Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 143(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Really honored and yet...
"I'm engaged."
I end up mumbling the words under my breath, but the way the entire cafe abruptly falls into silence tells me everyone's heard it all the same. The usual additional second passes, and then the noise levels pick back up with a vengeance. It's as if everyone's determined to give us a semblance of privacy, and I find their response cute, funny, and painfully sweet all at the same time.
"Well..." Ethan's drawl has all of us in the table glancing up. "That was awkward."
It's exactly what we all needed to hear, and the words effectively break the tense silence between us as Thornton grimaces, Aidan rolls his eyes, and I choke back a laugh.
"I'm sorry for putting you on the spot."
The gentleness in Thornton's tone catches me off guard, and I'm secretly mortified at the way it suddenly makes my eyes sting. "It's not your fault at all. It's my fault for not making things clear—-"
"There wasn't anything for you to clear up." Aidan's tone is firm. "Engagements get broken all the time—-"
I can only sputter and choke while Aidan's brothers actually exchange contemplative looks, like they're already thinking up ways to make that happen.
"I gotta say though..." Thornton gives his twin a thoughtful look. "I did not see this coming at all."
"True," Ethan agrees. "Great Saint Aidan, falling off his pedestal because of a girl."
"I never asked to be on one," Aidan retorts, "so it's no big loss."
Even though we talk of other things after that, Ethan's last words continue to bother me, and it's only when his brothers have left that I find the courage to look at Aidan—-
"You're wrong."
"I haven't said anything yet," I protest.
"You don't have to," he says mildly. "I know exactly what you're thinking."
He does?
"Those beautiful gray eyes of yours show your every thought."
Did he...did he just say my eyes are gray?
It's so rare for a guy to notice that about me, and even rarer for a guy like him...no, actually, it's the first time for a near-perfect man like Aidan Blackwood to notice the color of my eyes, and for him to also think they're beautiful—-
"You're looking rather smitten all of a sudden."
Aidan's unusually sly tone sends me crashing back to reality, and the way his lips curve ever so slowly into a smirk only makes things worse.
"You're getting an awfully huge kick out of this," I say accusingly.
Aidan's smirk turns into a smile, and by now I already know what this means. He's going to change the subject again—-
"Please don't let my brothers concern you."
And I'm right...unfortunately.
"Your brothers," I say gloomily, "probably think I'm a huge tease."
"They don't."
"Yes they do—-"
"No they don't—-"
"And you're sure of this because?"
"Because they know me."
I stare at him blankly. "And?"
"And I always get what I want," he answers simply.
Yeargh.
I normally hate cockiness in a guy, but when it's Aidan doing it...
"You're blushing."
"Am! Not!" I even end up growling the words out in my frustration, but this only seems to amuse him, and I feel even more helpless. "Please stop doing this—-"
"Why should I? We both know—-"
I shake my head vehemently at this. "No, we actually don't. We barely know each other while Jack—-"
"—-was with another woman last night."
Chapter Four
I know you're going to think I'm silly for this, but...
I panicked, okay?
So the moment I heard Aidan's words, I just up and walked out of the cafe.
But it's futile, of course.
Aidan's long-legged stride has him catching up in less than a minute, and I can't help tensing as he falls into step beside me. The wintry landscape around us is almost whimsical in its beauty, but I'm too anxious to give it the appreciation it deserves. Looking up to him, I ask rather stiltedly, "Can we not talk about it? Please?"
"You don't sound surprised," Aidan observes grimly.
"Because I'm not." A part of me is just waiting for him to say I'm stupid after this. Maybe even get mad at me or look at me with pity, too.
But none of that happens.
The silence only stretches between us while I feel his gaze on me every so often.
People have always been curious about how my relationship with Jack works, but it's something I've never cared enough to explain. I know people think I'm a fool because of it, but I've never cared about that either...until now.
"I've known about it from the start," I say flatly. "And..." A thought occurs to me, and a frown creases my forehead. "How do you know about it?" Jack has always been discreet, and—-
"I got a private investigator to tail him."
"You what?"
Aidan shrugs. "I wanted to know who my rival is."
"He is not your rival—-"
But Aidan acts like he doesn't even hear me as he asks, "Is he really your type?"
His skeptical tone makes me feel defensive, and I lift my chin, saying, "Jack's one of Florida's most prominent lawyers—-"