Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Turns out, moving to New York when the only people you knew were your agent and some magazine acquaintances could be rather . . . lonely.
You’re only here temporarily.
Soon, you’ll be gone and you can . . . what? Chase your loneliness away by working every hour God gives you?
Shit. Was that what she’d been doing all this time? Trying not to notice how freaking lonely she was?
“I was there on a date, too,” he told her.
A date?
A stab of something hit her. What was that feeling?
Disappointment? Anger?
Ridiculous. She had no claim on him and she never would. She had to get over this childish crush.
Even if watching him drive was like her own personal aphrodisiac.
Dangerous. It was very dangerous to be this close to him. What she really needed was some space so she could think more clearly. And not breathe in his pheromones because they did something crazy to her brain.
“A date? Where was she?” she asked. Then she winced as she realized how accusatory she sounded.
His lips twitched as he turned to her. “Think I’m making her up?”
“Um, no. Of course not. You just don’t seem the type to let a woman leave on her own.”
Hence why she was now stuck in a Travis Andrews-filled pheromone trap. Otherwise known as his truck.
She swore she was starting to get light-headed.
“She drove.”
“She drove? You let her drive?”
“Let her?” he asked. “I can’t tell her what to do.”
What? Was he serious right now?
“Then why are you bloody well telling me what to do?” she exploded.
“Bloody well?”
“It’s British slang. Not bloody as in, you’re all bloody after murdering the guy that interrupted your dinner, practically kidnapped you, and is generally acting like a nutter.”
“Nutter?” he repeated.
“Stop repeating what I say and answer me.”
“Bossy little thing, aren’t you?”
“Me? I’m bossy?” Her head was about to explode. She was certain of it.
Boom! Brain matter everywhere.
Now that would be bloody.
“Uh, Caren, you okay?”
“Just imagining what your truck would look like with brain matter splattered all over it,” she muttered.
“Right. That sounds . . . normal.”
“Nothing about this night is normal!” she cried as he pulled into a parking space outside her apartment building. It was a gorgeous building made of red brick with large steps leading up to the door. It didn’t have a doorman like the one in Dallas, but the door was locked all the time and people had to be buzzed in. Her apartment was on the top floor but there was an elevator.
“Nice building,” he said, sounding almost disappointed.
Why? What was happening right now?
“Travis, what is going on? Why did you interrupt my dinner? I mean, I figured we weren’t likely to see each other and if we did that you would likely just pretend not to see me.”
He undid his seatbelt and turned to her. “Why would you think that?”
“Um, because you don’t like me!” she said in a bewildered voice.
“I like you,” he said gruffly.
“Really? Now you’re lying to me! I didn’t think you would be a liar. It’s okay, you can admit it. It won’t hurt my feelings. I know that I used to annoy you. I was the weird, silent kid who followed you guys around. You tolerated me for Lacey’s sake.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Yes, and you spent most of the wedding glaring at me. So I don’t think much has changed.”
That hurt if she was honest. She knew she hadn’t been likeable as a kid. And he hadn’t known everything she’d been going through. Plus, boys’ brains tended to develop slower than girls. So, really, they’d likely been the same age emotionally.
But she had hoped he’d have gotten over his dislike of her. Then again, Travis was the kind of guy that stayed true to his convictions.
“Yeah, well, I feel bad about that.”
Now she turned to him, undoing her belt. “What? You do?”
He ran his hand over his face. “Shouldn’t still be holding onto feelings I had toward you years ago. You were just a kid. I was just . . . annoyed that you upset Lacey when you left without a word.”
Caren let out a deep breath. How much to tell him? “I apologized to Lacey about that. It’s really between her and me. But I did send her a letter and try to call, but I never managed to get hold of her.”
“What?” He frowned. “My fucking uncle?”
“I’m not sure but that’s what we suspect.”
“Fucking bastard.”
“Total douchebag,” she said with a nod. “I should have tried again, but Grammy thought it would be better to cut ties. I got very upset when I spoke about Lacey.”
“Grammy?” he asked.
She forced herself to stay relaxed. “My grandma. I went to England to live with her after I left Albany. Thanks for the ride home.” She reached for the door handle.
“Freeze,” he barked.
To her shock, she did as ordered. Then she sighed. He was out of control. He couldn’t just bark orders at her and expect her obedience.