Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 60711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Her gaze darted to his, and for the first time, he saw the wariness in her eyes.
Good.
She seemed to think he was the bad guy now, and that was very, very good.
That would make the hunt so much sweeter.
“I don’t understand what—”
“Of course you do,” he cut her off lazily, but with a glint in his eyes to let her know that he didn’t appreciate time being wasted on foolish denials. “No one lets themselves be insulted without reason.”
“Oh. That.” Relief flashed over her face, and it put him on edge because he knew it was real. She was relieved, and he didn’t fucking get it.
“My aunt wants to eat,” she answered simply. “But she can’t because she has her figure to maintain. And I get it. And I sympathize.”
How perfectly straightforward.
And if it were anyone else, he would have thought it was all a load of b.s.
But because it was his little mouse saying the words—
Was she for real?
Or was she just a better actress than he gave her credit for?
Didn’t matter either way.
He had already made up his mind.
She was to be his toy, regardless of her level of innocence...or deception.
Paul turned his gaze back to his little mouse, and his lips almost curved when he saw that she had gone back to eating. Everything about her was a delight to study. The delicate bones of her wrists. How she bit her bottom lip when concentrating. The way that ponytail exposed the vulnerable line of her neck.
The same neck he’d wanted to mark last night.
Still wanted to mark.
She looked up suddenly, catching him staring.
Pink spread across her cheeks.
“Do I have something on my face?”
Yes. Innocence. And he was going to corrupt every inch of it.
Teach her exactly what kind of games grown-ups played.
“No.”
She touched her cheek anyway. Those small fingers that had pressed against his chest. That had trembled when he’d caught them.
This was the scene Joyce walked back to.
Paul Mitropoulos, who never looked at anyone twice, unable to stop watching her niece.
He was still smiling.
That particular smile Joyce had seen perhaps three times in all the years she’d known him. The one he wore when he’d found something to occupy his attention. Some hopeless case to defend. Some tedious charity work that kept him from being bored.
Her gaze shifted to her niece. The girl had gone back to eating, clearly trying to be invisible. That cheap dress. The SaveMart manners. Hair that screamed small-town salon.
Paul always did like his charity cases pathetic, and it was just her luck that her ugly little country mouse of a niece fit the bill to a T.
She slid back into her seat and smiled at her niece. “I’m so glad you came to visit.”
“Thank you for being so welcoming.”
“But of course, darling. That’s what family’s for.” And before this day came to an end, she would make sure that her worthless family would finally do her some good.
The rest of lunch passed pleasantly. Joyce played the doting aunt while Paul appeared amused by the girl’s shameless ability to work her way through the entire dessert table. He had that look—the white knight expression that appeared whenever he found something broken to fix.
Let him waste his time. She had Monte Carlo waiting.
When Paul insisted on driving them home, Joyce accepted graciously.
The ride was quiet. Andie sat in the back, hands folded, watching the city pass like she was memorizing escape routes. Joyce kept catching Paul’s eyes in the rearview mirror, tracking the girl’s every breath.
Still playing benefactor.
Excellent.
They pulled up to the Bernard mansion. Paul got out to open their doors, old-world manners that made Andie duck her head and murmur soft thanks that he seemed to catalog for later use.
Joyce waited on the front steps, watching his Bentley disappear down the drive. The moment it turned the corner, she turned to her niece.
“I need to leave tomorrow for Monte Carlo.”
Andie’s expression shifted into dismay. “But you said we’d talk—”
“I won’t be away forever,’ she snapped. ‘I’ll be back in a couple of days. The Frontier Ball is this weekend, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. In the meantime—”
Joyce studied her niece’s face as she made her offer.
“But why?”
Her lip curled at the girl’s visible confusion.
Was it really not obvious or was this girl just that stupid?
“Forget about the why,” she dismissed impatiently, “and just focus on what matters. We both know you need more than what you’ve asked for.”
Chapter Three
A CHIME ECHOED THROUGH the library, soft but insistent.
“The Tranquil Acres Community Library will be closing in one hour,” a pleasant voice announced. “Please proceed to the checkout desk to avoid queues for borrows and returns. Thank you.”
One hour then.
She had one more hour to enjoy everything this place had to offer, and surely...surely that was fine?
This place was just magical, and so it made her just a little sad, with how empty it was. How could the people living here not realize how lucky they were? Or maybe they knew...but they just didn’t care?