Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
The odds certainly weren't looking good for William, and Lucian was about to offer his commiserations when his phone suddenly lit up with a message from Audra, telling him that she was about to meet...
"Fuck."
"Not helping with all the F-bombs—-"
"I mean, you're fucked."
CASSIDY PACED THE LENGTH of the hospital courtyard in a futile attempt to run away from her own shame. What had possessed her to do such a thing? She had been the one to ask for more time, and then she had done that!
And if she could do that this early in the game...
Oh God.
Terror consumed her, and Cassidy had to struggle not to hyperventilate and let panic get the better of her.
It's not too late, she told herself. She could still break things between her and William, before she lost herself in him completely. He might be nicer than most guys, but he was still rich and still handsome. Those two things were all it took for a man to become an asshole, and William had both traits in spades!
I need to break up with him.
The thought alone made her heart squeeze, but she knew...she knew it was only going to get so much worse if she continued with this crazy relationship. She hadn't even been in love with Darren all that much, and that asshole had sent her into a major depression. How much worse could it get, once it was William who broke her heart?
And he was bound to do that.
It was just a matter of time, really.
No matter how perfect he seemed right now...
I need to break up with him.
He was rich and handsome, and she couldn't let herself forget that, just because he seemed the opposite of Darren. It was like...like thinking a leopard could never turn feral just because someone had raised it in a loving home.
Just as a leopard could never change its spots, so would a rich and handsome man find it equally impossible to turn his back on his real nature. Which was that of an asshole.
I have to break up with him, and—-
"Cassie? Is that you?"
She turned around, thinking that the voice sounded familiar, and saw a man hurrying towards her. Average height, light brown hair, wire-rimmed glasses—-
"Blaine?"
"Yes." Blaine's tone was incredulous. "You r-remember me?"
An idea started forming in her mind, and this made her tone warmer than she intended as she said, "Of course I remember you."
Cassidy couldn't help noticing how Blaine's cheeks had oddly darkened with a flush, and she absently wondered why that was. New York in November wasn't exactly sweltering, and since this was a hospital...
"Are you here to consult one of our doctors?" she asked in concern.
Blaine quickly shook his head. "Nothing like that."
"Oh, that's good." Really good, she thought, since she didn't think it would be fair to go through with her plan if he turned out to be seriously sick.
"I'm actually here to speak with a new client—-"
"Let me guess," she interrupted with a smile. "You're here to see Audra Perkins?"
Blaine was now looking at her as if she had become a fortune-telling goddess, and a wry smile played over Cassidy's lips. Good old Blaine. He had always been so easily impressed like this, and it was kinda cute that he managed to stay the same over the years.
"Do you, um, want to grab coffee after I meet with Audra?"
Even though she had kinda expected he'd eventually ask her something like it, Cassidy still found herself tongue-tied when she heard the words, and her stomach started cramping when she realized what it would really mean, once she said yes, and William—-
"Apologies."
William?
That was William's voice!
Cassidy and Blaine turned around just as William came striding forward to join them.
"Blaine Mercer, isn't it?"
Cassidy felt awful as she watched Blaine's cheeks turn a mortifying shade of red upon finding himself staring at a man who was far taller, larger, and a hundred times more handsome than he could ever be.
"I'm William Stanhope, cousin to the groom, Lucian Stanhope."
William's British accent seemed a lot more evident than usual, and the way he shook the younger man's hand seemed tighter than usual, too, with the way Blaine's face contorted in pain.
Feeling obliged to rescue her friend, she cleared her throat and said, "Mr. Stanhope? I think Blaine's about to faint."
William didn't give a damn. In fact, he was sorely tempted to crush the man's fingers into pieces, especially since Cassidy - who seemed to have forgotten whose woman she was - had just called him 'Mr.-fucking-Stanhope' while referring to the wimp by his first name.
Cassidy glared at her boss. "Mr. Stanhope!"
Blaine seemed ready to wilt in relief when William finally released his hand, and Cassidy cast an anxious glance at the other man's fingers, which did look rather red and swollen. "Are you alright?" Without thinking, she reached to touch Blaine's fingers—-