Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
This was just some kind of strange obsession, some sort of early midlife crisis.
Are you sure?
I wasn’t ready to consider any other options. I didn’t think Ford was either. He’d pursued me first, and he’d finally gotten what he wanted. But now there was more between us than just a struggle for power. There had been moments when it felt like something much more tender.
I pushed those thoughts aside and contemplated the reality of being alone in Ford’s house for hours. The chance that I could keep myself from finding out what he was hiding in the bathroom drawer he’d forbidden me to open was almost zero. I had my suspicions, but I needed to know.
When Miles and Carter left, Ford looked at his watch. “I’ve got to finish some work before knitting circle.”
“I can’t believe you can just go from choking a guy unconscious to knitting.”
Ford huffed. “I’m not going to skip knitting just because some asshole got in our fucking way.”
“Damn. Why is that hot?”
Ford grinned. “I have no idea.”
I grabbed his arm as he walked by me. “What if someone comes after you tonight?”
“They’ll be sorry they ever met Eudora. I would bet on her against any assassin.”
I knew of Eudora from her charitable work, and she had a very formidable reputation, but… “Aren’t you putting her at risk?”
“As you heard, Miles’s boyfriend is also in the knitting circle, so I promise there will be plenty of protection there.”
“As protective as Miles is of his friends, I can’t even imagine how he acts with Ben.”
“It’s rather spectacular.”
“You stood up for me against him.” I couldn’t remember when anything had affected me so much.
Ford looked away. “I stood up for myself.”
I sighed. Of course he was going to dismiss it now. “What the hell are we doing?”
“I don’t know, but you’re coming to meet my grandparents.”
“That seems a little premature.”
Ford shrugged. “I’ve met your Gran, more or less.”
“She wasn’t awake.”
“Would you be embarrassed to bring a man to see her?”
“No. I…. What are we right now?”
“Friends with benefits? Enemies with benefits?”
Was that it? “Then why would I meet your family?”
“Because they will keep you safe.”
That was another thing I didn’t understand. “Why would we go there and put them in danger?”
“Don’t you know who my grandfather is?”
Oh shit, what surprise was coming now? “Sorry, I’m not up on your lineage.”
“Should I be hurt that you haven’t stalked me better?”
“Have you stalked me?”
“If I hadn’t, Miles, Carter and Worth would have.”
I shook my head. “I should have known that.”
“If it makes you feel better, it was initially because you were a competitor.”
“You didn’t do it when I joined the tennis club?”
Ford’s cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink. “Maybe a little.”
“Who is your grandfather?”
“Retired Senator Jonathan Wainwright.”
How the hell had I not connected that?
“Believe me when I say the security at their house is top of the line, and these men don’t want the kind of trouble they could get for going after us there. They were trying to keep a low profile until they made the mistake of pissing off Miles.”
“What are you going to tell your grandparents about our visit?”
“I’m not going to call you my boyfriend if that’s what you’re worried about. I’d hate for word to get out and ruin your reputation with any ladies you have your eye on.”
“I don’t…that’s not….” How did Ford always manage to make me feel so off balance?
“I’m going to tell them the truth, or at least part of it. We’re being targeted because of a case, and it’s safer for us to leave the city.”
“And they’ll be fine with that?”
“In front of you, yes. I’ll get grilled in private, but they would never express displeasure around a guest.”
I was not ready to meet Senator and Mrs. Wainwright. I was barely able to comprehend what I was feeling for Ford. When he took me to their estate, I would have to face just how out of my league he was.
22
FORD
I let my head rest back against the car seat as one of Carter’s most reliable guards drove me to Eudora’s house, despite it being close enough to easily walk. I took a deep breath which felt like the first one I’d had since Jay had called to say there were men watching his Gran’s room.
Whenever I was with Jay, I felt like he took up most of the air in the room. I couldn’t breathe right or think clearly. Was Miles right to be worried about me? Was I crazy to think Jay was feeling more than just the thrill of having power over me?
Eudora and Ben were going to interrogate me. I could easily have avoided that by saying it wasn’t safe for me to be there, but I couldn’t spend the whole evening home alone with Jay. My heart was in danger. Even knowing our relationship was doomed from the start, I couldn’t help falling for him, and now…now I needed Eudora and Ben’s insight, not just Miles’s aggressive protection or Carter’s sensible planning. I needed to talk to people who actually let their emotions show.