Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“It,” I repeat. “I’m guessing it’s bad.”
“You haven’t seen it? Check your emails.”
“Two secs.”
Going to my emails, I see around twenty people have sent me the same link to the same video.
It’s from the hospital hallway the day I came to see Paul, the day Sophie grabbed that rude woman’s phone and slid it along the floor. It shows the whole thing. It shows Sophie grabbing the phone, the outrage of the other woman, and it shows me smiling, pride gleaming in my eyes.
“What’s the damage?” I ask Tyrone.
“Unsure so far. It’s only got a few thousand views.”
“I’m guessing we can’t scrub it.”
“Not unless we hack Jane Larson’s account.”
Jane Larson must be the woman who looked like I’d slapped her across the mouth when I told her I didn’t want to be part of a video.
“We’re obviously not doing that,” I tell him.
“I know. The PR team thinks it could be bad. It’s your smile, apparently. You look like you approve of what she did.”
“That’s because I do,” I tell him. “People are too damn rude. Sophie put that woman in her place. She didn’t even break the phone.”
Tyrone sighs. “Like I said, it’s only got a few thousand views. We’ll have to see how it develops. In the meantime, you might want to talk to Sophie.”
“Warn her,” I say, nodding. “If it gets more views, she might be recognized.”
It’s the right thing to do. It’s the only option, really, but there’s also the fact that it means seeing her again, being close to her. After I indulged last night, I’m not sure I can do that and still hold myself back. I’m not sure I can contain myself.
“I’ll head over there now,” I say, hanging up.
CHAPTER TEN
Sophie
“You’re doing great,” I tell Paul as he uses the pulleys to haul himself to a sitting position. He looks across the room at the TV, a cage fight playing.
“Thanks,” he says quietly, none of that usual cockiness and breeziness in his tone. Usually, he’s quick to smile and make light, but that’s after he’s done at least a couple hours of exercise or taken his medicine, as he puts it.
“You’ll be swinging around here like a monkey soon,” I say.
He smiles at my effort with an effort of his own. “Thanks, Sophie. Really. Do you want to watch the fight with me?”
“I…”
He grins. “It’s okay. I know you’re not into this sort of thing.”
I lean forward and kiss him on the cheek. “I’m just relieved this injury hasn’t done anything to your bloodlust.”
He chuckles. “Nothing could do that, sis.”
I leave him, going into my bedroom and sitting at the desk. I feel like I’ve betrayed Paul every time I speak to him. Kaleb is always in my mind, no matter what. The fantasies, the impossibilities… They only get worse when I’m with my brother.
The doorbell rings. The nurse isn’t here yet, so I walk through the house and open the door. My breath catches. It’s Kaleb, wearing a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his forearms bulging, and his chest huge and hard—every girl’s fantasy come true. He’s got a deadly serious expression on his face, too.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Can I come in?”
I step aside. He walks past me, brushing close, teasing me with a bit of heat. I almost feel like leaving the door open, a defense of any silliness that might grip me. What would he do if I threw myself at him now?
“I’ll say hello to Paul first,” he says, striding toward the hallway.
First? Before what?
There’s nothing I can do except wait in the living room, wondering why he’s being so mysterious. He leaves me waiting for way too long. Twenty minutes of torturing myself as I listen to him and Paul laughing together from deeper into the house. Then, finally, he returns with no laughs, ultra-serious again.
“Have you seen it?” he asks.
“Seen what?”
He sits beside me on the couch, so close, so hot. I can feel heat radiating from him. A sudden flash bursts to vivid life in my thoughts—our bodies pressed nakedly together, how scorching that would be, the pleasure erupting.
Taking out his phone, he clicks play on a video, then leans over, getting even closer. The video shows a different angle of the hospital. It shows me grabbing that woman’s phone and marching away. It shows Kaleb’s smile of pride. Crazily, I’m grinning by the end of it. It’s that look in his eyes.
“Why are you smiling?” he asks.
I shrug. It’s not like I can tell him the real reason. I’ve been waiting years for him to look at me like that. “That woman deserved it. It’s not like I did anything that bad, is it? I didn’t even break her phone.”
He nods. “That’s exactly what I said. Apparently, my smile could cause some bad PR. It’s a joke, Sophie. We built this company because we wanted to be free. Now, I don’t have the freedom to smile.” He pauses, then adds, “But I shouldn’t complain. My worst-case scenario is retiring with a fortune. The company, though, means more than money.”