Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
His gaze hardened. “Nothing pisses me off more than that.”
“And then he never paid me back for the fifty grand I lent him, but that’s not the important part.”
“Fuck that,” Storm said. “Want me to go find him and beat him up? I will, you know—”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said. “I’d rather leave him in the past.”
Storm reached out a hand and brushed a lock of my hair to the side on my forehead. It was the smallest gesture, but it struck me like lightning.
Storm could be sweet.
Actually sweet.
The same guy who wanted to fight all the time, who wanted to fuck with me at every moment, was being tender with me.
“You wouldn’t believe how many people from back in school tried to contact me once I was drafted,” Storm said. “People who literally told me I was trash, suddenly acting fake-friendly. A girl who asked me out on a date in high school, but then showed up at the restaurant with another guy, pranked me, and told me she’d never be caught dead with me. All these people, finding me online and trying to act like we were friends, now that I have money.”
I winced. “I’m sorry, but a girl in high school said she wouldn’t want to be seen with you? Was she out of her mind? Even back then, you must have been one of the most attractive guys there.”
“Not really,” he said. “I had a lot of acne at the time. My hair was always fucked up, with terrible haircuts my mom would do at home. Bless her heart, she really tried, but some of the haircuts were crimes against humanity.”
“Wow,” I said. “I figured you must always have been… like you are now.”
“And what’s that?” he teased.
“Shut up,” I said, looking back toward the pine trees. “You know you’re handsome, Storm.”
Heat crept up into my chest again. It wasn’t like it should have been a big deal. It was pretty much an objective truth that Storm Rosling was about as handsome as a man could be.
“Shucks,” he said, still teasing me. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Anyway,” I said, rapidly changing the subject. “Hearing my ex say I only cared about money when the only thing in the world I cared about was grieving my father… it hurt so badly. Storm, I do not give a fuck how much the Racks deal makes me. I would do it for free, and I mean that. I just cannot accept a future where Walter Cutmore takes over my dad’s company.”
Storm hummed. “Who’s Walter Cutmore? Another ex of yours, Mr. Heartbreaker?”
“The boss from hell.”
“Oh, shit,” Storm said. “Let me guess. He’s set in his ways, and thinks he knows better than everyone else in the company?”
I clicked my tongue. “He thinks he’s the fucking king of Lux Marketing, and he’s dead wrong,” I said, bitterness creeping into my tone.
“You’ve got a rival,” Storm asked. “Other than me, of course.”
“I wouldn’t call him a rival. He actually is a homophobic asshole.”
Storm lifted his eyebrows. “You work for a homophobe?”
“Unfortunately,” I said. “You can see why I want any chance I can to take the company back. My dad hated him, too. He’s gotten a lot worse in the last decade.”
Storm got a look in his eyes and I knew he wished he could start a fight with Cutmore. “Well, lucky for you, I care about you enough not to immediately ruin that guy’s life on social media. But God, I want to. What’s his first name, again?”
“I’m not giving you any more information about him,” I said. “Last thing I need is to add more fuel to his fire. I just want to keep my head down, do good work, and hopefully outplay him. Outperform him.”
“You deserve better than that,” Storm said firmly. “You’re nobody’s bitch.”
I puffed out a laugh. “I’m not Cutmore’s bitch. I just don’t think picking fights with him would get me anywhere good.”
“Mmm,” Storm hummed, watching me again.
“Are you thinking about how to somehow get back at Cutmore even though you barely know him?”
“I’m thinking about kissing you, actually.”
My heart skipped a beat.
I waited for Storm to play it off as a joke, but instead, he just let his gaze linger on my lips before meeting my eyes again.
The Fixer Brothers were over at their table still and distracted enough, fixated on some video Shawn was showing the others on his phone.
Tension bloomed inside me. My heart rate was rapidly increasing.
I was sick of this.
Sick of Storm holding this over me like some teasing little carrot. He thought he could get to me by dangling that kiss over my head for the rest of the time we were going to work together?
Screw that.
I leaned in, pressing my lips to his before he could do it first.