Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“That’s not fair,” Fiona said. “How many billionaires do you know?”
“Touché. But still. I’ve met plenty of the wealthy people in this city, thanks to your connection with the Reapers and all the galas you’ve dragged me to, and there is almost always a catch.”
Maddison tilted her head. “You know, maybe you’re right. Maybe you need to up your shadowing hours. Study him more closely.” She waggled her eyebrows at me, and I rolled my eyes. “You could shadow him at night. See if he has a weird quirk like sleeping with his socks on or maybe he wears one of those breathing machines to help him sleep. That would shatter the perfect illusion pretty quick.”
I laughed. “Why would I care if he wore socks to bed or slept with a breathing machine?”
Fiona and Maddie’s mouths dropped at the same time.
“Holy shit,” Fiona said. “You really do like this guy!”
“Seriously,” Maddie said. “A year ago, you complained when Jake wore his socks to bed.”
“Did I?” I asked, barely recalling my very brief time with my ex. We’d only dated a few months before we’d parted ways, amicably. We just weren’t right for each other, and he certainly hadn’t been able to keep up with my needs in bed.
“You definitely did,” Fiona said.
I shrugged. “Fine. Maybe I did. It doesn’t mean I like Asher.” But even I could taste the lie on my tongue. I did like him, liked being around him, listening and learning about him, joking with him.
I can fit you in around ten if I skip my designated reading hour.
Asher’s words fluttered through me, reawakening the heat that had sparked between us when he’d read over my shoulder in his office. But he’d been messing with me when he’d talked about fitting me in for sex, not giving me a real invitation. He could have any partner he wanted at the drop of a hat, he definitely didn’t need to resort to screwing the romance author who was shadowing him for a month. But fuck me if I couldn’t stop dreaming about it.
“Maybe Maddie is right,” Fiona said, sipping her drink. “Shadow him at night. See what happens.”
I shook my head. “You two are hilarious.”
“What?” Maddison asked. “I see no bad about this idea.”
“How about personal boundaries? There is only so much information I actually need for my story.”
“I’m just saying,” Maddie said. “If he suggests it, you shouldn’t say no.”
Heat flared on my cheeks with just the idea of it.
“I remember you two telling me something similar when I was living at Brogan’s house, being his personal nanny.” Fiona eyed me lovingly, and I laughed. “Look how amazing that turned out.”
“You have me there,” I said, reaching for my drink. “But it’s different. Asher and I live in two different worlds. And there are only a few weeks left in the gig. Soon I’ll be a distant memory for him, and he’ll simply be an inspiration I used for my most recent alpha male.”
They flashed me disbelieving looks, but I ignored them. Because I knew they could see I was attracted to him, even enjoyed being around him at ungodly hours of the morning.
But it didn’t matter. We didn’t fit.
He was a four thirty wake-up call, and I was a scatterbrained author whose only obligation was a deadline and even then, I usually did all my best work the night before it.
And I didn’t think any amount of shadowing or research or time spent with him would magically fix that.
5
ASHER
Day twenty, and I felt like I was going to crawl out of my fucking skin as I watched Daisy talking to Fiona across the arena, her hands gesticulating wildly like they did when she got excited about something.
And that something was no doubt the dozen skaters on the ice several rows down, playing one of the family pick-up games Coach McPherson was so fond of hosting before the actual start of the season.
Daisy’s smile was wide as she leaned to tickle Skye, Brogan’s almost-toddler daughter, where Fiona was wearing her on her back.
What the fuck was it about Daisy that I found so irresistible? She was beautiful, there was no denying that, and while I’d had my cock turned by beautiful women in the past, I’d never let my head pivot, too. Yet here I was, staring across the rink when I should be watching to see how the players were…you know…playing.
After all, they were more than just my passion, they were an investment.
And somehow all I could think about were the words I’d read on Daisy’s laptop.
He flattened the heel of his palm over my clit while increasing his pace, giving me the pressure I needed while I bucked against him, riding his hand until I shattered around his fingers. Having an eidetic memory was usually a blessing in my line of work, being able to recall every word of a document or contract after reading it once, but right now it was a fucking curse.