Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Both billionaires continued to stare at her, their expressions unreadable in the intimate lighting.
"The, um, favor, I mean."
Her husband raised a brow at this but said nothing. Guy, on the other hand, inclined his head in courteous assent. "Of course." His tone was perfectly polite as well, but it somehow made Poppy gulp. This was not a man to cross, for sure, but...
"I'd like to set you up," Poppy blurted out, "if that's okay?"
"A blind date, you mean?"
"Uh huh." Poppy pretended not to notice the way her husband's blue gaze had narrowed on her. "But I'd actually rather you not say anything about dates or stuff. Maybe just think of it as meeting a new friend? She doesn't go out much. So she gets scared off easily..."
Valerian waited until dinner was over, and their guest had left, before turning to his wife. He didn't have to say a word. Poppy already knew just by looking at him, and she could only smile sheepishly in return. "So...remember I once told you that Jilly's the founder of a super-duper-secret fan club..."
Poppy knew the exact moment the penny dropped for her husband.
Valerian didn't know whether to wince or shake his head. Jilly...and Guy de la Rocq? How on earth was that going to work?
GUY HAD JUST GOTTEN off the treadmill in his private gym when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Hi, this is Jilly. Poppy told me to text you. Could you come over tomorrow at 8pm?
Guy raised a brow when his phone vibrated again, this time because of a QR code that contained the GPS link to his blind date's address. How unexpectedly forward and efficient, for a woman who didn't go out much. Or maybe this was simply a case of having different ways of quantifying exactly how much was...much.
When he emerged from the shower, another text message awaited him.
Oh, and please bring an extra shirt. Just in case.
Guy was no stranger to women making the first move, but this was unprecedented, for someone like him whose dating history could best be described as extensive.
His lips pressed in a tight line as he recalled Poppy further describing her friend as someone easy to "scare off". Whoever this woman was, she clearly had Valerian's wife fooled into believing a lie. But since he was a man of his word...
Chapter Two
Jilly: I saw your panel photo. Wrinkled shirt again.
Jack: Emotionally matched the topic.
Jilly: Wear the black one I got you.
Jack: You mean the one that “brings out my soul”?
Jilly: You know I'm right.
Jack: About what? Me having a soul or what to wear?
Jilly: Both, naturally.
GUY'S EXPECTATIONS about Poppy's friend started unraveling as soon as his sports car's GPS directed him into a gated neighborhood named Sunshine Villas.
The entrance itself was modest: a single security booth and an elderly guard who merely nodded at him after checking his name against a visitor list. No cameras. No biometric scanners. Nothing that would suggest any of the residents had something particularly valuable to protect.
The woman he had pictured in his mind was the type to live in a flashy downtown condo, the kind who wouldn't feel comfortable if living anywhere without a bustling night life. But this place, though?
The neighborhood was more in line with how Poppy had described her friend, and more and more, Guy began to feel as if he was missing something as he eventually pulled up in front of a modest two-story brick home.
Was that a glass aviary...built above what looked to be a master bedroom designed for a cat?
It was the most bizarrely charming residence, with a series of wooden ramps zigzagging up one exterior wall and a miniature but functional fountain that looked as if it belonged to an old French chateau.
Guy killed the engine and sat for a moment, reassessing the situation. Was this really the right house?
The sound of crickets filled his ears as he stepped out of the car, and the air around him smelled...fresh. Almost as fresh, in fact, as what he enjoyed in his ranch in Evergreen. And completely unalike the smoke-and-perfume atmosphere of most establishments that his work occasionally obliged him to frequent.
Guy pressed the doorbell, hearing a soft, musical chime echo inside followed by the unmistakable sound of several animals responding to the noise. Barking, meowing, and was that a squawk?
"I'm coming!"
If he had heard such words from another woman, he would have thought of it as an innuendo. But this time, though?
As much as Guy hated to admit it, he was no longer certain of what to expect...but he had his answer as soon as the door opened.
Ah.
It was not an innuendo, after all...since one look at Poppy's friend, and Guy knew right away she was the kind of woman he would enjoy corrupting ruining educating...about the birds and the bees.
Short blond hair with tousled waves that were still slightly wet from the shower. Jade-green eyes that were now wide with shock behind her grandmother-style glasses. An oversized blazer over her silk blouse and linen slacks. And when she finally spoke—