Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
When he pulls back, I’m hit with a wave of emotion, and my eyes mist up. “Why couldn’t you have been this great when we met instead of kidnapping me? I would’ve fallen in love with you.”
His thumbs brush over my skin. “I like doing things the hard way.”
A chuckle burst over my lips. “God, you’re impossible.”
Leo holds out his arm, and when I hook mine through his, he leads me to the stairs.
He keeps his pace slow, and as I walk beside him, my stomach flutters as if a kaleidoscope of butterflies has been set loose inside me.
When we walk out of the front door, I see the helicopter I heard earlier standing in the middle of the yard. Edoardo nods at me, then he stays in front of us as we make our way to the aircraft.
The anticipation in me keeps growing, and I’m a trembling mess by the time Leo helps me into the helicopter.
“Did you take the travel sickness pill?” he asks as he sits down beside me on the cream leather seat.
“Yes.”
I watch as the guards board, then Leo hands me a set of headphones.
I put them on, then hear him say, “We’re ready for take off.”
The pilot starts the engine, and when we begin to lift into the air, I grin so hard my cheeks hurt.
Leo wraps his arm around my shoulders and leans into me. “Look out the window.”
I turn my head and see as the entire mansion and property come into view.
“Wow,” I whisper before looking at Leo, whose eyes are glued to me. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere I can have you all to myself.”
When we fly over the ocean and head away from land, I start to think we’re going to an island, but then minutes later, a massive yacht comes into view.
The pilot sets the helicopter down on a designated spot, and when Edoardo opens the door, a cool wind hits me.
Leo instantly shrugs off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders.
After the guards get out, we follow. As we walk toward a set of steps that leads down the side of the yacht, Leo says, “Don’t worry. We’re eating inside where it’s warm.”
He keeps a tight hold of me as we take the steps down, then he leads me into a very luxurious room that’s big enough to host a party.
A table stands in the center, candles and flowers decorating it.
When Leo pulls out a chair for me, I whisper, “Thank you.” As he sits down across from me, I remove his jacket and drape it over the back of my chair while I joke, “I think it’s safe to say I wouldn’t have ghosted you if this were our first date.”
“Just for tonight, forget the past two weeks and give me a chance to show you who I really am.”
“You mean you’re not normally insane?”
He chuckles. “No, that’s something only you bring out in me. I’m actually quite polite and respectful of people's boundaries.”
“Right.” I let out a burst of laughter, then nod. “Okay. Just for tonight, I’ll pretend the past two weeks didn’t happen.”
A server comes to pour wine for us, and when she leaves, Leo picks up his glass and takes a sip. “I think you’ll like this particular wine. It’s sweet like you.”
I drink some, then nod. “It’s really good.” I glance around at the open space, then suddenly three people with instruments enter and take their position in the corner of the room. The musician with the violin begins to play, then the cello joins in, followed by the flute.
The music sounds like something from Bridgerton, and I listen while my heart fills with an emotion that scares the crap out of me.
It took Leo less than twenty-four hours to arrange this perfect date for me. What is he capable of doing if I give him more time?
He’s capable of making me fall for him. It’s inevitable.
I take two huge sips of my wine while I try to calm my racing heart. When I look at Leo, it’s to find him watching me with that stupidly hot smirk that makes my heart skip a beat.
He tilts his head. “Tell me something about you.”
“Like?”
“Anything. Nothing is insignificant.”
My heart.
“I was home-schooled until I was thirteen.”
“Why?”
When my parents adopted me, I couldn’t speak English. Dad had to teach me, so he ended up homeschooling me until I was ready.
The memory of my biological mother’s body flashes through my mind, and I quickly shake my head while trying to shove it away.
Leo leans forward, his features tightening with worry. “Haven?”
Not wanting to get into that part of my past, I say, “It’s something I’m not ready to share with you yet.”
A frown line appears between his eyebrows. “Something bad?”
I shrug. “It depends on how you look at it.”