Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Oh dear.
He turned to me. “You can come on the train. I’ll have a driver pick you up at Paddington. Thursday morning. Spend the day in the city. We’ll all meet for dinner that night. Spend Friday in the city, and we’ll all come back Friday evening.”
“Is there a reason you feel you can share that you’re asking this?”
“I know you took Prue and Chassie to town to do some shopping,” he replied, “I think it would be helpful, considering the seal has been broken, to challenge both of them to move farther afield. But definitely make sure they don’t have time to reseal that seal.”
This made sense.
But losing two days, when I already lost one (and today, several hours of another) would be hell on my work schedule.
It was like he knew what I was thinking, because he glanced at my desk before moving his gaze to my face.
“I understand it’s asking a lot, but I feel I can share that I worry Tempie and I allowed things to go on too long. We should have pushed harder far earlier. But now, we have an advantage, and I don’t think we should squander it. I know this isn’t your issue—”
“It’s my issue, Battle. I care about both of them. And before you say anything else, I’d be down with going to London. I can take some stuff to read on the train, so I can keep my momentum going.”
“I’m fucking furious Chelsea forced you to speak about your mother’s loss like she did.”
I sat still and staring, taken aback by his swift change in topic and the emotion in his voice.
“It’s okay,” I said softly.
“It is not,” he said, all steely. “You must know, I had you vetted before you came. Nothing intrusive, but you were to be a stranger in my home with my family. I needed to know you were who you said you were. As such, I knew about her loss.”
“That tracks, and I’m not offended. I’d do the same thing if I were you.”
“I behaved badly last night.”
Good God.
Was this man…apologizing?
“I’m not sure I agree.”
His head cocked to the side.
“Battle, she’s a bitch,” I pointed out. “You were right. Rally and Courtney felt awful. It was hard to witness how awkward they felt. But they were stuck. You were all stuck. Fitzgibbons, Patsy, Emily, everybody had to run around and do shit to adjust to suddenly having three more people in the house. It wasn’t cool. All the stuff you laid out she’d been doing wasn’t cool. Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t carve into her way before last night. You have a lot more patience than me.”
“I have three sisters,” he reminded me. “It makes it very difficult to treat a woman poorly, always having it in my mind how I’d want my sisters to be treated.”
Okay.
Shit.
Official.
I totally liked this guy.
“Even if she deserves it?” I asked.
“Even if that, Vivi. Chelsea is who her mother and father made her. In a sense, it isn’t her fault. She genuinely does not understand a world where she doesn’t get everything she wants.”
At least that explained why he’d been so patient with her through all he’d described she was pulling last night.
“Well, it’s time she was introduced to it,” I retorted. “Or she’s going to be even more disappointed sometime in the future. I’m just sorry you were pushed into the position to have to teach her that lesson.”
“And I’m sorry you had to watch it happen.”
“I’m not.” I grinned. “It was kind of rad.”
With that, everything about him changed, in the sense I was both thrilled and terrified that in about two seconds, he was going to be fucking me on the desk.
We stared at each other, the heat blistering between us, and this lasted so long, I was both thrilled and terrified that it was going to be me who jumped him.
To my utter dejection, he broke the spell by asking, “Did you learn more about Harmony?”
I had a new obsession with finding out what went down with Harmony.
But I was more obsessed with jumping him, or better, him jumping me.
Alas, all I could do was say, “Just to confirm that Marie’s entry corresponds with Harmony breaking things off with Charlie.”
“Pity,” he murmured.
“Battle—”
I was going to ask what was going on here.
Or request he confirm what seemed obvious was going on was actually obvious it was going on and then discuss what we were going to do about it.
But he said, “I’ve asked you to cut into your research time, so now, I won’t take more of it. I’ll see you at tea.”
He might have said that.
But me?
I was heartily over it.
So when he hit the door, I snapped, “I think, my Lord Duke, you’re a massive tease.”
He turned, seared me with a look so hot, I one hundred percent creamed my panties, and purred, “Darling, you’ve no idea.”