Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Immy grabbed his arm, shaking her head as he stepped toward Lauren.
“You can’t threaten me,” Lauren said haughtily. “I’ll have your job.”
Tobias huffed out a breath. “Don’t work for you. And you think once I tell Jenner about this, that you’ll still have one?”
Cupcakes. This was getting out of control and Jenner would be back here soon.
“Tobias, you’re overreacting. Look at my arm. Look!” Immy held out her arm, which was barely scratched. “And I mark easily. She barely grabbed me and it was just her nails. I’m fine and you’re making a scene. I have a headache, please take me back to the hotel.”
Tobias glared at Lauren, but the tension left his shoulders. Immy let out a sigh of relief as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned her away. They walked out of the building toward one of the cars they’d hired. When she tried to pull away from him, he tugged her back.
Immy snuck a look up into his face, but it was difficult to tell what he was thinking. He opened the passenger door and then waited for her to get in before shutting it.
Then he jogged around to the driver’s seat. She turned to him.
“Tobias—”
“Quiet,” he commanded.
Immy bit her lip. Quiet? Really?
“But I wanted to talk—”
“Immy, I said quiet.” He shot her a stern look.
Was he upset with her?
To her surprise, he reached over and pulled her seatbelt across her. His arm brushed against her and she had to work hard not to react.
He started up the car, then put a hand behind the back of her seat as he turned to look out the rear window.
God, why did he have to look so good? And smell so amazing?
It was so distracting.
“Tobias, we need to talk—”
“Immy, if you don’t hush, I’m going to find something to make you hush.”
What the heck did that mean?
Her own temper stirred. She didn’t lose her temper that often. But when she did . . . it could be spectacular.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she huffed out a breath. “You are not the boss of me, Tobias Smith!”
“Actually, that’s exactly what I am,” he replied in a stern voice. “You got painkillers?”
“Um. What?”
“Painkillers, Immy. You got some?”
“I’m allowed to talk now?”
“When I ask you a question, yes.”
“Well, why not any other time?” she asked, throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation.
“Because I’m not very happy with you right now, Cherry.”
“What? Why? What did I do?” she asked. If anyone had the right to be angry, she was pretty sure that it was her.
“Do you have painkillers?” he repeated as he drove them to the hotel.
She sighed. “Yes. Why?”
“For your headache. Wanted to know if we needed to stop and get some.”
Okay. That was sweet. “I have some in my handbag. I just don’t have any water.”
“Was it the music?”
“No.”
“Was there even a headache, Immy?”
Shoot.
“I do have a slight headache,” she gritted out as they parked at the hotel.
“But it was really an excuse to leave, wasn’t it? It wasn’t about a headache, it was about wanting to get me away from Lauren.”
Urgh.
Darn it.
He’d know if she lied.
“Fine, it was mostly about getting you away from Lauren before you did something that you would regret. But I also had a bit of a headache.”
“Trust me, I wouldn’t regret it,” he told her darkly.
He undid his belt and turned to her. Then he grasped hold of her chin. His touch was gentle, but definitely firm. “Believe I’ve said this before, but I’ll keep saying it. Do not lie to me, Immy.”
She sucked in a breath at the look on his face. He was deadly serious. Intense. She might have been a touch scared, if she was smart.
But Immy decided that she wasn’t always that smart. Because instead of placating him, she leaned into him. “Again. You’re not the boss of me.”
“No? You think not?”
“I do think not.”
“Well, we’ll see. Because that’s exactly what I intend to be.”
He got out of the car before she could question him. Did she want to question him? Oh heck. What was going on here?
Opening the door, he reached in and undid her seatbelt. Then he helped her out of the car. Grasping hold of her hand, he led her into the hotel. She noticed that he kept a vigilant watch on his surroundings as he moved.
It was kind of infuriating, because it made it harder for her to be mad at him when he was being so protective. They stepped into the hotel and headed up the elevator. Unfortunately, there were people in the elevator with them, so she couldn’t say anything. But as soon as they were back in the room, she turned to him.
“You don’t get to tell me to hush.”
“I do when I’m mad at you and I need a moment,” he said, walking to the mini-fridge.