Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
I shake my head, wiping my palm down my face. “Everything’s fine. Going in now,” I say, not wanting to worry her or spoil her mood.
“Oh, okay! Give them that same snarl you give me all the time. He’ll buckle at the—shit!” There’s a pop followed by another squeal. “Oh my god, your machine is possessed!”
“I have to go. Stay put. Don’t open the door for anyone. And be naked when I get home.”
“Will do. Any chance you can point me to your cleaning products? Never mind, I’ll find them. Good luck. Love you.”
“I love you.” I hang up, feeling barely comforted. His warning was a threat that puts her in harm’s way. I promised to protect her, and I’m going to do just that.
I head back to my office and get to work. My stomach churns at the number of documents with my signature that Craig has unearthed. He wasn’t bluffing. He signed my name to deals before I was even on the payroll.
By the time I lift my head, it’s late afternoon. Fuck. I reach for my phone. No calls. I press Fay’s saved contact. My fingers tap against my desk as it rings. And rings. When her voicemail picks up, I hang up and dial again. “What the fuck is she doing?”
Two more attempts. Two more times sent to voicemail. I hang up and dial the front desk of my building.
“Thank you for calling—”
“Grant, it’s Theo Monroe. Has Fay Evans left, or has anyone entered the residence?”
“Mr. Monroe. Let me check.” He places me on a quick hold, and I throw on my coat. “It looks like there have been no visitors, and no one has left the building.”
“Thank you.” I hang up and rush out of my office.
“Mr. Monroe, I was just about to bring you your afternoon agenda—”
“Amy, cancel my day.”
“Again? You—”
I push the down button and take the elevators down, leaving her to figure it out. I call James to meet me out front immediately. As demanded, he races to my condo. When he pulls up, I jump out and hurry inside. In the elevator, my anxiety rises with each floor. As soon as the doors open, I storm to my door and rush into my penthouse. “Fay?” I call out. She doesn’t answer. “Fay!” Still nothing. Fuck, what did I do? I should have come home right after the damn meeting. I knew. I knew he wouldn’t leave her—
“Hey.” She appears from the bedroom, wrapped in a towel. I stalk toward her. “How’d it—”
I cut her off, taking her mouth. My tongue slides past her lips, and I kiss her hard.
She pulls back a little. “Hey, what happened? Did it not go—”
I don’t let her go, pulling her back and kissing her again with an intensity I don’t recognize. When I feel a sliver of relief, I pull back, my eyes searching her beautiful face. “It went as expected.”
Her palms skate up my chest, and I bask in her touch, not realizing how much I needed her to calm me. “What does that mean?”
I slowly step back. “I laid out the facts. He didn’t take it well and left. Now, we wait for his next move.” She stares up at me, worry in her eyes. I brush a strand of hair from her face and lean down again, pressing my lips to hers in a quick peck. “It’s going to be fine.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I have you by my side.”
She lets out the cutest laugh. “Theo.”
“I know I have the upper hand. I don’t know if he’ll manage to change that.” I feel like shit lying to her. She wraps her arms around me, and I pull her closer, feeding her more lies. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about you. I know you’ve worked hard to be where you are. It’s wrong to let him take that away from you. You’ve earned your place.” I kiss her head, then pull away to see her eyes.
“Don’t worry about that.”
“It’s just not fair.”
“None of this has been fair. But I am, as you’ve called me many times, a cold, ruthless asshole. I plan on fighting just as dirty.”
“So, what happens now?”
I wait for Craig to tell me if my father has the upper hand. “He has forty-eight hours. Business as usual until then.”
She links her hands behind my neck. “Maybe you should take the next two days off. We can stay in bed. Have dessert for breakfast. All you can eat.” I love the sparkle in her eyes. My little minx has become a little sex fiend. I bend down for her mouth, sucking her bottom lip into mine.
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“But. . .”
“But now is not the time to let my guard down. And if I stayed in bed with you, I would never come up for air.”