Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 115435 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115435 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
I jump out of my car and push him in the chest.
“You scared me!”
“I scared you?” He scowls down at me. “For fuck’s sake, what are you doing? It’s the middle of the goddamn night.”
“I’m taking a drive in my new car. Not that I have to explain anything to you.”
“No, but I have to explain to Connor why the woman he’s paying me to protect is not with me in the middle of the fucking night.”
This is the most emotion I’ve ever seen come from this man.
“I just went for a drive.”
“And now you’re going home,” he says, schooling his face back into stone.
“No, I’m driving around this lake.”
“Billie.” He sighs, and I can see he’s tired. He’s in jeans and a T-shirt, something I’ve never seen Simon wear before. Emily’s right. He is good-looking. Holy hell, the tattoos on both arms are … wow. He’s also a pain in my ass.
“Wait.” I hold up a hand. “How did you know where I was?”
“There’s a tracking system on your car.”
My jaw drops. “What did you just say?”
“There’s a tracking system on your car.”
“You’re a smart-ass.”
“You asked.”
“Why is my car being tracked?”
Simon sighs again. I’m clearly trying his patience. “In case anything happened to you, we could find you. There’s one on every vehicle, not just yours.”
I shake my head at him, so frustrated I could pull my hair out.
“I’m going home,” I mutter, my nighttime drive ruined.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
“Of course, you will be. And if I get away, you’ll be able to track me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says, without an ounce of remorse.
Dick.
I can’t wait to get home so I can call my billionaire and give him a piece of my mind.
Chapter Thirty
CONNOR
I’m in the middle of a meeting regarding the property in the Maldives when my phone starts to buzz with an incoming video call from Billie.
“Excuse me,” I say, standing to leave the room.
“Connor—” Fiona starts, but I shake my head, shutting down whatever she was going to say.
“I’ll be right back.”
Once I’m in my office with the door closed, I take the call. “Hello, angel.”
“Don’t you angel me,” she says, her beautiful eyes hot. “Why is there a tracking device on my car?”
“Because there’s one on all of the vehicles,” I reply, sitting on the edge of my desk. “What’s happened?”
“I went for a drive, in my car, by myself, and Simon freaking found me, pulled me over, and ripped me a new one.”
“Good.”
Her jaw drops. “Excuse me?”
“I asked you not to go anywhere without Simon. Wait, it’s four in the morning there. Why are you taking a drive in the middle of the night?”
“Because I’m a grown-ass woman who can decide for herself what time of day she wants to go for a motherfucking drive!”
I’ve never seen her this angry.
“If you weren’t going to let me drive this car, why did you buy it for me?”
I pull my glasses off and rub my eyes. “Of course, you can drive it. It’s yours. Just please take Simon with you.”
“This is fucking insane,” she mutters.
“Bumble, tell me why you’re taking drives in the middle of the night.”
“Because I can’t fucking sleep,” she retorts, her face flushed and eyes bright with frustration. “I can’t settle. I miss you.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and it’s almost my undoing.
“Angel, I’m coming home tomorrow.”
I had planned to stay the week, but fuck that. My girl bleedin’ needs me.
“It’s not your fault,” she says, furiously wiping away the tears on her cheeks. “It’s just stupid insomnia, and it’s ridiculous that I need my person with me to sleep. That’s an addiction or something. Maybe I need an intervention.”
My lips twitch as I watch her. “I miss you too, mo chroi. So much it hurts. And I’m not sleeping well, either.”
“We have a serious problem.”
“Aye. We’re in love, and being apart is brutal.” That makes her lower lip quiver again, and I swear under my breath. “Hang in there for just one more day. Can you do that for me?”
“I’m sorry.” She blows out a breath and wipes more tears away. “This is so silly. If I could just sleep, I’d be fine.”
“I know.” God, I wish I could touch her. She needs to be held and kissed. I’m not there to give it to her, and it’s driving me out of my bleedin’ mind.
“Simon might quit,” she says. “I was kind of mean to him. But Emily thinks he’s hot, so maybe we should try to keep him.”
“Emily’s attracted to Simon?”
“Yeah. And I asked him if he liked her, and he paused before he said no, which means yes.”
I blink at her. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“It’s romantic,” she insists. “But I really pissed him off tonight. Or this morning. Whatever it is.”
“Don’t worry about Simon, except please, don’t go anywhere without him until I get home. Now, I want you to go upstairs, get into our bed, and relax. Breathe. Take my clothes with you so you can smell me.”