Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“Yes, there’s a problem here,” I say, shooting a glare at the guy who’s taken several steps back. He looks from me to Geoff, then back again, before he turns on his heel and runs. Geoff wastes no time turning to me.
“What the fuck was that?” he asks, but before I can answer, several students arrive. He opens the door to the classroom and takes me by the elbow, leading me to a vacant doorway. “What did he do? Did he touch you?”
I shake my head, not trusting my voice. God, I want him to hold me and I can see it in his eyes, he wants the same. Looking around to make sure no one overhears, he whispers, “Baby. Tell me.”
In a rush of words, I do, my voice trembling. “I think he knows something,” I whisper, shaking my head.
Geoff’s lips thin. “I could kick his ass,” he growls. “Threatening my girl like that. If he ever comes near you again…” Risking everything, he tucks a stay strand of hair behind my ear. “We’ll talk after class. Okay?”
I nod. “I wanted to talk to you after class anyway,” I say, lowering my eyes. “But not where anyone can hear.”
We go back to class, and the time passes in a blur. Even Geoff seems distracted, so much so, he gives the class their evening assignment and dismisses us early.
“Stay behind, please, Ms. Romano,” he instructs. I wait until the last person leaves, still shaken by the exchange in the hallway. The door click shut, and I watch him stand. God, I could stare at him all day long and not tire of it. The stark white of his shirt, rolled up at the shirtsleeves, contrasts against his tanned arms, so strong and masculine. I’ve felt those arms around my body. I want to feel them now. Leaning up against the desk, he smiles at me.
“What’s on your mind, Giada?”
In a flurry of words, I tell him. “I have a family reunion this weekend.” I stifle a groan. “I so do not want to go at all. But I have to. It’s my grandfather’s eightieth birthday, and my aunts have been setting this up for months.”
He nods. “Okay, honey. So, we all have to go to family things we don’t like. Just go and get it over with. Why are you nervous?”
“I want you to go with me,” I blurt out.
I watch him blink, then look away. I don’t like that. My belly dips with apprehension when he strokes his beard contemplatively, and for one wild minute, I imagine I’m the one stroking his strong, prickly jawline.
“You don’t want to go,” I say, dejected. Ugh. This is why I didn’t want to ask him.
Shaking his head, he says, “No, of course I want to. I love spending time with you. It’s just that it’s a big step. Your family sees me, they’ll want to know how we met. And if word gets out—”
“I know,” I tell him. “But listen. We’ll be discreet. No one will have to know how we met, and no one in my family would ever suspect it.”
Shaking his head, he looks apologetic but firm. “I can’t do it, baby,” he says. “It’s not a smart move for either of us.”
My heart sinks. I so wanted him to go with me.
“I don’t want to go alone,” I whisper. “I don’t…” Fine, I’ll tell him the truth. “I don’t like being apart from you.”
His eyes grow fierce, his gaze on me like I’m the most important person in his entire universe. There’s adoration in those eyes of his, and I want to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him for looking at me like that.
“Then it’s time we make some decisions,” he says. Hope rises in my chest like the sunrise, illuminating everything with beauty and light. I mean something to him. He wants this. For the first time in my life, I’ve met someone who cares about me. Hell, who maybe even… loves me. And it’s so unconventional, but this is what I need. And one look at the man standing in front of me, and I know it’s what he needs, too.
I smile. I’ve been thinking this for a while now, but couldn’t ask him to risk what he’s worked so hard for. Standing, I reach for his hand and give it a chaste squeeze. “It is,” I say. “Tonight at Verge?”
He brings my fingers to his mouth and kisses the tips. “Seven o’clock sharp, so you don’t start the night over daddy’s knee.”
I grin. “Yes, daddy.”
Chapter Nine
Geoff
I arrive at Verge early, when Tobias meets me in the entryway. “Geoff,” he says, his gaze sober. “Need to talk.”
“Yeah, of course,” I tell him, following him to his office. When we arrive, I’m surprised to see Zack and Braxton already there. They lift their chins in greeting, and I do the same. Tobias shuts the office door behind him as I look warily at the guys sitting near me. Tobias never shuts his office door.