Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 121898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Stop being stubborn,” I said, folding the note twice and shoving it at him. “Take my bloody money.”
“I will not.” He folded his arms. “And you’re a fine one to talk about being stubborn. If anyone needs to stop being stubborn, it’s you.”
“Why? Because I’m happy to pay my way? It’s not the nineteen-thirties anymore. Women can pay for their own food, you know.”
“I’m more than aware of that, but I ordered it for you, without asking you, therefore it’s on me.” He fixed his firm gaze on me. “I will not take your money. Feel free to keep it to buy me dinner one night.”
I huffed and shoved it back into my purse. “That would involve asking you out for dinner, and given the mixed bag this one has been, I don’t think I want to do that.”
“Then take Beth out.”
“That doesn’t pay you back, does it?”
“I don’t want your money. Get over it.”
“God, you’re so irritating.”
“Yet you’re still sitting here.”
“I was sitting here first. If anyone should leave, it’s you.”
“Wow. I buy you dinner and a glass of wine and you tell me to leave. And you say you don’t want to ask me to dinner again. Who says I’d accept?”
I opened my mouth to tell him to piss off, but his stonewall expression cracked and he grinned, only just stopping himself from laughing.
My stomach twisted itself into a silly little knot at his silly little smile.
God.
What was happening to me?
“Oh, piss off,” I muttered.
Thomas let the laugh go, and as tended to happen when he did that, a little something tingled down my spine, and I shifted on the bench to hide my small shiver. I reached for my glass of wine and chugged a mouthful of it, letting my cheeks blow out for a second before I swallowed it.
“You’re so annoying,” I said after a moment. “I can’t believe I’m still sitting here.”
“Neither can I. I thought you’d throw bread at me at the very least.” His grin was wide, bright, and really doing stupid things to my insides. “Especially when I bought you food to stop you getting so drunk that you’d pass out in the corner.”
Okay.
I was not going to get so drunk I’d pass out in the corner.
Probably.
I propped my chin on my hand and met his gaze. “You don’t have to be my knight in shining armour, you know.”
His eyes flashed with amusement. “Why not? I do have two full suits. In the hallway, actually.”
I stared flatly at him.
“What? When else can one brag about owning two full suits of armour? It’s not like it’s a topic that usually comes up in conversation.”
“Not even with your fancy aristocratic friends?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Nah.” He sat back with a twist of his lips. “It’s not as fun if the person you’re bragging to also owns them.”
“What if they have more suits of armour than you do?”
“Then we get the ancestral swords and duel for supremacy, obviously.”
I nodded slowly. “There’s a Christmas tradition I could get behind.”
“Might be a bit of hassle to do it every year, mind you,” he pointed out. “Not to mention that those suits are heavy, and the swords are, literally, priceless.”
“So, get replicas made.”
“Why would I duel someone with a fake sword when I own the real thing?”
“Same reason women use dildos instead of getting a boyfriend. Less hassle.”
Thomas blinked at me for a second. A slow smile spread across his face, and there was an almost cocky glint in his eye when he asked, “Is that why you’re single?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN – THOMAS
Sylvie looked me dead in the eye and didn’t so much as twitch. “Yes.”
I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t for her to say it outright like that.
Shit.
I’d walked right into that one. I had nobody to blame but myself. I’d asked; she’d answered.
Her lips slowly curved into a wry smile. “Cat got your tongue, Thomas?”
I held up my hands. “I walked into that one. Well played.”
She lifted the wine glass to her lips and sipped. Her blue eyes shone with laughter, and little crinkles of happiness creased at the corners of her eyes.
Goddamn.
She was beautiful.
“Well, that was fun,” she said brightly, pushing her hair behind her ear. “But I really need to get going or I’m going to hate myself in the morning when I have to wake up and fix this veil situation.”
She tucked her phone and purse back into her handbag, and I watched in amusement as she pulled the phone back out and paused.
“Problem?” I asked.
She met my eyes. “I don’t know the taxis here anymore.”
I pulled my keys out of my pocket and held them up, giving them a little jingle for good measure.
“No.”
“Yes,” I replied.
“No,” she responded. “This is getting a little too friendly for my liking.”
“If I let you whip me with your scarf, will that make you feel better?”