Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“Yes,” she replied.
“Then follow along with me.”
He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t acting. That she was going to be his. But this wasn’t really the time for that conversation. He hadn’t even sorted it all out properly in his head.
“I don’t know how you came to be here, but thanks,” she told him, sounding breathless.
There was still panic on her face which he didn’t like. He knew she’d be mortified if she had a panic attack here.
But how to help her? He was shit at this, but Tyler wasn’t here to guide him so he’d just have to do his best.
“You’re welcome, Goldie. I’m here for whatever you need. Although we will be having a chat about you not telling me what sort of photographer you are. Oh, and about how you got here tonight since you’re supposed to call me if you need to go out at night.”
Lord.
This man.
He was a raving lunatic. But a lunatic who’d just saved her from being assaulted by an overly-enthusiastic man with garlic breath.
Bloody hell, he’d stunk. She’d actually thought she was going to be sick.
There was already a headache thumping in her temples. She really hated these kinds of things. Too many people, too much talking. She’d had three showers today alone. Her stress levels were through the roof.
Why had she agreed to do this?
Ahh. Yeah. Exposure. To get these photos out in front of people. To get them talking.
She still thought that they should open the first night up to the public. But Oliver liked it to be invite only. At least for the opening.
Just as she’d thought she’d been about to pass out or run off, Travis had parted the crowd like he owned the place, drawing her away from the crowd.
Like a flipping hero.
How amazing was that? She’d had her own hero moment.
With the guy she’d had a crush on for years.
For a moment she’d been concerned that she was headed into a panic attack. And it wasn’t about disliking crowds or functions like this where people tended to fawn over her.
She’d handled that sort of thing in the past . . . no. This fear and panic was a more recent thing.
Something else that fucking bastard had given her.
A fear of being hemmed in. Of not being able to reach an exit.
Being trapped.
Okay. Don’t think about that right now.
“You need to leave at any time, say your safeword, got me?” Travis growled at her.
Caren stared up at him in surprise. And to her shock, she felt her panic lessen. How did he make her feel safe?
She should be trying to find ways to extricate herself from his hold. After all, the crazy man had just declared himself her boyfriend to a bunch of strangers.
Well. He did do that to help you.
True. It wasn’t his fault if she wished that was real.
Everything was mixed up in her brain. The fact that he’d given her the most spectacular orgasm of her life and that he kept inserting himself into her life to boss her around and protect her didn’t gel with the man who she had barely heard from this last week.
Yep. It was no wonder her mind was a mess.
“My safeword? Won’t people wonder why I’m calling out red?” she asked dryly.
He snorted. “Half of these people probably have a safeword of their own. Don’t be fooled by the diamonds and tiaras, there’re kinky fuckers everywhere.”
Her lips twitched. “You should get that put on a T-shirt.”
He grinned down at her. “I should.”
“Also, I don’t think anyone is wearing a tiara.”
“Really?” he said, nodding over toward an older guy with the most magnificent curly hair. “What’s he wearing?”
“Well, he’s rocking it,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind meeting him.”
Hopefully he wouldn’t have garlic breath.
“All right, let’s go talk to him,” he said.
Caren glanced up at him, ignoring the way Oliver gestured to her as he spoke to an older couple who were giving one of her photos a sneering glance.
Hard pass on that.
“Why are you here? How are you here?” she asked Travis
He nodded over toward a large man standing beside a tiny, dark-haired girl.
“Jace and Rory,” she said with pleasure. “Oh, you’re Rory’s guests? I was surprised when she said she was coming. I didn’t think she’d actually want to come to New York.”
“None of us did. She made her way up here on her own and surprised us all. Her mother rang Gray in a panic, telling him that she was missing, when it turns out she knew all along that Rory had headed to New York. She just didn’t want Rory to come here.”
“Oh God. Poor Gray and Rory. Rory didn’t tell me any of this when she messaged me that she was coming and could she bring guests. Neither did Lacey.”
“I’m guessing she didn’t want to worry you in the lead up to your big day. Which you never told me about. But then, I thought you were a wedding photographer.”