t leaned into his father in order to decimate his resources so he could call the note.