Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Still, Finn’s attractive. He seems genuine about wanting to make this work.
Why am I fighting this so hard?
Finn talks more about himself and his family, trying to make me feel more comfortable. I glance back over my shoulder toward the house, and I swear I can smell my ghost again. I think about Cormac in the library last night, about his muscular thighs, about his intense and terrifying stare. That man is a true nightmare, and I should be running far, far away from him. Instead, I find myself slowly drawn in his direction, like a ship trapped in the edges of a black hole, pulled to pieces and smashed.
After a little longer, Adriano and Padraig come strolling out, and I’ve never been so relieved to see my brother in my entire life. “I was planning on taking these two around the city. I thought I’d show them some of our businesses and maybe do a little sightseeing.”
“Oh, that sounds great, but—” I put my hand over my belly, wincing. “I’m kind of not feeling that great.”
Finn and his father exchange a look. “Think it was something you ate?” Padraig asks.
“I’m sure it was.” I wave them away, willing myself to have a stomach virus. “Why don’t you three go on without me?”
“Hope you feel better,” Finn says and doesn’t sound particularly upset that I won’t be coming along. “Adriano, I hear you’ve got a pretty solid shipping operation going on. What sort of trucks are you using?”
My brother shoots me a hard glare. I can tell he’s unhappy about this, but Finn’s already leading him back to the house. Padraig lingers for a moment, and once the other two are back inside, he nods at me.
“It’ll be okay with him, you know.”
I let my hand drop from my stomach. “I’m sure it will be.”
“He’s making the same sacrifice as you are. And I raised my sons to be honorable. I hope you will be as well.”
“You don’t have to worry.” I don’t like the implication, and I’m tempted to tell him that what’s asked of Finn will never match what’s asked of me, purely because of my gender. But for once, I decide it’s better to keep my mouth shut.
“I didn’t think so.” He smiles then, and it seems genuine. “I look forward to having you in our family.”
I watch him go with some wariness. I don’t have a good read on the head of the Whelan clan, but I’d better start figuring him out. Soon, he’s going to be my boss too, at least indirectly.
The three men leave the house, and I linger on the threshold for a few seconds, waiting to make sure they’re definitely gone.
Then I go searching for my ghost.
A glimmer of excitement surges through me. This is dangerous and stupid, but I can’t help myself. A lunch with Finn nearly put me to sleep—but hunting down a straight-up psycho killer?
For some reason, that makes me feel totally alive.
The problem is the Marino mansion is actually pretty big. There are a ton of rooms, and Cormac could be hiding in any of them. I start with his assigned suite, but nobody responds when I knock, and I move on from there. I check the library, the billiards room, the gym, the den, and I don’t find him anywhere. I scour the whole damn place, thinking that massive freaking Irishman couldn’t possibly be this hard to find, but he’s nowhere.
I’m about to give up when I go back out onto the patio and spot him walking in the garden.
It’s weird, seeing such a big, terrifying person strolling along like he’s enjoying all the pretty flowers.
Cormac doesn’t strike me as a nature kind of guy, but maybe I’m wrong. There could be hidden depths to him, secrets I can’t even begin to imagine.
None of that matters, though.
I just want one single sniff.
But there’s a problem. It hits me as I close in on him. My heart races, hammering right up into my throat.
There’s no way I’m going to get his scent outside like this.
All I can smell are bushes, pollen, and dirt.
Which means I’ll have to get close.
I need an excuse. Some reason why I’m approaching him. Maybe I want to ask him questions about Finn? Or maybe talk to him about Kurt Vonnegut?
But all thoughts disappear from my head when he turns in my direction and stares at me like my skull’s on fire and he can’t wait to watch my face melt off.
The man’s glorious. It’s unnerving how beautiful I find him. Square jaw, full lips. Dark hair and dark eyelashes. His muscles bulge against his tight black t-shirt, and there’s the casual bump of a weapon holster at his hip. His hands are clasped behind his back, and my eyes move from his biceps, which are obscenely well built, right to his sculpted pectorals. Like I’m some creep ogling his chest.