Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“You can change that. When you’re ready.” He picks up my hand and kisses my knuckles. My heart warms. I like the idea of having friends. It’s too dangerous to let someone in for long, but it’s a nice thought, and the fact that Rex supports it makes me happy.
“What about you?” I ask. “Do you have any close friends?
“Define ‘close.’ Define ‘friend.’”
Good grief. Rex needs therapy as much as I do. We’ve both isolated ourselves.
I remember an article I read on friendship. “Someone you could get a beer with. Someone you’d allow to watch your puppy.” The article said the closest friend would be someone who could do both.
“I drink whiskey. And I have staff overseeing my kennels.”
I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean.” I file away the fact that Roy Manor does have a dog house. Next time Rex annoys me, I’ll tell him to go sleep there.
“I don’t have friends; I have business partners. I drink with them.”
“No one you’d go bowling with?” I tease. “Like St. James?”
“St. James and I have similar interests, but I’m not interested in him being present for my preferred hobby.”
His dark eyes heat, and so do my cheeks. I press my thighs together, feeling the flush travel downwards as I think about the private room at Empire where Rex indulged in his preferred hobby with me.
The limo rounds a corner and pulls up to the front of the building. There’s a crowd in front, held back from the red carpet by a long line of security.
“We’re here.” I square my shoulders like a soldier facing a line of enemy troops.
“Hey. Look at me.” He doesn’t use his dom voice, but he captures my full attention all the same. “I’m going to get you through this. We’ll go inside, talk to some people, and drink champagne. None of this matters.”
Staring into his beautiful face, I can almost believe him.
A shadow falls over the car door. A whole troop of security guards surround the limo, ready to escort us inside.
“One more thing.” Rex doesn’t seem to care that people are waiting for us and pulls a black velvet jewelry box out of his pocket. “You need this.”
I know what’s inside. A rock the size of Antarctica. But when he opens the box, I’m still dazzled. The ring is somehow delicate despite blazing with multiple gems. The center jewel is yellow, and it’s surrounded by smaller diamonds and gold and shaped into a vine-like pattern. There’s a floral quality to the design.
“What’s this?” I touch the large yellow stone.
“It’s a rare diamond. The color reminded me of jasmine.” My favorite flower.
“Nadia will approve.” I let him slide the ring onto my finger. The weight of it makes things feel more real.
“Ready, wife?”
I nod and let him guide me into the fray.
An hour later, I’m lurking in the shadows near the grand white columns that line the huge hall. A wallflower at my own party.
Nadia and her team outdid themselves. The ballroom looks like a garden. Huge, wild bouquets with plenty of yellow jasmine adorn the space. The Roy crest is everywhere. There are huge white plinths topped with statues of roaring lions, for the gods’ sake. It’s a spectacle, but somehow it all works.
I let Rex steer me around, greeting people. He knows everyone. He’s pretty popular for someone who claims to have no friends.
Unfortunately, I understand why he wanted a detailed description of what I meant by ‘friend.’ Everyone here wants a piece of him because he’s wealthy and powerful. Not because he’s Rex.
Now he’s holding court in the middle of the room, sipping whiskey and speaking in a booming voice loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room. I have a feeling he’s doing it on purpose to let me slip away for a moment.
Gods, I hope I don’t have to get used to occasions like this. I’m overwhelmed, surrounded by all the glitz and glamor of New Rome’s upper crust. Fortunately, unless I’m on Rex’s arm, no one notices me. If it weren’t for the bodyguards shadowing my every move, I could slip away entirely. For now, standing behind a plinth is the best I can do.
I think I’ve successfully hidden when Hamish appears at my side.
“Detective,” he greets me.
I’m not happy that I’m found, but at least it’s Hamish and not the chief of police. “Please, call me Inara. You might as well. We’re practically related now.”
“Inara, then. Welcome to the family. You look lovely.”
“Thank you.” My dress is custom, a shimmering gold fabric that makes my skin glow. Even I can admit that I look like a goddess. If I have to be stuck in a room full of the rich and famous, I’m grateful that Nadia’s team and the designers dressed me in haute couture that feels like armor.