Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
Starting...with Alina.
Chapter 16
She said: To wed a Greek billionaire, one becomes an expert at lie detection.
He said: Is that so?
She said: Go on. Test me.
He said: We’re in a private place.
She said: Lie. And umm, duh!
He said: We’re alone.
She said: Lie. Willow, tell me, is he for real?
He said: I’m not finished.
She said: Ooookay.
He said: You want to fuck me right now. I only have to touch your hair and you want me. I only have to look at you and you want me. I only have to say your name and you want me. Are those lies, matakia mou?
She said: Unfair! That’s a trick question!
IMPORTANT MEETING? Ha! Yeah, right. These were the thoughts that ran through Mairi’s head as she tried not to bang pots in Damen’s ultra-modern kitchen. She had taken pains to prepare breakfast, hoping they could eat it in bed, but instead he had told her in a distracted voice that he had to leave right away.
And then she had watched Damen – the man who she had never even seen glance at his reflection on the mirror unless he was having sex with her in front of it – stand a good five minutes in front of his extensive wardrobe, a taut look on his face as he pulled out a new pinstriped suit. “Do you think this looks good on me?”
That was when she really knew. Oh my God, he really was having an affair with Alina Kokinos! She had read about this in those women’s magazines that Mandy secretly devoured in hopes of being more “sensitive” and “feminine”.
When Damen had raised a brow at her, Mairi had snapped, “No. I think you look bad in anything you wear.” And then she had shoved past her husband, muttering about eating breakfast with Drake.
For once, Damen’s jealousy had not made him go after Mairi.
“What’s with all the racket?” Drake asked as he entered the kitchen, wincing at all the banging and clanging that Mairi was making with her frying pans. He grabbed one of the stools by the counter, one eyebrow lifting when he saw the lineup of dishes Mairi had prepared. Pancakes, toasts, Eggs Benedict, bacon, and even a fruit platter – all of them untouched. “Are we celebrating or something?”
“Nope.” Mairi tried to keep her tone cheerful as she turned around to face Drake. Hair still wet from a shower and dressed in a white wife beater that exposed his broad shoulders and biceps, the ex-sniper appeared like he had just stepped out of a sexy edition of Bed Bath & Beyond.
Taking the stool next to him, Mairi stared at Drake for a long time, willing for her breath to catch, her heart to race, her body to tense. Mairi willed herself to feel something – anything – for Drake Morrison. Just one sign, Mairi thought desperately, to prove that she had not completely lost herself in Damen. Again.
But there was none.
The despair on Mairi’s brown eyes had Drake frowning. His first instinct was to be gentle, a feeling prompted by guilt, but Drake knew that wasn’t really what Mairi needed right now. He also knew that even if it was, it had never been his role to give Mairi a shoulder to cry on.
That was Damen Leventis’ role...even if he was likely the reason Mairi’s gaze was dark with misery.
Drake slapped a couple of pancakes on his plate, giving Mairi time to speak. From the corner of his eyes, he watched her reach for a piece of toast and munch on it. He said brusquely, “Pretending to be strong doesn’t actually make you strong, Mairi.”
Mairi flinched, her half-eaten toast falling from her fingers to her plate.
When she still didn’t speak, Drake swung his seat sideways so he could take a good look at her. “I taught you better than that, don’t you think?”
Yes, he did, Mairi acknowledged painfully, but sometimes it was just easier to fall back on old habits and keep pretending. Lowering her gaze to the table, she concentrated on picking the crumbs that had fallen off her plate. In a light voice, she said, “Damen left early for a meeting today.”
“And you’re upset because he wasn’t able to eat breakfast in bed with you?”
“I called Barry, his secretary, and he says there wasn’t any meeting penciled in Damen’s schedule.”
“It could have been unplanned.”
“He asked me how he looked in his new suit. He never does that.”
“Maybe he finally realized he’s not as good looking as he thinks he is?”
A choked laugh escaped Mairi, the sound hiding the trail of tears on her cheeks.
Drake cursed. “Mairi—-”
She shook her head vigorously. “I’m okay.” Mairi unconsciously placed a protective hand on her tummy, where her unborn child rested. “I just...” Her shoulders lifted in an awkward shrug, and she gave Drake an embarrassed smile. “I thought I could do this, you know? Be with Damen while pretending I don’t love him? I thought I could control it because now I knew what I was getting myself into. But it didn’t happen that way. I just...I just fell in love with him more, and I don’t think that’s right.”