Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 128980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
I don’t correct him. He knows me too well. “Thank you.” I raise my glass and let him chink it before taking a swig. “Is Heather here yet?”
“Yes, over there.” He points to the other side of the pool, where I spot my best friend with her parents. TJ returns his attention to me. “Still being tailed?” he asks, obviously spotting Jake somewhere behind me.
I don’t look to see where my shadow has taken up position. “Dad said they may have gotten to the bottom of the threats. Do you know anything?” I ask, moving in closer to TJ. He lives in Dad’s pocket. If anyone knows anything, he will.
TJ dips his head, giving me a warning look. “You know I don’t discuss anything I hear within his office walls.”
“Even when it’s about me?”
“Especially when it’s about you.” He laughs as he leans in closer and kisses my cheek. “You’ll be free as a bird again very soon, kiddo,” he tells me, reinforcing Dad’s claim.
He wanders off, shaking hands and kissing cheeks as he goes. I turn and see Jake a few meters away, his eyes fixed firmly on me. I immediately kick myself for searching him out. I’ve managed to evade direct contact since we had words earlier, knowing that refreshing my memory and attraction will serve no purpose at all. He’s kitted out in a dark grey suit, looking perfect but formidable and obscenely handsome. As I glance around, I see the attention he’s stirring with the females in close proximity. My eyes drop to my glass and I level out my thoughts and quash the urge to tell them all to keep their eyes to themselves.
“Cami!”
I look up and see Heather waving me over, and keen to find any type of distraction, I make my way around the pool to her and her parents, being accosted by various people on my way.
“Hey.” I reach them and greet them each with a kiss.
“How are you, Camille?” Heather’s father asks, pointing over my shoulder. “Got company, I see.”
I should have made my excuses and stayed away from here. I’m sure the whole of the party must know about my bodyguard, and if they didn’t, it’s not like I can hide him here. He’ll be the talk of the party for more reasons than his official capacity. I spot Heather’s mother eyeing Jake discreetly, an approving smile on her face. Then she looks at Heather and nods. What was that? I look to my best friend, who casually shrugs off her mother’s move.
“I’m fine, Henry, thank you,” I reply to Heather’s father. “How are you?”
“I’ll be better when your father stops playing hardball and accepts my offer on his boatyard in Belfast.”
“You know he likes to play the game,” I laugh, taking Heather’s arm lightly by the elbow. “Excuse us for a second.” I pull her away and lead her over to a couple of empty lounge chairs.
“What’s up?” she asks, following my lead and taking a seat, slipping her shades on.
“That look your mother gave you. What was that?” I don’t beat around the bush. What’s she been telling them?
Heather feigns innocence, an act I’ve grown to recognize. “What look?”
“Really?”
“I might have mentioned the stunt Jake pulled at Saffron’s party.”
“You mean when he leathered my scumbag of an ex after the bastard whacked me?”
Her lip curls in disdain, matching my own loathing for the lowlife. “No, you know I’d never tell a soul about that. I told her about Jake carrying you out of the bar like a knight in shining armor.”
“He was doing his job.”
She laughs. It’s condescending and should be. “Camille, don’t treat me like I’m stupid. You’ve fallen for him.”
Her words hit me like a boulder in the face. Is it that obvious? “I haven’t fallen for him,” I argue meagerly as I glance over toward Jake.
He looks like a solid marble statue, just a few paces away. I’m not worried about him hearing us; the surrounding noise is too loud. He’s got me firmly in his sights. It’s no different than any other time, yet today I really don’t like it. I feel like he’s reading my mind, figuring me out. His bristled jaw is sharp and tight, the hollows of his cheeks evident, and his handsome face is etched with annoyance.
It’s ridiculous that he’s here. I’m surrounded by family and friends, and apparently I’m to expect the all clear very soon. Nothing could happen here, anyway.
“I haven’t fallen for him,” I murmur quietly again, ripping my eyes from Jake.
Heather’s palm meets my thigh. “Why won’t you admit it?” she asks.
I take a deep breath and choose to end the conversation right there. “There’s nothing to admit,” I say resolutely, disregarding my screaming heart and my best friend’s incredulous face.
She sighs and relaxes back on the lounger, putting her feet up. “Do you remember when we used to lay here every day in the summer holidays, planning our fairy-tale lives while sipping fruit punch and telling your brother and his mates to stop splashing us?”