Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 135536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Just when the noise died down, an explosion quaked beneath my heels. I wobbled, one teeter away from face-planting on the harsh cement.
Senior seemed worse off, barely able to maintain balance, which he already struggled to do on a regular basis. Bruce flew to the rescue, offering his forearm again.
The tank lulled to a stop, engine cutting. A man holding an orange light stick directed the vehicle to move past us for the second obstacle course.
My mini dress rode up, exposing the edge of my butt. I forced myself to watch, quivering in my stupid outfit, cursing myself for ignoring Romeo’s weather forecast.
Senior brushed Bruce aside, retrieved his phone, and aimed it at a rocket launcher, recording the display. “This is my favorite part. You’ll see how the vehicle gets out of all of it unscathed.”
But apparently, this almighty Humvee could not withstand a simple ten-foot drive, because as soon as it roared to life again, it drove directly into a ditch.
“What in the absolute cluster?!” Senior staggered toward the tank, which protruded perpendicular to the road, stuck hood-down in a six-foot-deep trench. “What happened?”
The driver crawled out, ripping his helmet off.
Matt sprinted over to help him, sparing me a glare. “Your daughter-in-law happened, sir. Steven couldn’t stop staring at her and got distracted.”
Steven lurched to his feet, a rooster-red blush pecking his cheeks. “I’m so sorry, sir. This isn’t…I mean…look, sir, you could see her entire, hmm, you know, in that outfit.”
“Check yourself, boy.” Senior swayed with the force of his shout. “You shouldn’t be commenting about my daughter-in-law’s outfit, let alone what’s beneath it. Where’s my son?”
He scanned the growing crowd while Matt yanked Steven away.
“Should be here any minute.” Cara materialized, tucked into a sensible coat. Such a lovely, fully functional coat, too. My teeth chattered, fingers invading frostbite territory. “He went to grab something from the helicopter.”
“For fifteen minutes?”
Cara propped her chin up. “He had an important call to take.”
There was no call.
I knew that as perfectly well as I knew Romeo had disappeared so he wouldn’t kill me in front of an audience.
“He missed the drill?” Senior gaped. “What the hell is wrong with him?”
“Such a poor example for our employees,” Bruce added. Why was this cretin even here?
Okay, fine, I had no real reason to be here, too.
In fact, I regretted ever showing up.
Cara pursed her lips. “I don’t mean to overstep, Mr. Costa, but Romeo warned you that Steven is too inexperienced for the job.”
Senior spun to me. “Let me take you to lunch, Dallas, since my rude son is too incompetent to keep his own wife entertained.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Not only was it the (surprising) truth, but Senior also never really un-plastered his hand from my lower back, even though we’d reached the helicopter.
If I had to guess, he kept it there for the sake of being seen like this, which I didn’t appreciate at all.
“Sir.” Matt jogged to us, stopping a few feet further than necessary when he spotted Senior’s arm around my waist. The only reason I hadn’t slapped it away was because I wasn’t sure if I’d overthought it. “We’ll need about forty people to drag the Humvee out of the ditch. We don’t have enough manpower. I’ve called for help.”
Senior jabbed a finger at the ditch. “That it cannot see its way out of a hole without assistance is a travesty in itself. A four-by-four can outperform this piece of junk.” He flashed me his teeth. “You really are a little troublemaker, aren’t you?” Before I could tell him to get his hands off me—was it really important if I was overthinking? I didn’t feel safe, and that was enough—he pinched my hip bone. “My, my, have you got meat on you. Much more than Morgan. I can see why he is so territorial of you.”
A terrible realization ambushed me.
What a nasty, lecherous, horrible excuse of a man. Not a shocker that Romeo loathed his father so much.
All the puzzle pieces fused together.
Senior and Morgan.
Morgan and Senior.
No wonder my husband almost blew my head off when I showed up looking like fair game. He didn’t want his father thinking I was fair game.
Pain, desire, and truth were the DNA of love. He’d checked two of the boxes, and I’d desperately craved the third. Now that I had it in my grasp, I dreaded the consequences.
“Get your hands off my wife before I break them both in front of your entire staff.” Romeo’s icy voice chilled the air.
“Junior,” Bruce purred. “And here we thought you’d left to get your diaper changed by Cara and wouldn’t be gracing us with your presence.”
I whipped my head around, watching Romeo round the helicopter. He shouldered off his cashmere Burberry coat.
Senior retreated from me as he draped it over my shoulders. Bruce, too, knew better than to stand in his way.