Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“I’m not using her,” I said, my voice coming out more defensive than I intended. “It was her idea.”
Miles scoffed. “Yeah, well. Raina’s too nice for her own good sometimes.”
He scratched along his jaw, studying me with undisguised suspicion. I bit back the urge to snap at him. I wasn’t accustomed to having my character questioned—except by my recent string of assistants, and in fairness, they’d had a point.
But I forced myself to consider his perspective. How would I feel if my little sister, Shannon, was fake dating her new boss? Especially if she’d been unemployed for months and desperately needed the job?
Yeah, I knew exactly how I’d feel. Furious. Convinced her boss was exploiting his authority to pressure a vulnerable woman into something inappropriate.
As much as I wanted to defend myself, I understood why Miles was concerned. I even grudgingly respected him for it.
“Raina is exceptional at her job,” I said, glancing toward the hallway to the restrooms to check if she was returning. Still no sign of her. “Best assistant I’ve ever had, honestly. And I’m not coercing her into anything. I respect her too much for that.” I met his gaze squarely. “She’s calling the shots with this arrangement. That isn’t going to change.”
Even if I eventually convinced her to forget about the fake part of dating me, it would be on her terms. I held the power at the office, but I would never let that make her feel like she had no choice outside of it.
Miles held my stare for a long moment. Something in his expression shifted—not quite approval, but the sharp edge of hostility softened. His rigid shoulders relaxed slightly.
It wasn’t exactly a victory. But I’d take it.
Raina returned just before the bill arrived, and I insisted on paying for everyone.
“You don’t have to cover dinner,” she protested.
“Sure he does,” Miles said, a smirk finally breaking through his stern façade as he slapped me on the back. “Consider it a business expense.”
I rolled my eyes, but Raina’s laugh made it worth the cost.
We parted ways with Miles, and since she’d let me drive tonight, we climbed into my car and headed toward her place. Earlier, when I’d picked her up, she’d asked if I minded her changing the radio station. I’d told her to go ahead. This time, she didn’t bother asking. She just reached for the dial and started scanning through options like she owned the car.
For some reason, that made me grin. She cycled through three stations before landing on one playing an old Bon Jovi song. I listened as she sang along quietly, her voice wandering charmingly off-key in a way that probably should have been annoying but somehow wasn’t.
When the song ended and a commercial break began, I spoke before she could resume her station surfing.
“Your brother seems protective of you.”
Raina groaned, reaching to turn down the volume. “I knew he said something while I was in the bathroom. He had that look when I came back. What did he say? Did he give you a hard time about the fake dating thing?”
“Don’t worry about it. He’s just concerned.” I paused, an unexpected doubt surfacing. “I assured him I’m not forcing you into anything. You don’t feel forced, do you?”
Raina let out an inelegant snort that made me smile. “Please. If anyone was forced into this situation, it was you.”
“That’s fair. I’ll have to tell Miles that you’re the mastermind here, and I’m just the poor, innocent man dragged along by your harebrained scheme.”
She shoved my shoulder, laughing. “Hey! It’s not harebrained. It’s brilliant.”
I couldn’t argue with that, not when the memory of our first kiss still burned so vividly in my mind.
“And don’t worry about Miles,” she continued, her tone softening. “You’re right, he is protective. He just… he feels guilty about me dropping out of college.”
“Why?” I glanced at her and frowned. “How was it his fault?”
“It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Not really.” She turned to look out the window, her reflection ghosting across the dark glass before she glanced back at me. “My mom got sick with cancer, and someone needed to take care of her. Miles was living across the country, playing for the first team that signed him out of college. Kurt was busy building a business with you. That meant I was the only one left.”
I remembered that time. Kurt hadn’t talked about it much, but right after we’d started our company, his mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She’d managed to avoid a mastectomy, but she’d had surgery to remove the tumor, followed by months of radiation. Kurt had mentioned that his sister was helping with her care, but things had been so chaotic with the business that I hadn’t given it much thought.
I made the turn into the cul-de-sac and pulled up to the complex where I’d picked Raina up earlier. I parked at the curb and turned off the engine. A streetlight a few houses down cast just enough illumination to see her face when I shifted to look at her properly.