Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Dear. Lord.
She was digging herself a bigger and bigger hole.
“Cute?”
“Yes, cute,” she said. “And ogre was just one of the options I threw out there. There was also a lion or a tiger or a whale—”
“A whale? There was no mention of a whale.”
“I’d just like to point out that I’m on drugs. Strong drugs.”
“They’ve barely hit your system.”
“They work quickly on me. And there’s nothing wrong with whales. They’re really very intelligent and cute—”
“Stop.”
Oh, thank you, God.
“Take a breath.”
She took a breath and let it out, staring up at him.
“We’re gonna forget this conversation ever happened.”
Her eyebrows rose. “We are?”
“Yep.”
“You think that’s possible?”
“I’m really, really hoping it is,” he said.
To her shock, his lips quirked.
“You’re not angry?” she whispered.
“More amused by you.”
“That’s good. Hold on to those feelings.” He was going to need them. She knew she could be a lot.
Which is why Nan often advised her to be . . . less.
He raised his eyebrows. “Let’s get you out to Raul, he’ll take you home.”
“Who is Raul?”
“My driver.”
“You have a driver?” she asked.
“Yep. His name is Raul.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Are you teasing me?”
“Good. I wasn’t sure it was obvious.”
Her mouth dropped open. Oh, he was a smart-ass.
And she really, really shouldn’t call him that.
“You all right to move?” he asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“You going to tell me what’s wrong with your back?”
“It just twinges sometimes,” she said vaguely.
“If I’m going to be your new boss, I need to know whether there’s something that will affect your health.”
“I won’t let anything affect my ability to do this job,” she told him fiercely. She wasn’t going to give him an excuse to back out of this. “I’ll work really hard and you won’t have any reason to find fault with my work.”
“Easy, Spitfire,” he said in a voice that held a hint of softness. Which was shocking in a man who looked and spoke like he did. “Wasn’t asking to find an excuse to get rid of you before you even started.”
Do you believe him?
To her surprise, she did. “It’s an old back injury. Really, my back is good most of the time.”
“All right. Come on,” he said gruffly. “I’ve got work to do and you need to go home to bed and sleep off your twinge.”
She stood, trying to hide her wince. She really did need to get home. Those pills would make her sleepy and she wanted to get home to bed.
She held onto the bag of chips. She’d take the rest home for Brooks. He loved chips.
Then she heaved her handbag up over her shoulder.
Steele held out his hand. What did he want? A high-five?
She slapped her hand down on his.
He stared at his palm, then up at her. “What was that?”
“A high-five?”
“Yeah, Spitfire. Wasn’t after a high-five. Give me your handbag.”
“Uh, why?”
“I’ve had a sore back before. I know what makes a sore back worse. And one of those things is carrying unnecessary weight. So give me your handbag.”
“You can’t carry my handbag. That’s . . . that’s preposterous.”
His lips twitched. “Big word there.”
“I know some big words,” she muttered. She wasn’t completely ignorant.
He eyed her curiously. “Was just teasing you, Spitfire. Didn’t mean to hit a sore spot.”
Crap. She was being too sensitive. “Sorry.” She smiled up at him.
“Now, I’ve got shit to do. Handbag. Let’s go.”
“It’s not heavy.”
He sighed. “Handbag. Go.”
Okay, when he got grouchy, his sentences grew shorter. That was good to know.
She handed it over.
“Jesus, Spitfire. Doesn’t weigh much? This thing weighs a ton. What have you got in here?”
“My life,” she replied. And it was true.
“If that was the case, wouldn’t you also have your hat, scarf, and gloves in there?” Steele grumbled. “Forgetting them in this weather isn’t smart.”
Hmm. He seemed rather upset about this, so she decided to keep quiet.
“Come on. Let’s get you quickly out to the car.”
It was a sight she’d never forget for the rest of her life. Her handbag in Damon Steele’s hand. Utterly ridiculous. He made her handbag look small when it was anything but.
And had she mentioned that it was bright pink? Almost neon, it was so intense. And he carried it like he was carrying a briefcase. Without a care about the way he looked.
That sort of confidence was . . . so sexy.
He walked her out the back to a smaller parking lot that was obviously for employees and over to a large town car.
Then he surprised her by opening the back door.
She stared at him, then at the door.
“Get in, babe. It’s freezing out here and you’re half-dressed.” His tone was gruff, a bit impatient. But she understood it. He had other things he needed to do, and she was standing there, staring at him like an idiot.
But there was something she needed to ask. “He’s a good driver?”
Steele stared down at her for a moment. She waited for him to get impatient with her. But he simply nodded. “Yeah, babe. Wouldn’t have him as my driver if he wasn’t the best there was.”