Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
I didn’t hug girls after games like many of the other guys. Not a girlfriend because I’d never had one, and not the cheerleaders because half of them wanted to clamp my balls in a vice. And I definitely didn’t talk about my family, not with my teammates, except for Connor, and definitely not with any women of the past, but with Evie my guards seemed to be crumbling and I didn’t even mind. I knew she wouldn’t sell me out to the press. She had absolutely no ambitions to gain attention, and she was responsible and loyal. I liked having her around. With my previous assistants they’d worked from home, not in my apartment. I’d spent as little time as possible with them, but with Evie I found myself giving her tasks just so she’d have to be in my penthouse more often.
“I can’t imagine you on a horse,” Evie said during our next movie night after I’d told her my mother and sister lived on a farmstead with stables, a place where I’d spent part of my youth. “What kind of poor creature can carry your body?”
“Horses are strong. They can carry a lot of weight, trust me.”
She looked doubtful. “Still. I can’t really imagine you as a cowboy.”
I chuckled. “I’m not wearing a cowboy hat or cowboy boots when I ride, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
She tilted her head in that thoughtful way where she wedged the corner of her lower lip between her teeth. It was fucking distracting. “Now I want to see you on a horse,” she said with a shake of her head and a laugh.
“Why don’t you come with me next time I visit my family?” I hadn’t considered asking Evie, but oddly enough I realized I wanted her to see where I came from, and meet my family. Marc was already completely enthralled by her, and from the few things I’d let slip to my mother, she was too.
Evie blinked. “Really? Wouldn’t they wonder why you’re bringing your assistant along for family time?”
“You’re more than that, and they’ll be ecstatic if I bring any woman home.”
“You’ve never brought a girl over?”
“No,” I clipped. “Never dated, never will. I didn’t want any of the women I slept with to go anywhere near my family.”
“So you’re bringing a woman you don’t sleep with,” she said with a twitch of that pink mouth. “Ask your family if it’s okay. I really don’t want to impose.”
“You won’t.” I had a feeling both my sister and mother would enjoy Evie’s quirky nature.
Evie regarded me for a couple heartbeats before she let out a small sigh. “My mom had breast cancer,” she said softly.
I angled my body toward her, but didn’t say anything. She was searching for more words.
“Fiona and I were fifteen when she was diagnosed with stage three. At first it looked like she could beat it, but then it flared up again and…” She swallowed, her green eyes sad and teary, and I reached out and touched her shoulder, rubbing it with my thumb.
She gave me a small smile.
She was soft and warm to the touch, and smelled of that mix of honey and a hint of cinnamon. “How old were you when she died?”
“Seventeen. It was in my last year of high school.”
“That must have been hard.”
“It was,” she admitted. “It would have been easier if Fiona hadn’t left right after graduation. I’d needed her at my side.”
“Why did she leave anyway?”
“That’s Fiona’s story to tell,” Evie said. That was another reason why I knew I could trust her with personal information.
She wiped at her eyes, then squinted with an embarrassed smile. “I didn’t mean to ruin our movie night with an emotional outburst.”
“I asked,” I said. “How about something funny like The Hangover?”
“Why did I know that was a movie you’d like?”
“Connor and I experienced something very similar when we were in Las Vegas a few years back.”
She perked up. “Do tell.”
“I think I’ll pass. Don’t want you to get the wrong impression,” I drawled with a wink.
“It’s a little too late for that, Xavier.”
I realized I was still touching her shoulder and removed my hand, then turned back to the TV and searched for the movie. Evie curled her feet under herself and leaned her head against the headrest with an expression I had trouble reading, so I didn’t bother.
We were halfway through the movie when Evie’s head slumped forward and her breathing deepened. I let her sleep. When she didn’t wake before the end of the movie, I decided to let her sleep here. It was already past midnight and we’d have to get up early. If Evie still needed to return home, she would hardly get any sleep at all. I carefully rose then grabbed a folded blanket from the second sofa, unfolded it and covered Evie with it. The position she was in looked slightly uncomfortable, so I lowered her gently to her side. For a moment, I regarded her peaceful face, then her lit-up mobile screen caught my attention. The sound was off.