Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 119184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
I snort. “If you didn’t sound like such a smart-ass, I might think that was a real compliment.”
“It was. You’re welcome.”
“Shit, Lena. I’d hate to hear what you sound like when you’re insulting someone.”
“Usually I’m happier than this,” she assures me as she sips her beer.
Biting back a smile, I drop down on the sofa, my bottle hanging loosely in one hand. “I know it’s a crowded market. I’ve heard a hundred reasons to bail out before I blow a ton of money and wind up with nothing to show for it. But it’s important to give everyone a fair chance to help their pets live long, happy lives. That shouldn’t just depend on money.”
“Fair. Guess you really meant it when you told me that story about the army dog.” She pauses, and I nod. “That’s admirable for Daddy Dollars. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose the nepo baby label with your haters.”
My gut quakes as I snort and shake my head.
“Tragic. How would you hate me, then?” I growl, trying to look unaffected.
Honestly, I fucking hate being told my efforts only mean anything thanks to the family name. Especially because it’s true, minus my stunning success with the dating app.
“It would be a little more convenient,” she says, idly twirling a strand of her hair in the evening light.
“For pretending you’re in love with me? I could see that.”
Her cheeks brighten, and she looks down. “I thought you were a mammoth asshole the first time we met.”
“And the second. Am I down to dwarf elephant yet?”
That thin smile returns, igniting her eyes. They look almost golden in the light.
“Don’t push your luck. You weren’t too great the third time, come to think of it.”
“Only at the end.”
“And the next day.”
“Until we met in the park,” I say, my voice dropping to a whisper.
I kissed her then. Sprang it on her so thick it surprised me, her shock and awe delighting me.
The price was instant addiction.
Fuck, there I go again, thinking about kissing Lena’s soul out.
She’s too damn beautiful, splashed in gold sunset, a stark contrast from the first time I took her lips.
I hadn’t noticed so many details then. Sure, I thought she was pretty with her curves and classic beauty, set in a face that doesn’t smile enough.
But back there, in the park, with her chin lifted and her eyes glowing, I think I already knew how royally screwed I was.
I never could resist a challenge, and she’s handing them out like fucking candy.
For a moment, we’re silent, lost between words.
She curls her legs up under her as she finally relaxes. “I do have a question . . .”
“Shoot.”
“Why me?”
I frown, taking another pull off my beer.
“I mean, why me, specifically? Couldn’t you find someone way better? Like an out-of-work actress?”
Good question. The beer bottle almost cracks under my fingers as I grip the glass, thinking what to tell her.
What the hell. We’re friends, right?
“If you googled me, you must’ve counted how many times I’ve fucked up,” I say carefully. “Needless to say, my past hurt my image and limits my options. Bringing in anyone too desperate—especially from Hollywood—it just didn’t seem wise.”
“Your dating history, you mean?”
“Yeah. Once you’re stuck with the playboy image, it’s impossible to shake. My antics as a kid and a few times after I came home from the army stalled my career. It’s not just the family name that gets me a business meeting. For too many people, it’s the only reason.” I suck down the rest of my beer. “If I could give up my money and comfort to take it all back, to start over, I’d push the button. No hesitation.”
“Is that what you’re hoping with this? Besides buying time with your parents, I mean. To have this sham make the old Brady disappear . . .” Her mouth purses and tilts to one side as she looks at me, her brown eyes softer than ever.
“I want it to bury him alive.” My voice is thunder, low and intense.
“Wow, you’re serious. The prince wishing he could just be a peasant—that’s classic myth stuff. Was everything about your old life so bad? Most guys would kill for your edge with women. If you didn’t have the media blowback, I mean.”
I pause.
“What life? What edge? The one where I’ve screwed myself out of having a chance with any decent girl? Where I’m stuck dating women from rich, insular families so close they feel like cousins?” I shake my head. “No, fuck that entirely. Any woman I’m going to be with has to be authentic going forward. I need chemistry beyond the looks and a love for world travel.”
“Apart from me, you mean.”
“Apart from you,” I echo, though how inauthentic is it, really? The engagement, definitely. But the chemistry?
It’s burning the air like a flame to paper as we speak.