Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
“What the hell are you doing?” Louis yells.
“You don’t get this anymore.” I jerk my head at Morgan. “You coming?”
She hesitates, looks at Louis, and then walks in my direction.
“You can’t take that. It belongs to the restaurant.” Louis’ head is about to explode.
“Read the contract.” The painting is large and bulky, and I practically knock a couple people over as I carry it toward the door. Matty and Blake race ahead to get the car. They seem like a good pair.
“Sir! You can’t leave with that.” The maître d’ attempts to halt my progress.
I start to lower the painting across my knee.
Louis shrieks, “Not the painting. Leave him alone! Let him go!”
“Thought I was just some dude with a paintbrush,” I call. Satisfied, I march out with Morgan in tow.
“Can you really take that?” she asks when we reach the sidewalk.
“I did, didn’t I?”
“Why?”
“Louis is an ass and doesn’t deserve this.”
“It is a beautiful piece. The colors are vibrant. I’m usually not a fan of modern art because it’s often so cold, but this work has energy and warmth. Like I’m standing in the sun.”
I beam at her. “It’s yours then.”
“I can’t.”
“You better take it,” Matty advises. He’s arrived with the Rover. “Otherwise, we’re going to be here all night. He’s stubborn like that.”
“I get that.”
“Not dickhead stubborn like Louis, though,” I hurry to clarify. “Just regular stubborn.” That sounds dumb as hell. I clamp my mouth shut. I shove the painting in the back of the Rover and usher Morgan back into the car.
“Where to?” Matty asks.
“My place,” Morgan and I both respond at the same time.
“At the risk of sounding crazed, see how in sync we are?” I hold out my hand to Morgan. She smiles and places her fingers on top of mine. “You can drop us off at my place, Matty. Thanks for the invite. I owe you one.”
“I’ll drop by on Monday and let you know my price.”
I think everyone in the Rover knows I’ll pay whatever he asks.
CHAPTER 8
MORGAN
“Are you really staying?” Blake asks when we slide out of the back of the Rover at Eros’ place. I can see she’s a bit skeptical. I mean I can’t blame her. I didn’t even want to go on this date, and now I’m being dropped off at the man's house. If the shoe was on the other foot, I’d be asking her the same thing.
“Yeah, I think I am. How about you? Should I let Grams know that you won’t be making it home tonight?” Blake’s cheeks pinken. She’s really into this guy.
“I think I’m going to go home with him.”
“Good for you. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” I kiss her on the cheek.
“So I can murder and cause mayhem but must keep my chastity belt intact?” she teases me.
“Fine, you’re a free woman. Burn your bra and panties.”
“I have a fireplace,” Matty chimes in from the driver's seat, listening to our whole conversation. Not that we’re hiding it well. I’m standing at the passenger door. Blake had rolled the window down to talk to me while Eros wrangled his painting out of the back of the vehicle.
“Text me later,” Blake and I say at the same time as I step back from the vehicle.
“You need some help with that?” I ask Eros.
“Can you grab my keys for me? Front left pocket.”
“Is that a line? Is this a trick?” I wiggle my brows but reach into his pocket for his keys since he has his hands full at the moment.
“It’s not a line, but feel free to grab anything you want while you’re in there.” I can’t help but laugh. I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed a man’s company this much.
Plus, him getting all territorial over me was pretty hot. That is not something I’d ever in my life thought I’d be into, but Eros had gone from cool and collected to Don’t fuck with my date in two seconds. It was pretty badass.
I find his keys, pulling them out. We head up to his place. I unlock the door, and he even gives me the code to turn the alarm off. “Can’t wait to rob you later.”
“You get off on that kind of thing? The thrill?”
“Just call me Winona Ryder.” Eros sets the painting down against the wall. I start to wander into his home, unable to help myself. “I will be stealing from your fridge. I only ate two olives and one piece of cheese. I don’t know about other women you date, but this one eats.”
“I don’t really date,” he says from behind as he follows me. I’d heard Louis mention something about that. My ear might have perked up a bit on that one.
His place is pretty modern but with a rustic feel to it. The countertops in his kitchen are pretty neat. They’re a pure black quartz from the looks of it but matte. The place does scream bachelor pad to a degree but a cool one.