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)
“Cuddling is good for you?”
“Yep.”
“What if I don’t want to?” He knows I want to. My big brother knows that touch is my love language.
“I want to.” He kisses the top of my head. “I want you to know that Connor went above and beyond last night, Bee. Aside from kicking that asshole’s ass, he helped you when you threw up—”
“Oh God.”
“—and watched you all night. He didn’t sleep, so he could monitor your breathing and make sure you weren’t in distress. It wasn’t just a matter of getting you somewhere safe and letting you sleep it off while he did the same.”
Now I feel like a jerk for kicking him out of here earlier.
“He could have just dropped me off at the ER.”
“He could have,” Blake agrees. “But he didn’t. And I can tell you that when he first called me, he was scared as fuck.”
I turn so I can look up at my brother. “He was?”
“Yeah. And Connor doesn’t exactly strike me as the kind of dude who lets much faze him.”
No. He doesn’t me, either.
“I thought you should know. I don’t have a clue what’s going on with you two. From what I’ve seen, you dance around each other. You look at each other like you want to devour each other, but I watch you fight it. Both of you.”
“Are you trying to set me up with him?”
“Just telling you what I know and see. I love you.”
I sigh and settle against him. “I love you, too. Stop interfering.”
“I’m not.”
“Not yet.”
“Do you like him?”
I sigh again and feel stupid tears threaten, so I swallow hard. “Yeah, but he doesn’t—”
“Maybe stop assuming what Connor does or doesn’t think and pay attention to what he does. Because like you said, he could have just dumped you off at the ER and washed his hands of the whole situation. Instead, he nursed you through the worst of it, and I’m not lying when I tell you he was afraid.”
“If he was that scared, why didn’t he demand you come over? It’s not like any of you to hold back if you think I’m in trouble.”
In fact, I need to check my cell. There are probably a gazillion messages. I’m honestly surprised they haven’t all landed on my doorstep, including Dani and Skyla.
“I tried. He was … scared for you, but confident he could care for you. He listened to everything I said, and when I checked on you early this morning, it was clear he was doing a good job.”
“Huh. I don’t want him to be scared because of me.”
He kisses my hair again. “Just something to think about. Now, hand me the remote. We’re going to watch TV.”
“The bag’s almost empty. You can go home.”
“Nah. I’m hanging out with my best girl.”
“You’re annoying as fuck, Blake.”
“I know. I love you, too. Oh, and by the way, the rest of the family will be here in about thirty minutes. I can’t hold them back anymore.”
“Shocker.”
Chapter Six
CONNOR
“Why am I in bloody fecking Dublin?” My board of directors shifts uncomfortably in their seats, looking at each other and out the window. Basically everywhere except at me.
Because they know they’ve fecked up.
Fiona, our real estate lawyer, clears her throat. “We called you in because the new property in Stockholm is exceeding budget forecasts. Environmentalists are upset about water rights, and building the structure close to the lake is causing an issue with ground stabilization.”
“It would be best if you could make a trip over there,” Ronan, my chief of marketing, bravely adds. “You have the magic touch with people, Connor.”
I stare at them both and feel the others in the room shift in their seats again.
“I explained to you all that I’m in Montana for the next two years.” I stand and walk to the windows, looking out over the city of Dublin, then turn back to the room. Nine faces stare back at me. These are the people who I work side by side with to keep Gallagher Hotels running. They represent everything from legal, marketing, and hospitality to regional market knowledge and construction. I’m the head of financials, but I have more people for that, too.
We run an empire, and since my father retired three years ago, I’m the head of that empire.
And right now, I’d like to fire all of them for calling me here the day after I dropped my bumble bee off at her house after being drugged by that piece of shite.
“I’m not the only one on this board capable of doing site visits,” I add.
“No, but you’re the one who has done the majority of the site visits for the past decade,” Fiona reminds me. “More than that, actually. The people in our hotels know and respect you.”
“They’ll learn to know and respect the others on this team,” I counter. “Because I’m not going to bend on this. The Bitterroot Valley and Big Sky properties are my focus for the next couple of years, with quarterly trips back to Dublin for meetings with all of you. I’m not flying to the Maldives, or London, or bloody Stockholm to smooth over ruffled feathers.”