Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Which means you don’t believe in me or in anything I’ve said to you. You don’t even believe in how good our lovemaking was. You don’t believe that night meant anything at all.”
Part of him wanted to grab her, kiss her, make love to her right there on her desk and show her exactly how good they were together. But he’d already made love to her, and she hadn’t seen that for what it was.
Maybe she never would.
Maybe trying to use their lovemaking to make his case was the worst thing he could do. But he had nothing else to give right now.
He backed toward the door, keeping his eyes on her. When he found the knob behind him, he said, “We’re not done. I’ll find a way to make you believe in me and how I feel about you.”
He left with that parting shot. Without another word. He didn’t try to kiss her. He didn’t try to touch her. He didn’t even try more pretty words to convince her.
Though she wanted to huddle into a ball, Michaela sat in her chair and rolled it back to the desk. He hadn’t signed the papers. She’d need to send them and have him sign electronically. She should have done that instead of having him come to her office.
What hadn’t she? Especially since the owner had already signed that way.
But she knew why. Because no matter what she’d told herself, she’d wanted to see him.
And now his words wouldn’t leave her alone. I’m in love with you.
He couldn’t possibly mean it. She didn’t think he was a liar, but she suspected his feelings had moved so fast that he could be deluding himself. You couldn’t fall in love in a month. People only fell in love in a week or a month in the movies. And movies weren’t real. Even her matches, which she knew were perfect, took longer than that.
But what about the ones that hadn’t worked? There’d been a few. Ones where she’d sent someone on a date and they hadn’t clicked. She didn’t call it failure. She called it learning her client.
But if they could figure out in one date that they weren’t meant to be together, what did it mean for the opposite? Could a person know on that first date that it would work?
No, that was lust. Love came later. Troy was mixing up lust with love.
And she had to go on with her day, business as usual.
Yet she heard his words all over again. We’re not done.
Half of her hoped he wouldn’t follow through, that she could now put this episode behind her.
The other half was dying for him to make her believe.
Troy sat in his office, squeezing stress balls, not two but four. His hands were cramping.
Michaela had sent the contract electronically. He’d read everything through and signed it. Now he was tempted to storm back over to her office and make love to her, to show her how he felt about her. And to get her to admit how she felt about him.
Instead, he tapped a few keys on his computer and made a video call.
Fernsby answered, his entire face filling the screen as if he didn’t realize there was no need to put the phone right up to his mouth.
When Troy told him he wanted to storm Michaela’s office, Fernsby backed off a little, saying wisely, “It’s not like storming the Bastille, sir. This needs a more delicate touch.”
He stroked his chin while Troy waited for his genius. Then his lips curved ever so slightly in a maybe-smile. “Weren’t you going to invite Michaela and her mother to Saturday’s wedding?”
“Yes,” Troy said. “I’ve already cleared that with Lyssa. But I can’t wait till Saturday to talk to Michaela.”
Fernsby sighed. “Haven’t you heard the old saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder?”
“I’ve heard it,” Troy grumbled.
“Perhaps, if you give her these few days to be thinking of you, without having to actually deal with you and your desires,” he said with great emphasis, “she’ll come to her own conclusion.”
“What if it’s not the conclusion that’s right for both of us?” Five days would kill him.
“Have faith, sir,” Fernsby said. “And send that invitation now.”
After the wise and ancient butler ended the call, Troy did exactly what the man told him to. He called Lyssa to have a wedding invitation sent to Michaela and her mother. The lady was happy to agree.
Now Troy could only hope Michaela accepted.
The invitation arrived on Tuesday. Michaela gasped when what she wanted to do was scream. “We’ve been invited to a Maverick wedding this Saturday?”
Her hands shook, her brain shook, her entire body shook.
As they stood in the sunny yellow kitchen, her mother admitted, “Walter mentioned it. The wedding is being held at his resort down in Big Sur, so he’ll be attending. It would be lovely to go.”