Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Was he going to pull her close in order to kiss her?
"Jillian?"
Or was he going to—
"G-Guy?"
—suddenly turn her around so he could march her out to the garage?
"Enjoy your evening," Guy said pleasantly...before slamming the door on her face.
What in the world?
A helpless smile touched her lips as she got behind the wheel of her Tesla. The way Guy had paid her back for slamming the door on his face earlier had been oh-so-smooth, she hadn't even seen it coming.
At all!
And that was really, really bad.
Guy de la Rocq as Hollywood's Hottest Man Alive, Jilly could barely handle as it was.
But for that same Guy to also have the kind of humor that she found irresistible?
Focus on the age gap, Jillian Kitt!
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
Remember the oath you took as the Founder of the Secret International Alliance of Supporters of Guy de la Rocq!
Jilly nodded to herself determinedly.
Yes, that was it.
His Gorgeousness might be to her what the forbidden apple was to Eve, but that didn't mean her fate would be the same. She could pray to resist temptation.
Or flee it even, if worst come to worst.
Chapter Four
Jilly: Were you crying in your last voice note?
Jack: It was dust.
Jilly: You're watching another zombie movie, aren't you?
Jack: They're always misunderstood.
JILLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT to expect when she came back to her house.
But it was certainly not...
Chaos.
It was a mess everywhere, no matter what angle she looked at it from. Cat toys scattered in places they'd never been before, Mack's favorite feather wand dangling from the ceiling fan, Mounty's bed had somehow ended up in the kitchen, complete with what looked like crumb trails leading to it, and was that one of Middle's fake plants sitting on the coffee table?
To those who had never lived life with animals, such a scene would have caused concern. But for someone like Jilly, what she saw had her heart feel like it was about to burst since this, oh this...
It was the best kind of mess, since she could readily tell it could only result from Guy de la Rocq and her babies actually having fun.
And to think, she had struggled not to worry about this all night, and especially with the security cameras at home undergoing system maintenance.
Everywhere she looked painted a picture of affectionate bonding between man and animal. Treats scattered on the floor in a pattern that suggested Guy had been playing a game with Mounty. Scattered bird perches that suggested recall training. And oh, were those fresh lettuce leaves left just outside Meanie's favorite chill spot in his enclosure?
For him to do that meant he had actually taken the time to read her care manuals.
Put what he read to use.
And actually have fun with her babies in the process.
Oh, be still, my foolish heart!
Sounds from the second floor had her heading up, just in time to see Guy step out of the powder room next to the aviary...
Shirtless.
Guy's gaze gleamed in amusement at the way Jillian spun on her heels with a little yelp of embarrassment and started fanning herself as if she was being roasted under the hottest Texan sun.
Jilly couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.
Guy de la Rocq was in her second-floor hallway.
Shirtless!
Meaning, his chest was completely bared to her sight, and he...and he...
He was so unfairly perfect.
All smooth golden skin stretched over exquisitely carved panes. A light dusting of hair that disappeared into the waistband of his jeans. And V-shaped muscles that had her mouth completely dry—aaah!
Guy was suddenly standing in front of her again. "I finally get why you asked me to bring an extra shirt."
Jilly momentarily forgot her embarrassment as he held up his shirt, now completely ruined by bird vomit.
"If I understood your manual correctly," Guy murmured, "this would mean your cockatiel has fallen in love with my shirt, correct?"
"I'm so, so sorry," was all Jilly could think of saying. "Please let me have it dry-cleaned—"
"It's fine."
"Or maybe I could buy you the same shirt if you'd let me know—"
"If you'd really like to pay me back—"
Guy suddenly took a step toward her, and Jilly automatically took a step back.
"I could easily think of something."
He took another step forward, and Jilly backed another step.
"Um..." She had a hard time coming up with a reply, with the way he simply kept trying to close the gap between them, which then left her to keep backing away because she wanted—no, needed—the opposite.
Forward, backward, forward, backward.
Why couldn't he simply stop—
Aaaah!
Jilly would have fallen backwards down the steps if not for Guy catching her, pulling her forward, and bam!
She was pressed against him in an instant.
Every inch of her front was now touching every inch of his front, his skin was warm and solid against her trembling form, and oh.
Her breath caught at the way his gaze smoldered with icy blue heat as he gazed down at her.