Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“What day?”
The corners of my lips twitched. Even if she wasn’t mine, I’d think this kid was pretty damn awesome.
I knelt to talk to her. “Friday. Can I guess what you’ll be wearing?”
She grinned. “Fuchsia! Pink!”
I cupped her cheek with one hand, stroking her baby soft skin with my thumb. I’d done it without thinking, but it didn’t scare her away. My daughter seemed comfortable with my touch. I wondered if that was a physiological thing. I’d be Googling that later for sure.
“I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”
Without warning, she jumped into my arms and wrapped hers around my neck. I got choked up as she allowed me to engulf her in a tight embrace. When she was done, she hopped away, as carefree as before she’d given me the hug—blissfully unaware that she’d just rocked my entire fucking world.
Max smiled warmly. “I think this was a great visit.”
I stood. “Me too. Take care of yourself, Max.”
Chapter 30
* * *
Layla
I hadn’t noticed the appointment on my calendar until after lunch.
“Hey, Peggy.” I buzzed through the telephone intercom to my assistant. “Did you just add the appointment at four o’clock today?”
“I added it this morning. Mr. Westbrook called and asked if you could squeeze him in as the last appointment of the day. You were on the phone, so I didn’t clear it with you. But nothing was on your calendar. Do you need me to change it?”
“No. It’s fine. I just thought maybe I’d missed it there. Thank you.”
Gray and I hadn’t seen each other in a few days. He’d been spending time with his daughter, and I’d kept myself busy with what I did best—working fifteen hours a day. I missed him, but things were a lot more complicated than just having a boyfriend now.
A part of me had thought I could step back from where we were in our relationship, but the more we were apart, the more I realized there was no going back to casual and taking things slow—not that Gray and I had ever really done casual. We’d had that special connection from the very first time we’d met.
When we’d talked on the phone last night, he hadn’t mentioned he needed to speak to me about work, so I took out my phone to text him and see if everything was okay. But as I did that, my office phone rang, and I was summoned to one of the partner’s offices to discuss a new case. It was typical for associates to have to drop what they were doing and spend a few hours in a partner’s office when they felt like it. They didn’t exactly feel the need to schedule time when it might be convenient for everyone. Hence, the reason I’m on a first-name basis with the security guards who lock up the building. Whatever a partner needed just piled on top of whatever I needed to get done.
I didn’t get back to my desk until just before four o’clock. I’d been fighting a futile attempt to not check the time every few minutes during my meeting. Peggy buzzed before I could even finish putting on a fresh coat of lipstick.
“Your four o’clock is here.”
“You can send him in.”
I stuffed my purse into my desk drawer and folded my hands on my lap, waiting for Gray. My heart sped up hearing his footsteps come down the hall. He definitely had a distinct stride—and he was walking at a fast, no-bullshit pace.
He came through my door with a cocky, devious smile. Stopping to look at me as he stepped into my office, he said not a word. I stayed quiet as well, but damn if my body didn’t say a lot. My nipples pebbled, the hair on my arms stood up, and my pulse started to race. I shifted in my seat, and the light in Gray’s eyes flared.
He closed the door behind him and very slowly clicked the lock shut.
When he turned back around, I raised a brow. “Is our business so sensitive that my door needs to be locked?”
Gray wore a dark, three-piece suit, the kind that fit him in all the right places and made his already confident persona shoot up tenfold. His tie was a beautiful blue color that would have normally reflected the color of his eyes, only they were darkening right in front of me.
“If it were up to me, I’d leave the door open while I make you come. In fact, I’d prefer if the office heard it. But I thought you’d rather have privacy.”
God, he was so arrogant. And I loved it. I so, so loved it.
I folded my arms over my chest. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“That I can make you come? Absolutely.”
“I wasn’t referring to that. I was referring to the fact that you think I’d let you try, in the middle of the day, in my office.”