Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
This time, Reid was as lost for words as I was. I certainly hadn’t wanted him to find out about the kiss I’d shared with Hunter like this.
I shook my head to snap myself out of my trance. “Thanks, Claire. Ordinarily, I’d love a massage, but I don’t want to take up too much of Reid’s time.”
My cousin turned to my fake boyfriend. “How often do you get offered a free massage?”
“Very rarely,” he said, but his eyes kept flitting to me, and I really wondered what he was thinking.
“Don’t think about it as getting something for free. Think of it as giving our girl a nice relaxing afternoon where she can close her eyes and let Naomi knead away all the tension. Penny deserves that, right? Especially after all she’s been through?”
“Claire, I—”
She put her hand on my knee and shook her head. “Let him do this for you. God knows you need a man who thinks of your needs instead of just his own.”
Reid chuckled, but it sounded forced. “Don’t let Tanya hear you say that.” I was proud of him for keeping up the act even though I was sure his mind was reeling just as much as mine was. Especially now that Claire had made it sound like I’d slept with Hunter last night.
Claire batted her eyelashes and looked imploringly at Reid. “If you won’t do it for your muscles or for your girlfriend, will you do it for me?”
Reid held her gaze for a moment and then nodded. “Anything for the bride.”
“Excellent! Naomi’s waiting for you,” she said, and gave us the room number.
Reid held out his hand and pulled me to my feet. Even though he didn’t do as much of the construction as Hunter, he was just as muscular. All three of them were.
“He’s a good man,” Claire whispered as I passed. I already knew that, but I didn’t know what he was thinking right now. To be honest, I was a little afraid to find out.
11
REID
As Penny and I walked across the vast lobby, all I could think about was what her cousin had just revealed. Apparently, my baby brother hadn’t been on his best behavior last night. And from what it sounds like, Penny hadn’t minded a bit.
Which surprised me, even though I’d seen many women fall for Hunter’s charm.
I gestured for her to go first into the elevator. The moment the doors slid shut, she turned to me.
“We just went into the room to hang up my clothes,” she said. “We weren’t in there for more than five minutes.”
I shrugged. “I’m not your father, Penny. You can do what you want with whomever you want.” Even to my own ears, the words sounded stiff and, well, like something a father would say. A father who was a patriarchal jerk, at least.
“I just wanted to explain.” The concern on her face was real, and I leaned back against the wall of the elevator, deliberately softening my expression.
“You don’t owe me or anyone here an explanation. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the wronged party and you can do whatever the hell you want this week.”
She gave me a ghost of a smile. “Thanks. I just didn’t want you to think anything happened.”
I knew I should let that one go. It wasn’t any of my business.
But I couldn’t.
“Claire said she saw Hunter kiss you.”
Penny flushed. “That was a mistake.”
My eyebrow arched as I stared at her. Most women Hunter was with had no regrets.
“See, when we came out of the room, we saw Claire and Matthew, and he thought they were my other cousin and my ex. So he kissed me to make my ex jealous.”
Shit. The mix-up sounded like something Hunter might do—but I wasn’t sure I bought it. It would have been just as easy for him to pretend to mix up the couples just so that he could lay one on such a pretty young woman.
“Do you want to make your ex jealous?” I asked her.
Penny stared at the floor. “Not exactly.”
“What do you want?”
She bit her lower lip. “I just kind of wish that he’d feel regret for how he treated me. He caused me so much pain. I know it’s wrong, but I kind of wish I could cause him a little.”
“By kissing your new man in front of him or by pushing him off an eleventh floor balcony?”
She still had her head down, but I could see a faint grin.
“Either one.”
“All right. I’ll keep that in mind for my next shift.”
She looked up at that. “Is it really that much of a chore?”
“Not so far.”
The elevator doors slid open, and we located the suite at the end of the hall. I knocked, but no one came to the door.
“Maybe she’s finishing up another session,” Penny said.
“Your cousin said she was waiting for us.” I knocked louder.