Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“Come on. This way.” He turned right and soon his surprise came into view. He’d called his sister, Jade, who ran parties at their family hotel in Manhattan, and she’d come up with the name of a Hamptons party planner who specialized in small, intimate gatherings, including a party of two.
Money and connections talked and he’d convinced the owner to handle an elaborate same day picnic. At a glance, the woman had outdone herself. An oversized blanket… no, it looked more like a cream-colored rug that wouldn’t have divots thanks to the sand, had been spread out on the beach.
Floral bundles in a variety of pinks lined one blanket edge. Two formal place settings, complete with linen light pink napkins, waited for them along with a champagne bucket, complete with a bottle being chilled in ice. Lanterns lined two other sides of the blanket for when the sun set, and citronella candles would protect them from bugs.
He turned from the spread to Hadley, who stared with wide eyes. “Hads?” He liked her sister’s nickname for her and unless she asked him not to use it, he decided it was time to adopt it, too.
She pivoted to face him, her eyes glassy with tears. “I’m… speechless.”
“But do you like it?” he asked, suddenly worried it was too much. His family’s financial status had always put her off and she’d been keeping a tally of what he’d spent on her and Dani since she’d arrived.
“I do. So much.”
He nodded. “Good.” Honesty was the only way to go and if he gave her something to consider over the next days or weeks, then he’d accomplished more than the goal of making her happy.
“Why did you go to all this effort?” she asked.
He cleared his throat, his own emotions too close to the surface as he raised one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I don’t know how much time we have together, and I want to make the most of it.”
She stepped closer, wrapped her arms around his neck and sealed her lips against his. With a groan, he hooked one arm around her waist and pulled her against him, loving every second of the way she set the pace. Slow and steady, she licked his bottom lip, drawing a moan from deep in his chest and when he parted his mouth, she slid her tongue inside.
The emotional kiss seemed to last forever and when she pulled back, her lips glistening as much as her eyes, he was overcome, too.
“Let’s go eat,” he said gruffly.
They sat side by side on pillows and enjoyed. He finger-fed her egg and tuna salad bite-sized sandwiches, they drank champagne from glass flutes, and for dessert, they dipped fresh strawberries in melted chocolate. All the while, they talked about life.
“You can hear the band music from here?” she asked, licking the chocolate off her fingers.
Somehow he suppressed a groan. “You sure can. But I have a special spot for that, too.”
A few minutes of silence lingered and she seemed to be gearing up to say something. “What’s going on, Hads?”
“I called my father earlier today. He didn’t pick up. Again.”
He grasped her hand. “We’re working on it.” He hadn’t been keeping her in the loop as they found information because he wanted to wait until he had a full picture.
But she seemed to need something now. “So far Remy’s linked him to certain associates and let’s just say they’re more deeply Mob connected than I imagined.”
She shook her head. “I know what you mean. I was hoping he’d learned something from having to run the first time but obviously not. I knew as much when that guy cornered me by my car.”
She shuddered and Zach pulled her against him with one arm. “You’re safe here.”
“As soon as I saw your face in that magazine, I knew you were the only choice.” She drew up straighter and he released her. “Now, can we talk about something else?”
She obviously wanted to forget so he asked her questions about school, teaching, her students, and friends, topics meant to keep the conversation light.
“Tell me about your siblings. What do they do for a living? I assume they all have the same work ethic you do.”
He nodded. “Nick runs the hotels, Jade is the Event Coordinator, Asher founded Dirty Dare Vodka which later became Dirty Dare Spirts as he expanded. He insisted we all invest, and the business took off. And of course, you know about Harrison, the famous actor and producer.” He grinned, proud of them all. “Then there are my half-siblings. You know Layla and the triplets are away at college.”
She shook her head, smiling. “I don’t know how Serenity and Michael corralled you all.”
“I have no clue.” He just knew they were one big, happy family.
“I met Jade and Nick’s girls,” Hadley said of his nieces. “What about Harrison and Asher? Any kids?”