Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Warmth floods into my chest. He’s conflicted. He’s discombobulated. He doesn’t know the next step, let alone the next ten. That must be deeply disorienting for a man like Ben.
I step toward him and hook my finger into the waist of his jeans, needing to touch him. I stare up at him, but he won’t meet my eyes. “You like me, and therefore, you think you might be losing your mind?” I’m smiling even though I know part of me should be offended. I’m not. I understand that unexpected feelings could catch a man like Ben off guard. I’m just pleased he’s having them. Because it’s entirely mutual.
He slides his hands around my waist. “I think . . . It’s just . . . I . . . I . . . I.” He finally meets my eye. “I’ve paid you to be here . . .” He shakes his head. “It’s not just that. The money wouldn’t do it because you said no to that. But when my connection to your boss was made clear . . .” He stops again like he’s trying to pull lots of threads together to make a tapestry of the inner workings of my brain. “Did you kiss me because you wanted to please me or because you wanted to please you?”
There’s a pressure in my forehead I’m not used to. Confusion or frustration—I can’t be sure which. “Please you?” I ask.
He searches my face for answers, but there’s nothing to find because I’m not quite sure what he means.
“I like clarity,” he says. “And you and me? We’re not clear.” I see all the conflict within him laid out like a bowl of spaghetti spilled onto the floor.
I smooth my hands up his arms, enjoying the firm, safe feel of him. “Let me tell you something for free: I don’t kiss men I don’t want to kiss. Not even if they have an ass as good as yours. I don’t tell men they’re wonderful when I don’t think they are. You didn’t take advantage of me. And anyway, I told you, I’m not taking your money. Even if I did, thirty thousand dollars wouldn’t make me kiss you. Three hundred million dollars wouldn’t do it either. I like you. That’s why I kissed you.”
“And I told you, you absolutely are taking the money. You earned every penny. The duke and duchess were entirely charmed by you, and the duke has asked me to The Fairfield. Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined making as much progress as I have over the last weekend.” His energy changes as he talks about the duke. It’s like he’s shifted into business brain. While I’m pleased he looks less concerned, I’m slightly disappointed we’ve moved on from talking about kissing.
“It helps that the duchess wants him to sell.”
“Yes, but now he sees me as a man he might want to sell to. A lot of that is down to you.”
“I’m glad things are working out,” I say. Ben is a wonderful man. He’s just not great at showing everyone how wonderful he is.
“Are we off the clock?” he asks.
“There’s a clock?”
He doesn’t respond, leaving me to guess what he’s really trying to ask.
I reach up to stroke my index finger over his cheekbone. “If I say yes, does it mean you’ll kiss me again?”
“Promise me something,” he says as his eyes close under my touch. I don’t respond and he opens his eyes to check I’ve heard him. “When you’re with me, don’t say yes to anything you don’t want.”
I frown. “Why would I do that?”
“Tuesday,” he whispers, and it’s the only explanation he gives as he cups my jaw.
I lift myself up on my tiptoes and reach for him. His lips find mine and I feel my insides unfurling under his touch. If I spend the rest of the day by the side of a road, the intermittent zip of a car in the background while I kiss the man in front of me, it might turn out to be the best day I ever spent.
As we kiss, he flips us around so I have my back to the trunk. He presses his hips to mine, pinning me to the car, his urgency more evident today than it had been last night. I dig into his hair, my fingers exploring, and I have that same floating sensation as when we danced in the walled garden. He growls into my mouth, and the vibrations spread across my body, bringing the blood to the surface of my skin. Every inch of me wants him.
He pulls away suddenly and steps back. As he pushes his fingers through his ruffled hair, I scan his face for doubt. What I find is focus. “We need to get back in the car. Or we’re going to get arrested.”