Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
His lips twitched. “You calling anyone a turd is extremely amusing.”
“What does that mean? That I’m a turd so I shouldn’t be throwing turd stones?”
“No!” He reached for me, and I flinched away from his touch. Exasperated, he snarled, “Goddamn it, Lily, don’t put words in my mouth.”
“Easy fix to that—don’t talk to me. Ever again.” I marched away, infuriated that my legs were shaking as they hurried me from this arsehole who had somehow managed to make me feel as small as the arseholes who had come before him.
“Lily!”
I stuck my middle finger up without looking back, even as my mind flashed me backward in time …
Last Semester
With our busy lives, I hadn’t seen much of my cousin Beth in real life. We’d texted and called, but it had been a while since we’d had a face-to-face. Therefore, I was delighted when she stopped by the library for a quick catch-up. Beth wasn’t technically my real cousin. Our parents were best friends, so we’d grown up like cousins. She was more like a big sister I looked up to and admired. Confident, smart, kind. Beth walked into a room, and everyone stopped to stare.
I didn’t mind she was an attention hog because it wasn’t intentional. In fact, I was pretty sure Beth was oblivious to her effect on people.
We chatted about the podcast and the rivalry, and we talked a little about family and how much Beth worked. Mum told me Aunt Joss, Beth’s mum, was worried Beth worked too hard. That she lived to work and not worked to live. When I diplomatically touched on the subject, Beth waved off my concerns. I worried about how driven she was. That one day she’d hit burnout and hit it so hard, it would incapacitate her. Ambitious people usually were the last to realize their minds and bodies needed a rest because they genuinely enjoyed the challenge of hard work.
While I prodded about her career, we were interrupted.
By the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in my life. And he was looking at me and not my stunning cousin with her tip-tilted blue eyes and leggy blond beauty.
“Are you Lily Sawyer?” he’d asked in an upper-class English accent that was not uncommon around the university campus, considering how many wealthy students from the south of England attended. We referred to upper-class students as toffs. Now that I thought about it, I wondered if that was an offensive word. I’d need to look up its origins.
This toff appeared to be around my age and towered over us in all his blond godlike gorgeousness, wearing a T-shirt with one of my favorite bands on it. Kaleo.
I gaped at him, confused why he’d said my name.
“Is she Lily Sawyer?” he asked Beth.
I was trying to catch up. One minute I’d been grilling Beth about how hard she was working and the next this … this … Dior model was interrupting us.
“Who’s asking?” Beth inquired with a teasing smile on her beautiful face that would make most men fall to their knees in worship.
He shockingly turned to me instead. “The person paying for a tutoring session.”
What a deeply erotic voice he had. All rumbly and plummy Etonian English. Bloody hell, a woman could come to that voice alone.
My cheeks burned at the thought, and I’d never been more grateful I wasn’t a blusher. I licked my lips nervously as I realized this was the person who had signed up for today’s tutoring session. “You’re Sebastian Thorne?”
Please say no.
“At your service.” He gave me a sardonic bow of his head while I contemplated what kind of dirty services he could provide.
Mentally swatting my filthy thoughts away, I embarrassingly tripped over my words. “A-and you n-need help?”
Great. I was fourteen again and unable to speak to a cute boy without stuttering with anxiety.
“In more ways than one.” Sebastian frowned at me. Almost suspiciously. “Are you sure you’re Lily Sawyer?”
“I’m Lily Sawyer. Lily Sawyer is me. I have ID if you want.”
What?
Oh, dear God, bury me six feet under now.
“I have ID if you want.”
I was tragic. I was an actual tragedy.
His lips twitched like he found me amusing. Wonderful. Just wonderful. “Not necessary.” Then he stared at me.
At me.
Like … I was interesting.
Or a specimen.
It could have been either.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll talk to you later, Lily.” Beth abruptly stood and my heart sank at the thought of being left alone with the Adonis.
“But—”
“Nice to meet you, Sebastian.” She cut me off and sent me a conspiratorial smile before walking away.
And Sebastian … He didn’t even look at her.
He was too busy studying me.
Lily Sawyer, get yourself together now! So, he’s gorgeous. You’ve met gorgeous men before. You’ve even dated one or two of them.
Okay, so they weren’t this level of hot, but they were cute.