Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
“She can be a bit brusque, but I think once you get to know her, you’ll like her.”
“And what if she doesn’t want to get to know me?”
“Oh, she’s intrigued by you. She thought you were being aloof and—I dunno, bitchy maybe?—when you didn’t gush all over her when you met.”
“That wasn’t me being aloof, that was me unable to speak.”
“I thought you were aloof and bitchy and cold when we first met, remember?”
“I remember that you were a total ass to me.”
“Only because I thought you were being one to me first. And trust me, that same perceived aloofness will only serve you well here this weekend.”
The evening started off badly. Beth and Gideon were five minutes late for dinner because Beth had misplaced a shoe. She’d had to unpack both of her bags before finding the stupid thing in a side pocket.
“Aah, Gideon, as dependably undependable as usual,” a snide voice intoned from the far side of the long table after they’d been seated.
Beth winced when Gideon stiffened.
She directed her gaze at the man who had spoken and blinked in astonishment when she registered exactly how much he looked like Gideon, before forcing herself to speak even though it went against every survival instinct she had.
“I’m afraid it’s m-my fault. I misplaced something and Gideon was helping me f-find it.” Nary a hitch. She could do this.
“And you are?” The same supercilious butthole asked, looking down his nose at her even though nearly the entire length of the table separated them. He made her feel about as significant as a bug, and Beth did not like that.
“Elizabeth Finch. You must be Nox.”
“I suppose my brother must have mentioned me.”
“Yes, and s-since you’re the only one so far who fits the description he gave of Lennox, I figured it had to be you.”
He looked intrigued. “And what description would that be?”
“Overweight, balding, and a bit of a t-twat.”
His eyes widened in utter shock, and his hand went up to his full head of hair as if to check that it was all still there. And there wasn’t an ounce of fat on his lean body. In fact, if the guy sitting across the table from him was Niall, then it was safe to say that Gideon’s brothers looked exactly like him. They all appeared to be the same height, had the same eyes, and big, rangy builds. And they were all three incredibly hot.
But she wasn’t about the give this Lennox the satisfaction of acknowledging that.
Everybody gaped at her, and she felt herself shrinking until she felt about the size of a mouse.
Gideon took a sip of wine before leaning over to mutter directly into her ear—his voice brimming with laughter as he repeated something he’d said to her many, many weeks ago, “shy, my arse!”
Nox was glaring daggers at her, and everybody else still looked utterly shocked and seemed unsure of where to look. Then the stunned silence was abruptly broken by the sound of laughter.
It was a slow, rusty chuckle, that escalated into a raspy guffaw and eventually erupted into a deep belly laugh, that had everyone else joining in with nervous titters.
The laughter came from the exceptionally handsome, sixty-something-year-old man sitting at the head of the table.
“You!” he bellowed across the length of the table. “Elizabeth Finch, you and I will have a conversation later. I expect to be entertained.”
His accent was so thick his words were almost unintelligible and Beth pinched the bridge of her nose.
Oh, God! Seriously?
“I’m not your court jester. You can’t order me to entertain you,” she retorted with a glare and the table fell abruptly silent again.
The older man, whose salt and pepper hair had more salt than pepper in it by now, straightened and met her glare with one of his own.
“D’ye know who I am, lass?” He sounded affronted but something in his eyes told her he wasn’t as offended as he was pretending to be.
“I do. But I don’t think you understand who I am.”
His lips quirked. “And who might that be?”
She refused to be cowed by these people. They were bullies, used to getting their own way. Beth was used to dealing with bullies. And she decided, right then and there, to no longer be intimidated by these monstrously privileged people who’d long ago lost sight of what it was to be normal.
“I’m Elizabeth Anne Finch. I’m a successful freelance technical writer and I decide with whom I want to spend my time. And right now, you’re not at the top of that list. Sir.”
James Hawthorne removed the weight of his glare from Beth and shifted his stare to Gideon instead. It was the first time, as far as she could tell, that he’d looked directly at his youngest son. Gideon had dressed for the occasion. He looked unfamiliar in a grey suit and red tie tonight. But of course, he was beautiful no matter what he wore. In his element in a suit and tie, as well as torn jeans and a tank top