Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 18755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 94(@200wpm)___ 75(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 94(@200wpm)___ 75(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
Huh.
Kendra’s first instinct was to look away...out of habit.
Because that was what she had done the moment she became Porter’s wife.
Look away where other men were concerned.
But then...she remembered.
I’m no longer married.
And so even though she had never been the type to stare, she forced herself to do just that.
She would stare at this man because that was what single women did, and...and she would appreciate him, too.
That was what single women did, right?
They allowed themselves to find men attractive, and this stranger—
Argh!
Kendra quickly looked away upon realizing that he had noticed her staring all along. That was so embarrassing! She was—wait a minute!
Oh, you idiot!
She had actually forgotten she was single, and that was why she had felt guilty for being caught staring!
Kendra turned to look at him again. And forced herself to continue staring at him even as his lips slowly curved into a smirk.
I know you think I’m hot.
He didn’t say the words out loud, but his smirk said it all, and she...she let him think that because it was true, and she was single again, and so it was fine.
He was hot. Like...record-breaking hot, with his midnight-black hair, rock-gray eyes, and the kind of build that made his obviously expensive suit fit him like a thousand-dollar armor he could wear to flirt with someone or kill someone or—whoa, Kendra!
Just because she was newly single didn’t mean she should start thinking silly thoughts!
Kendra started in surprise when the stranger sat down like he was the one she was supposed to meet all along. He had even positioned herself right across her like they had something to negotiate.
“Hello, Kendra.”
And he knew her name.
How did he know her name?
“W-Who are you?”
“Dario La Rocca.”
That...sounded familiar. Where had she heard that before? Was he a friend of a friend? Or maybe Porter had mentioned him before? Because that name...
Dario La Rocca.
The moment she repeated his name in her mind was the moment Kendra finally remembered, and it almost had her gasping out loud.
He was indeed connected to Porter.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was someone her ex-husband would have rather didn’t exist at all...since Dario La Rocca was the man who'd been buying up Porter's debt piece by piece. He was the man responsible for dismantling Porter’s company—but so what?
“I can see you have something to ask me.”
The old Kendra would have denied it right away. Porter had rules on what she could and couldn’t say to anyone connected to his company, and in a nutshell, it was that she didn’t say anything at all.
That was then, though, when they were still married.
But now?
“Why are you here?”
She was single, and single women could say anything they wanted. That was all there was to this. She wasn’t being immature or shallow. This was not revenge against Porter, but instead—
“Because I need you.”
Okaaaay.
“For what?”
“Marriage.”
Kendra was about to laugh...but ended up coughing instead when he simply gazed at her with a lazy expression.
Marriage?
What exactly was he saying?
“I’m not a wedding coordinator—”
His dark eyes gleamed in amusement. “I want you to be my wife.”
His...what?
Kendra cleared her throat. “I thought you said you wanted me to be your wife—”
“I did. I want you to marry me. As soon as possible.”
Kendra fought against the urge to give her face a quick, hard...slap.
Just to, you know, check if this was real or she was dreaming.
Because otherwise...
This made no sense at all. Why would Dario La Rocca want to marry her? And why was he asking her this like it was the most natural thing on earth? She tried to understand what was going on here, but it was just impossible.
And so...
“I’m sorry.”
After what happened to her marriage, which she had thought would last forever, she didn’t want to have anything to do with men, much less men that were in the slightest way connected to her ex.
“If this has anything to do with Porter—”
“I didn’t say his name, did I?”
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “But I’m really not—”
“I haven’t told you yet my reasons,” he drawled.
Why was he being so insistent?
“Mr. La Rocca, I don’t...” She found herself squirming in her seat, having a hard time finding the right words to say. “I mean, I’m sure it’s a horror—”
It was only when he raised a brow that she realized what she had accidentally said.
“I mean, an honor! It’s an absolute honor—”
“Is that what you call a Freudian slip?”
“I’m so sorry.” Kendra couldn’t make herself say the truth even with her cheeks turning red. “I have no idea what that means. I’m not that smart—”
“I’ll have to agree,” he said pleasantly. “It takes a special kind of stupidity, not to have seen how evil your sister is."
Kendra’s mouth opened and closed. She didn't know whether to feel insulted or gratified. On one hand, he'd called her stupid. On the other, he'd called Thelma evil—