Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
***
“You smell so fucking good.” I nearly whimpered at the sound of his throaty voice in my ear. True to form, Hunter pulled me against him the minute I opened the front door. Wrapping me in a hug that bordered on crushing me, his hot breath tickled my neck as he spoke.
Jesus Christ. Have the four cigarettes in a row, Minnie, if it gives you this type of relief.
“Thank you,” I managed to squeak out and then cleared my throat. “Come in. You’re a few minutes early, and Izzy hasn’t gotten home yet. I don’t like her to come home to an empty house if I can help it. She isn’t usually this late. I’m sure she won’t be long.”
I closed the door behind him and walked to the kitchen, needing a little space. Looking over my shoulder, I turned back to ask if he’d like a glass of wine and found Hunter’s eyes glued to my ass.
I raised a brow in question when they eventually rose to mine. Of course, he didn’t bother to pretend it hadn’t happened. That wasn’t his style.
“You have a great ass,” he said instead.
“This isn’t starting out like two friends having dinner. You’ve been here thirty seconds, and you’ve already told me how good I smell while pressing our bodies together and commented on my ass.”
“Didn’t say this was a dinner as friends.” He shrugged. “You did. Besides, you’re wearing perfume and a dress that is sexy as hell. You’re ready for a date.”
I rolled my eyes and continued to put that distance between us. “Would you like a glass of wine or not?”
“Sure.”
He followed me into the kitchen. Standing across from the refrigerator, he leaned against the counter in a confident stance.
Lifting his chin toward the sink, he asked, “How’s the drain holding up? No leaks?”
I uncorked the wine I’d opened yesterday and poured two glasses. “Nope. All good.”
When I handed him a glass, he caught my eye. “Damon come around again?”
“No. I think you scared him away.”
“Good.”
I sipped my wine. “So where are we going tonight?”
“One if by Land, Two if by Sea.”
“On Barrow?”
“That’s the one.”
“I pass it all the time. I have a client nearby.” I squinted. “Looks romantic from the outside.”
“Saw it featured in Architectural Digest a few years back. Been meaning to go. But haven’t had the chance.”
“I thought you came to New York all the time.”
“I do. Meant there was no one I wanted to take there.”
God, he was sweet without even trying.
His words, coupled with that intense stare, made me squirm. I grabbed my phone from the counter. “I wonder where Izzy is. She’s not usually this late. What time is our reservation?”
Before Hunter could answer, the front door opened and slammed shut.
“I was beginning to wonde—” Her face halted my sentence. It was red and blotchy, and her eyes were swollen. She’d definitely been crying. I went to her. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she snipped.
Hunter and I glanced at each other. His carefree face from a moment ago was gone, replaced by lethal anger.
“Izzy,” I said. “You need to give me more than that. Did someone bother you on the way home?”
For the first time, she noticed Hunter was in our apartment. She also caught the look on his face and seemed to realize the man was ready to kill someone if she didn’t put his mind at ease.
“Oh. No. Nothing like that.”
I blew out a heavy breath. “Then what happened? You’re late, and you’ve clearly been crying.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Are you sure?”
Izzy slumped into the couch without removing her backpack. “One of the girls on the basketball team was talking about Dad.”
I sat down next to her. “Like what?”
“Apparently her dad was an investor of Dad’s, and when they sent home the player roster for the team, they listed both you and Dad as my emergency contacts. Her father saw the name, saw me at the game, and since I look just like Dad, he knew. Now everyone knows my father is a criminal.” Tears filled her big brown eyes. “And that’s not all.”
Oh God. More? I wasn’t sure my heart could take seeing tears spill over. Izzy was a tough girl. She hadn’t cried since her father’s sentencing hearing, and even then, she hid them from everyone.
“What else happened, sweetie?”
“Yakshit is going to the dance with Brittany.”
“What dance?”
“The Sadie Hawkins dance.”
“Isn’t that a dance where the girls invite the boys?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t even know you asked Yakshit to go with you.”
The tears spilled over. “I didn’t.”
“Oh, honey.” I pulled Izzy into a hug.
She tried her best to hide the sobs. There was no sound, yet her shoulders started to shake. We stayed that way for a solid ten minutes—her sobbing and letting me hold her. I hated the cause and her pain, but I was happy I could give her whatever comfort she would allow.