Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“Ms. Duvall!” A male voice calls to me. “Over here!”
My head darts up to see Rygar with his hip propped against one of the large columns that anchor the massive space. Whoever designed this building had a flair for the dramatic.
I breathe a sigh of relief because his presence must mean that Declan is running late too. After the threat (or was it a promise?) of punishment, I’m not sure whether or not I want to tempt fate and arrive late to the bar if he’s already there waiting for me.
Grateful I’ll arrive before him, I shove my phone back into my purse because I know I’ll have time to walk to Tin Anchor.
“Hey, Rygar,” I say as I near him. “How are you tonight?”
“I’m very well, thank you.” He taps the brim of the dark hat on his head. “How are you?”
“Great,” I answer honestly. “It was a busy day, but I’m looking forward to unwinding with a drink.”
“That’s good to hear.” He gestures toward the lobby doors. “I’m here to take you to the bar for that drink.”
I stop in place. “What?”
“Mr. Wells asked me to wait for you.” He starts walking toward the doors. “He’s at Tin Anchor.”
Shit. Double shit.
I breathe out a heavy sigh. “When I saw you, I assumed you were waiting for him.”
“I dropped him off fifteen minutes ago,” he informs me as he tilts his chin toward the doorman. “Let’s get you there now.”
I’d argue that I can find my way there, but I can’t deny that I appreciate the effort he’s put into this. I know he’s being paid, but he could have waited for me in the car. Instead, he made his way to the lobby so I’d see his smiling face once I exited the elevator.
I walk through the open doorway and onto the sidewalk. Breathing in the cool evening air, I finally take a moment to appreciate what’s waiting for me just a few blocks from here.
Or, more precisely, who is waiting for me.
“This way, Miss.” Rygar points to the same car I was in just a few nights ago.
I follow his lead and slide onto the backseat once he’s opened the door. I fold my shaking hands in my lap and give myself a quick pep talk.
“It’s just a drink,” I whisper as Rygar rounds the car’s exterior. “It’s not as though I’m going home with him again tonight.”
I spot him as soon as I enter the bar, even though the place is packed.
Declan Wells is impossible to miss with his striking blue eyes and the smile on his face that is there just for me.
Two beautiful women wander past him, but he doesn’t break eye contact with me.
That’s a plus in my book, but since I’m not in the market for a relationship, I file it under ‘what could have been.’
I close the distance between us with even steps, even though every part of me is shaking from the inside out.
His promise of punishment for borrowing his shoes has been echoing in my mind since he mentioned it earlier.
“Abby.” He gestures toward a small table tucked into a corner. “I saved you a spot.”
I glance in the direction he’s indicating. “You also ordered me a drink?”
He nods. “That’s part of your punishment.”
I laugh as I take a seat in front of a glass tumbler filled with something clear, a wedge of lime, and a few ice cubes.
“Try it,” he says as he lowers onto the chair beside me.
His thigh brushes mine as he sits, and even though I don’t know if the contact is intentional, it sends a shiver through me.
I sling my purse strap over the back of my chair before curling my palm around the tumbler. “Tell me what it is.”
“Drink,” he insists. “You trust me, so drink.”
I inch an eyebrow up. “I trust you?”
He leans closer. “You trusted me with your body the other night.”
He’s right about that, but this is a step beyond what I’m comfortable with, so I push the glass toward him. “You take a sip first.”
A smile ghosts his mouth. “You want me to test it to be sure it’s safe?”
I nod. “A woman can never be too careful.”
He brings it to his lips and tilts it enough that he takes a mouthful. He swallows and grins. “Just the way I like it.”
I prop an elbow on the table to rest my chin on my hand. “Now, we wait.”
“For?” he asks with a cock of one dark eyebrow.
“For you to pass out,” I say with a straight face.
He pushes the glass toward me again. “The drink is fine, Abby. I watched the bartender make it.”
I glance toward the bar and the guy opening a bottle of beer. I recognize him from the last time I was in here with Carrie.
Declan edges his chair slightly closer to me. “While you wait to see if I pass out from a sip of this perfectly fine drink, let’s discuss my shoes.”