Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
She sits back. “Yeah. I convinced the head of construction that I’m an actual expert on restoring buildings of this time period. He’s worried because of the deal they have with the owner. They’re not allowed to screw anything up or they’ll have some heavy penalties, and his expert is only around part time. I’ll fill in where they need me, so I’ll be here in the mansion most of the time.”
“If you get a chance, watch the director for me. If you hear any rumors about him, I’d like to know.”
Harper snaps her fingers. “This is why you took this dumbass job.”
“I can’t…” I begin.
She holds up a hand. “Talk about it. NDA. All right. I’ll help out. If there’s dirt to be dug, I shall dig it. But we need to talk about Luca because he’s not acting like a man who’s not interested. Was the kiss bad? Did you find out you don’t have chemistry?”
Why am I holding back on her? Probably because I’m having to talk about Luca all the time, but no matter how much I like some of these women, I won’t admit to them about how I really feel. “We have insane chemistry.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that from the other night. I think it’s sweet that he knew what he was going into and so he didn’t kiss you then. Now you’re in it with him and he’s all over you. Have you thought about the fact that this could be a good thing?”
Only every minute of the day. “It doesn’t feel good. It feels like the worst mistake I can make, and I’ll be making it with everyone watching.”
“Who cares?” Harper asks.
“Uhm, everyone watching.”
She sighs and looks slightly disappointed in me. “Who cares about them? Ani, what the rest of the world thinks isn’t important.”
“But it is.” I know I shouldn’t talk about this, but it’s not like Harper is going to be calling up Spoiler Steve to tell him Luca’s secrets. “He’s a king. He’s trying to get attention for his country. They need to bring tourist money back. That’s why he’s doing this.”
“And he’s a horrible multitasker? He can’t fall in love along the way?”
“He doesn’t believe in love.”
Harper groans. “That’s something dumbass guys say until the minute they actually fall in love. I would bet his parents had a marriage of convenience, and they didn’t teach him how a functional couple works. So he’s afraid of being a part of a real couple.”
“I think he would make a deal with me in a heartbeat if I would say yes,” I admit. “He would love to know exactly who he’s going to pick so he can start planning the wedding, which probably won’t happen.”
“Did he say that?” Harper asks.
“He doesn’t have to. I know how these things work.”
“You know how these things work for other people.” She gestures my way. “You’re Ani. You’re a sparkly sweet unicorn who sometimes uses her horn to skewer the bad guys. You’re special, and I think he sees that. All I’m saying is if you like this guy, why not take the opportunity to find out if it can work.”
She’s forgotten a few important points. One in particular. “Because he’s a freaking king.”
“He didn’t seem like one the other night,” Harper muses. “He seemed cool. I think the whole king thing is a distraction for you.”
I would think a kingdom would distract anyone. “I can’t be a queen.”
Harper shrugs like it’s not a big deal. “Of course you can. You would look good with a tiara, and you have to admit you love some bling. And honestly, you’re way bossier than you think you are. You might follow Ivy and I sometimes, but when you put your foot down, it’s down. Remember when Ivy wanted to give that eggs benedict street vendor a shot?”
Just because I won’t allow my best friends to get food poisoning isn’t a reason to put on a crown. “You can’t be serious. I’m a girl from Hell’s Kitchen. I’m not going to rule over a country.”
“I don’t see why not,” Harper counters. “I doubt there will be a whole lot of ruling going on. I suspect you can wave with the best of them. And you might be exactly what that country needs.”
“Or I could be a disaster.” This is silly. I’m not here to fall in love with a guy who is so far out of my league, he has medals dedicated to reminding me of his place in the world. I know. I heard Tiara Kate talking about them.
“You’re never a disaster. Well, maybe that once.” She grins my way. “When we accidently went to the wrong club, and it was an underground fight club.”
I have to laugh. We’d thought it was a dance club, and it was. Only not the way we’d thought. It was one massive mosh pit. “I was very good. No one suspected I would be so mean as to knee that guy in the groin. They always underestimate me. If he didn’t want to get hurt, he shouldn’t have been in the mosh pit.”