Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Harvey stared at her for a long moment, and she expected him to still protest, because that’s who he was. He was overprotective, and he just wanted what was best for her. But what he had to realize was that sometimes she was the one who knew what was best for her.
To her surprise, though, he just nodded. “I understand that. But this might just be a trick to get close to you. She may tell you nothing, or she might just lie. We don’t know what she’s going to do. She’s unpredictable. She’s lost everything, and I’d like to think that means she’d come clean, but it doesn’t. She’s a person who only thinks of herself and not of others, so don’t expect her to do something out of the goodness of her heart.”
“Harvey, if anyone knows what my mother is like, trust me, it’s me.”
He nodded and sent a message off on his phone. “All right, we’ll head over there now.”
“To Ronan’s place?” she asked. “I’m finally going to meet one of your brothers, huh?”
“Yeah, about that,” he said as he stood and helped her down off the stool. “Don’t be scared of him.”
“Scared of him?” she asked. “Why would I be scared of him?”
“Well, most people are when they meet him. But remember that he’s got a huge protective streak when it comes to women.
So, you’re the very last person that should be scared of him. You’re female, you’ve been abused, and you’re one of us. However, he hasn’t exactly got a warm and friendly demeanor. In fact, some of his girlfriends have likened him to a breathing, moving iceberg.”
Ouch. That wasn’t very kind.
She nodded. “I’m sure I’ll be okay.”
32
Wow, Ronan Gallagher was one scary dude.
She was glad Harvey had warned her, and that he’d told her those stories about how Ronan took care of his sisters. She just kept playing those thoughts over in her mind as she stared at him. Because if she didn’t know that he had a big soft spot for women, she might have turned and run the other way.
He was extremely beautiful, quite possibly the most beautiful man she’d ever seen in her life. He had a five o’clock shadow that made him look more rugged and less angelic.
Well, maybe not angelic exactly, more like a dark angel fallen from heaven.
His hazel-colored eyes seemed to read her instantly. It was like he could see straight into her soul and she knew she should probably never lie to this man. He’d be able to read her like a book.
Then he shocked the hell out of her. He walked over to where she was standing beside Harvey and reached out his hand to her.
He held his hand palm up, and she wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted. Moving on instinct, she put her hand over his and waited for him to move. He drew her slowly forward and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.
“Come with me,” he said. “You need some hot chocolate.”
Hot chocolate? This man, who looked like he ate the souls of those who betrayed him, was offering her hot chocolate?
Had she stepped into some sort of alternate universe? What was going on here?
“You should take him up on that,” Harvey’s other brother told her.
Paddy seemed the complete opposite of Ronan. Sure, he had the dark hair and hazel eyes, but that’s where the similarities stopped. He had Harvey’s grin, but there was also more of a lightness to him than Harvey had. While Harvey might smile and joke, there was a watchfulness about him, as though he never fully relaxed.
Paddy looked like he knew how to have a good time.
“Thank you,” she said. “But I’m not sure I can drink anything right now. I think I just need to speak to my mother.” She glanced over at Paddy again. “Did you find out anything more? From his home computer or the clinic?”
Paddy shot Harvey a look
Harvey nodded. “I told her everything.”
“I’m still working on it,” Paddy told her. “But I’ll take one of those hot chocolates while I do.”
“You can get your own,” Ronan told him.
“Pfft, that doesn’t seem very fair. I’m the one doing all the hard work here.” Lily was worried that Paddy was actually upset, but then he sent her a wink and a grin. “You really should have one. It’ll put hairs on your chest.”
She wasn’t certain that she actually wanted to put hairs on her chest, strangely enough. But she attempted to give him a small smile anyway. She wasn’t sure that she was that successful when he gave her a sad look in return.
“I just really want to see my mother and get it over and done with, if you don’t mind. Thank you for the offer though. I really appreciate it.”