Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Did she seriously think he wouldn’t recognize her? The mask had barely concealed some of her face. It hadn’t covered her plump lips or the stubborn chin she lifted right before she said something bratty and sassy. It hadn’t done a damn thing to cover all that fucking hair he wanted laid out on a bed again.
“I don’t…” Carys began.
But Nate was already on his feet. “It would be a pleasure. I’m sure you two need to get to work, and it’s been an age since I got to talk to Aidan’s sister. The last time I saw you I think you were pretending to be someone you weren’t.”
“Uh, I did a lot of pretending. I was a kid.”
“I do believe you and Elodie were pretending to be pop stars.” The memory pierced through him. His sister was much younger, and Daisy had been sweet to play with her. Daisy had been the kid who took care of the other kids, who organized adventures for the little kids at The Garden so the older kids could play video games.
Obvious relief flooded through her, and she proved she did not have any instinct for when a predator was stalking her, planning on eating her alive. “Oh, yes. That. We had fun. I would love to hear how she’s doing, but I don’t want to be a bother. I can grab an Uber.”
That wasn’t happening. He knew why she was going in.
Daisy O’Donnell needed a bodyguard.
He happened to be a bodyguard.
The math was simple. One plus one was going to equal that little brat in his bed. “Oh, I’m sure your father would have a problem with you being alone. Come along. We should get in so you can meet your new bodyguard.”
“I don’t…” Carys began.
“No, you don’t”—Nate moved into Daisy’s space—“have to do a thing. I’m a trained guard. I’m going to the same place as a young lady who needs protection. I’ll deliver her straight to her dad.”
“You will?” Daisy asked, looking around like someone would save her.
“Daisy…” Carys kept trying, but it looked like she wasn’t completely sure what she thought was going on was actually going on.
“Baby, are you all right?” Aidan asked. “She’s fine with Nate. I’ve known Nate Carter since I was a kid. She’s perfectly safe with him. I assure you my father would let Nate watch over her. His parents are my parents’ closest friends.”
Yeah, he should give his dad a call to let him know he was about to blow their friendship all to hell.
Because she wasn’t getting away from him.
“Yeah, I can’t think of a reason to not go,” Daisy said with a nervous smile. “Like not a single one because we’re all friends. So, we should head out.”
Trouble. Everyone said Daisy O’Donnell was trouble.
It looked like he was up for a bit of chaos.
Chapter Six
She hadn’t been able to think of a reason to not get in the car with the gorgeous man she’d slept with the night before. The man who could never know she was Dee.
It was like she was a heroine in one of her Aunt Serena’s books except they always got a happily ever after, and she was not getting one of those.
Tragic. She was a tragic heroine.
Damn, but this was awkward.
She couldn’t stand the silence. He hadn’t even turned on the radio, simply started driving toward the office once she’d buckled her seat belt. “So, how is your sister doing? It’s been years since I saw her. I probably wouldn’t even recognize her now.”
He chuckled, a deep sound that reminded her of the night before. “Well, since she was only eight the last time you were around, I would definitely say no. When we moved back to Australia, she got into dance. Which is funny since we lived in London for so long and yet she didn’t start dancing until she was in a tiny town out in the bush. Miss Addie’s Dance Studio. She was one of five girls. She was with Miss Addie for years.”
This was much easier. She remembered Elodie as a sweet kid she used to hang out with when they visited. “Mom told me she’s probably going to be with a dance troupe. Is it ballet?”
“Mostly, though she does a lot of modern dance. Pretty much any kind. It’s been her obsession since she was a kid. I always wonder what it would feel like to know what you’re supposed to do,” Nate said.
She knew the feeling. “I grew up around a guy who knew he wanted to be a surgeon from the age of seven when he went with Mom to visit your mom’s clinic. He came back and all he could talk about was how amazing Aunt Steph is. And she is. I’m pretty sure my da kept waiting for him to get bored with it, but Aidan never did. He had a path in life from a super-young age, and he’s followed it. Tris leaving is the only thing that’s ever gone sideways for my brother.”