Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 135378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Heaven.
And it only comes with every string imaginable.
What a bargain.
I smile faintly, grabbing my warm breakfast sandwich and devouring it. Silvan must know I’ve been picked up because he shoots off a text that reads, “How is my pretty girl this morning?”
“Not so pretty,” I shoot back. “I’m being lazy this morning.”
“Lies. You’re always beautiful.”
“Thank you for sending the car. I did not have the zeal to make myself food this morning.”
“Are you feeling all right?”
“Yeah. Just a little tired.”
That reminds me, I need to call my doctor. I swipe away from his texts and search up the number for my OB-GYN’s office. Unfortunately, she’s booked solid and can’t get me in for a couple of weeks.
That won’t do at all.
Plan B. I look up student health services and give them a call to see if they can get me in today.
Once I have all that handled, I do a little studying before I get to campus. I gave myself a little extra time since I have to hustle to get a new class schedule so I know where my new class is, but when Hugh opens the door and lets me out, he holds out a crisp white sheet of paper.
“Your schedule.”
I blink, then take it. “Oh. Thank you.”
“Master Silvan printed one off for you this morning. He wasn’t sure you’d have time before class.”
I crack a smile. “Is that his way of saying I’m always on the verge of being late?”
“I believe in Master Silvan’s opinion, anytime you appear to be late, it’s the other party’s fault for not waiting for you.”
I thank him again, hoist my bag on my shoulder, and make my way toward my first class of the day.
___
I’m on my way out of the student health center when I see Silvan standing at the information desk, talking to the nurse.
My heart skips a beat and my steps slow. “Silvan?”
He turns toward me, an easy smile on his handsome face. “Hey.”
My gaze drifts to the nurse behind the desk. She avoids my gaze and looks a little flustered, shuffling papers around the desk to look busy.
My eyes narrow with suspicion but before I can watch to see what she does next, Silvan is in front of me, grabbing my wrist with one hand, my chin with the other. His touch is gentle enough, but he forces me to meet his gaze.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Thought I’d see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat now that you’re done.”
“I didn’t tell you I was coming here today. How did you know I’d be—?” I stop myself with a sigh. “Goddammit, Hugh. There’s no privacy with that man around.”
Silvan smirks, leaning in to kiss me. “There’s no privacy anywhere.” Taking my hand, he hauls me toward the door. “Come on.”
I sigh heavily. “I’m not hungry. And I need to go to a pharmacy so I can fill this prescription.”
“I’ll take care of it for you. We’ve got an appointment in a few minutes, that’ll eat up some time. We’ll grab some dinner after. Maybe you’ll be hungry by then.”
I frown, following him out the door. “What kind of appointment?”
He looks back and shoots me an enigmatic smile. “You’ll see.”
Hugh is waiting for us by the limo. I shoot him a dirty look as I climb into the car. “We need to talk about you being a major narc.”
His mustache twitches. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Miss Bradwell.”
“Mm-hmm,” I murmur, making it clear I don’t believe him.
Silvan settles in and smirks. “Thanks, Hugh.”
About fifteen minutes later, we drive past Boston Commons and pull up outside of a beautiful white brick building. The bottom floor houses an upscale Italian restaurant and there are five stories above it.
I assume we’re here to eat, but he said we had an appointment somewhere first.
Rather than explain himself, he hands off my birth control prescription to Hugh. “Get this taken care of while we’re here, will you.”
“Of course,” he says dutifully as I step out onto the sidewalk.
I look ahead at the man and woman walking out of the restaurant. She’s wearing heels and a tight green dress. He’s wearing a suit and shiny loafers.
I look down at my comfy outfit. “Um, I don’t think I’m dressed for this place.”
He takes my hand, leading me past the restaurant and down the small side street the side of the building faces. We stop about halfway down at a pair of double doors beneath an overhang.
He scans a card to gain access to the building, then pulls the door open and gestures for me to walk inside.
The place is very white, and for a horrifying moment, I wonder if he’s brought me to a wedding dress shop. There’s a lot of empty space and gleaming floors. Light-blue couches are set up in a few spots, well spaced out to give anyone sitting on them privacy.