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)
“Got a little promotion.” He shakes my hand warmly and clears his throat. “If you’d follow me?”
“Why do you sound so formal right now?”
He keeps his back very straight. The Leo I know is a smirking gangster. He’s on the young side, late twenties, and good looking. “Got to be professional and shit.”
“You’re doing a great job.”
He grins huge. “Thanks, Bee. I mean, Mrs. Marino.”
“Actually, it’s Mrs. Whelan now.”
“Oh, fuck, I forgot. I mean, shit, I shouldn’t fucking curse—” He takes a deep breath and grimaces. “I’m bad at this.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “We’ll survive together.” The elevators open on the fifth floor. We step out into a modern office space, though it’s pretty empty. There aren’t many people around and half the desks don’t even have computers. “What is this place, anyway?”
“Welcome to Grocery Direct.” Finn Whelan steps out of a corner office. He gives me a big smirk and a friendly wave. “Glad to have you aboard.”
“We do food delivery,” Leo explains as our little group enters a nearby conference room.
“Seriously? Isn’t that market basically cornered by DoorDash and Uber?”
Leo and Finn glance at each other. It’s Finn who laughs lightly and shakes his head. “We’re not really delivering groceries.”
It takes me a second to understand. And when I do, I lean back with a groan. “Drugs. It’s drugs, right?”
“It’s drugs,” Leo confirms. “Mostly legal stuff though!”
“Mostly,” I say through my teeth. “What, we’re a marijuana delivery service?”
“Among other things,” Finn confirms with a sheepish smile. “Honestly, we’re kind of figuring it out as we go along. This whole thing is just—”
I cut him off with a sharp gesture. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Are you sure? I mean, you should probably—”
“No, please and thank you.” I sigh, slumping forward slightly. This is going to be such a freaking headache. “Look, the less I know about your side of the business, the better. I’m going to run the legit operation as well as I can. I might even turn a profit if I’m lucky. But I don’t want to know what you guys are up to unless I really, really have to."
Leo grins and spreads his hands. “Don’t you worry, Bee. We got this. Right, Finn?”
“Guess so.” Finn scratches his head, considering me. “You sure about that? There won’t be trouble. Not with my family’s involvement.”
“I’m sure. I’m here as the front, right? The squeaky-clean name to put on all the documents. You might as well keep me that way as much as possible. And anyway, I don’t care about what you two are doing. I have my own agenda.” I push myself up from the table. I’m not here to play their game. I agreed to marry Cormac because I’ll get to start my own philanthropic ventures. I want to do good, and if that means letting these two assholes do some bad, then that’s how it’ll have to be. I’ll work twice as hard and balance them out.
“If that’s how you want it, that’s how it’ll go down.” Finn seems mollified and totally at ease.
I glare at my two colleagues. I have a feeling they’re going to be a pain in my ass. But that’s a future problem. “Now, if one of you could be so kind, please show me to my office. I have work to do. Probably.”
Chapter 15
Cormac
Iwatch Bianca leave my car and head into the building. I stare at the doors, at the windows, at all the people walking past. I memorize faces. I consider worst-case scenarios.
What if someone drives a bomb through the front door? What if they crash a plane into the roof? A dozen different nightmare scenarios play through my twisted brain as my hands grip the steering wheel.
I can’t drive away.
I hate this fucking dance we’re doing. Bianca wants space while all I want to do is crush myself against her. Last night was nearly an enormous mistake. She caught me watching her sleep, and I got lucky.
Which didn’t help because I ended up unable to sleep.
Not with my goddess in my bed beside me.
Why did I do this to myself?
I’m going to drive myself insane with her. One second worrying about all the ways the world might hurt her. The next one thinking about smothering her until she’s nothing but a sweaty, sticky mess underneath me. Writhing, gasping, and begging. Pleading for me to keep going. Begging for me to stop.
My phone rings, and I nearly throw it out the fucking window.
“How are things with the new wife?” Dad doesn’t sound happy.
“They’re fine. She’s at the office now.”
“And where are you?”
Sitting out front of her office torturing myself with how badly I want her.
“Home.”
He doesn’t sound like he believes me. “I have work for you. It’s sensitive.”
I sit up straight, still staring at Bianca’s office building. “Name?”