Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“No, I understand,” Sebastian said, brushing his lips across mine in another soft, sweet kiss. He led me to my futon and put the food and wine on the floor. The poor thing creaked under our combined weight as we sat, and I sent up a silent prayer for it to not collapse. My hands held in his, Sebastian stared into my eyes, his gaze filled with worry. “I also failed you as a would-be boyfriend. I could tell something was off with you all day, and I did nothing about it. What I should have done was call a halt to everything and sat with you, giving you the time you needed to tell me what was bothering you.”
My heart squeezed at his words. “Darling, that’s sweet, but you can’t do that.”
“Of course I can.”
His arrogance was so adorable. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. “Sebastian, my boyfriend, can’t do that. My boss can, but it would be wrong and probably inappropriate.”
Despite trying to tell him no, the biggest grin spread across his beautiful face. “You just called me your boyfriend.”
I bit down on my wayward tongue, but there was no stopping the burning that was spreading across my face. “Shut up,” I mumbled.
“No, say it again.”
“No.”
Sebastian leaned in closer, pressing his nose into the side of my head. “Please, say it again.”
“Boyfriend,” I whispered.
The silly man holding me hummed and scooted even closer to the point of nearly pulling me into his lap. He wrapped his arms tight around my shoulders. “Boyfriend. You make that word sound like magic.”
“And you’re ridiculous.”
Sebastian straightened, his expression turning serious. “I am, but I’m also worried about you. Can you tell me what upset you so badly today?”
So I did. Everything. From the visit with Ronnie to ongoing money worries about his care and my mother’s to my solution of finding a new job that had ultimately fizzled when I realized I didn’t have the experience and knowledge I needed after getting my proposal shot down.
“First, I’ll get my people working on getting the money for Ronnie’s care settled in the next week.”
“No, Sebastian—” I cut him off, but a stern look from my caring boyfriend had me stopping again.
“We agreed on a year of care for a date. This is date number four, so I already owe you a lot of money.”
“This is not date number four!”
“Of course it is. I brought dinner, and we’re going to watch a PBS documentary on my phone. This is totally a date.”
Motherfucker. He had me there.
“I just want to set up all the money for Ronnie’s care in a trust. If something were to happen to you—God forbid—this money will be protected from your mother or anyone else who might try to use it for something else.”
That right there almost sent me into tears. Protecting Ronnie and his interests was all that mattered to me.
“And second, you can’t let one minor stumble like that proposal derail your plans. If I wasn’t a complete idiot where you’re concerned, I would have seen earlier that you need to be prepared for a bigger role in the corporate world. You’ve got the brains and the people skills. You’re destined for big things, and keeping you pinned to my side is only holding you back.”
“It is not! I’ve learned so many amazing things while I’ve been your assistant and tackled problems that I could never have expected.”
“Besides…” Sebastian paused and released a soft sigh, “I might have been too rash in my judgment with your proposal. After you left, I had a long talk with Declan, and he’s a big supporter of your idea.”
My hands leaped to my mouth, and I struggled to breathe. “What?”
“That’s why I handed it off to Declan and several of the other vice presidents to look over and give their opinion. I’m worried that I might not be giving it a fair shake, because I’m afraid of being biased in your favor. Declan supports your suggestion, but all he needed was to see the risk-reward ratio to make that decision. I want to get input from the others. Use these brilliant people and make them work for their paycheck.”
My heart was already in my throat with every word he spoke, but the idea of the other vice presidents giving their thoughts was exciting.
“What if they say they like it? Would you actually put my proposal in action?”
Sebastian’s smile became a little crooked as he nodded. “I would. I’d take a step away from my suggestion and put everything we’ve got behind your idea. It would have my full support.”
I launched myself at Sebastian, tackling him against the futon and claiming his mouth for a brief kiss. “I promise to work extra hard. You won’t have to worry about anything. I’ll meet with all the department heads, handle all the big planning, get the research done. It will—”