Total pages in book: 235
Estimated words: 224334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1122(@200wpm)___ 897(@250wpm)___ 748(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 224334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1122(@200wpm)___ 897(@250wpm)___ 748(@300wpm)
“Jesse, are you happy for the band to set up in the far corner of the summer room?”
I look over my shoulder and find Sarah. She’s reapplied her makeup. Gathered herself. “That’s fine. I thought we agreed on that?”
“We did.” She shrugs, her eyes looking past me to Ava. “I was just checking. How are you, Ava?”
After much too long thinking about it, Ava turns and smiles. It’s fake. “I’m good, thank you, Sarah. And you?”
I move my attention back to Sarah, chewing my way through my steak slowly as I watch her force a smile to within an inch of her life. “I’m fine. Are you looking forward to tonight?”
Oh no, let’s not get carried away. A civilized hello is all it needs. “Yes,” Ava says, her smile stretching. “I am.”
I frown when her fingers slip into her hair and start twiddling. “I’m heading off,” I say before throwing a few orders at Sarah, keen to remove us all from the awkward atmosphere. I sound sharp and demanding, and I absolutely didn’t mean to.
“Of course.” Sarah’s a master at delivering looks to kill, and I just dropped dead on the spot. “I’ll leave you to it. See you later, Ava.”
“Bye,” Ava practically sings, and I’m back to looking between them. They both have unnatural smiles in place, neither prepared to be the first to drop it, until Ava relents and returns to her food.
I look at Sarah, like what the fuck? And she mouths, “What?” looking injured, before rolling her eyes and leaving.
“Why are you not looking forward to this evening?” I ask Ava, following her lead and poking at my lunch.
“I am.” One hand goes to her hair again and twists a lock around her finger.
“Ava,” I sigh tiredly. “Stop twiddling your hair.” I’m calling her out. “You did it when Sarah asked you and you’re doing it now.” She stills when I hit my knee with hers, and I watch as she slowly untwines her fingers and places her cutlery down.
“I’m sorry if I can’t get excited about attending a party where every time someone looks at me or speaks to me, I’ll be thinking they might want to drag me upstairs and fuck me.”
I flinch, dropping my silverware to my plate. “For fuck’s sake.” I shove it across the bar and wipe my mouth with my napkin, slamming it on the bar. “Ava, watch your mouth,” I snap, rubbing soothing circles into my temples. I open my eyes and find her pouting at her plate, sulking. There was absolutely no need for her sarcasm. She thinks I’d allow that? “No one will be doing any such thing because they all know you’re mine.” And if they don’t, I’ll make sure they do. “Don’t say things that make me crazy mad.”
“Sorry,” she grumbles sullenly. It’s a small relief, her tone and persona telling me she’s aware of how unreasonable she’s being.
“Please try and show a bit more willingness. I want you to enjoy yourself.”
She sighs, softening, and comes at me, climbing onto my lap and smothering me. I take it this means she’s sorry. “Forgive me?”
“You’re adorable when you sulk.”
“You’re adorable all the time.” She kisses me. “Take me home.”
Oh God, yes. Let’s get out of here. I’m done sharing her for the day. “Deal. Up you get.” I rise, lowering her to the floor as I do, our mouths fixed, and I start planning our alone time. Sex, bath, sex, shower, sex, another shower, cuddles, more sex, kisses, more cuddles, more sex, another shower.
And then I might let her get ready.
“Oh, no,” Ava blurts, her mouth suddenly missing from mine, her eyes darting, thinking.
“What?”
“I’ve got to get some whiskey for Clive.” She looks at me, a million apologies in her eyes.
“Have you? Why?”
“It’s my peace offering. Can we stop somewhere on the way home?”
Is she serious? That old man doesn’t want peace, he just wants money. For fuck’s sake. If we weren’t passing a Tesco on route, Clive would not be getting his whiskey. Lucky for the old scrounge, there’s one ten miles down the road. “Clive’s earned well out of this and he didn’t even fulfil his brief.”
“How much did you pay him?” Ava asks as I walk us out of The Manor.
“Not enough for him to do the job properly.” I look back, my brow raised, and she smiles that God-glorious smile, making my dick twitch and my heart soar. “Don’t look at me like that when I’m in no position to take you, Ava.” I open the car door. “Get in the car.”
She stands taller, the signs of a protest coming. Not now, baby. I’m all out of patience today, and it’s a long night ahead of us. “What about my car?” she asks.
“I’ll get one of the staff to drop it off.” I help her into my car as I look over the roof, directly down the tree-lined driveway to the gates of The Manor. They’re closed, as always, until someone opens them.