Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 23667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Eyes wide, she stares at me. “You didn’t think I would be? But you’re doing it anyway?”
I hold my hands up to stop her. “Ellie, we built all this, and our son wants it. Do you really want me to tell him no?”
She shakes her head. “No, of course not. And of course he wants it. You groomed him to take over, whether you realize it or not.”
I tilt my head to the side. “So you knew he would take over one day.”
She pops a shoulder. “I figured.” She leans toward me. “So what’s this got to do with Audrey Sterling? She’s your informant?”
Surprised by her interest, I ask, “You really want to know?”
She nods enthusiastically. “Yes! Gah, I’m so bored sitting on charity boards and attending tea luncheons. I want to know what you all have been up to.”
I nod and reach up to cup her face. “Fine. I’ll tell you everything.”
She gasps in surprise. “Everything? No more of the ‘need to know basis’ or ‘the less you know the better’?”
I’ve fought with myself for years. I’ve always wanted to share things with Eleanor, not only because she’s my wife but also because I trust her judgment and the fact that anything has to be safer than what she’s doing now. “Yeah. Everything you wanna know, I’ll tell you.”
She squeezes my hand, and I just stare at our intertwined fingers. I can’t lose her. I won’t. And if telling her everything she wants to know is going to keep her by my side, so be it.
“Audrey moved into our territory a few months ago.”
Her eyebrows lift. “You let that happen?”
I bite my lip. I know she’s right. It’s not like me to let someone from a rival family move into our territory. Especially a Sterling, our biggest rival. “From the moment I found out about it, I had Bennett and Knox on it.”
Her eyes widen. “On it?”
I nod. “Yes, they were finding out everything they should about her, checking to see if she had a mission.”
Eleanor leans toward me. “Why is she here?”
I stroke her hand. “Because she’s trying to get away from her family. She doesn’t have any mission or ulterior motive. She’s just tired of how the Sterlings do things.”
Ellie purses her lips. “Interesting.”
Confused, I ask, “Interesting, why? You think she’s lying?”
She shakes her head. “No. But I find it interesting. Bennett has been different the last few months, and I’m wondering if that has anything to do with Audrey.”
I gasp. “What? No. She’s the enemy. Bennett would never do that.”
Eleanor rolls her eyes. “I don’t think she’s the enemy. Not if she’s trying to get away from the Sterlings.” Her eyes light up. “I bet she has something to do with Bennett’s decision to take over too. Have you talked to him about it?”
Perplexed, I shrug. “He said he wanted it. I didn’t ask any questions.”
She rolls her eyes. “So what was the meeting about this morning?”
I squeeze her hand and then put my other hand on her thigh. “I didn’t want to cancel lunch with you. Bennett said he had important news and it couldn’t wait.”
She cups my chin, and as soon as her soft hand touches the scruff of my beard, I lean into her. She has a power over me like no other. Softly, she strokes me. “You could have told me that. Instead of ‘Something came up,’ like you didn’t care, you could have explained it to me.”
“I don’t explain to anybody,” I say almost automatically and then quickly follow up with “Sorry. You’re right. If we’re going to make this work, I need to communicate.”
“So what did she say?”
When I hesitate, her hand drops from my neck.
I grab it. “She said the Sterlings are planning something. They’ve been slowly moving into midtown, buying up properties under an LLC, and they’re getting closer and closer to us. They want to take over.”
Eleanor doesn’t even blink. “Well, you won’t let that happen.”
I let out a big sigh. I didn’t realize it before now, but I need Eleanor’s approval. I crave it. She’s my biggest supporter, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that the things I’ve accomplished are because of her. There’s no way the Kingstons would be what we are today without her. Afraid I’m going to push her away, I softly whisper, “I’ve missed you, Ellie.”
She smiles. “I’ve missed you too.”
CHAPTER 5
ELEANOR
And damn, I have missed him.
I take a deep breath, breathing him in. I’ve missed his smell, his touch, I’ve missed everything about him. We’re looking into each other’s eyes, and I see the change in him. His dark brown eyes get even darker. He always looks at me as if he could devour me, but it’s more intense now. I know what he wants, and I want it too.