Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 89592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“I think I’m going to call things off,” I blurt out.
Chloe places her head on my shoulder. “Love is patient, love is kind.” I close my eyes as she recites the scripture.
I finish it with her, understanding fully what she’s trying to say. “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” We finish in unison.
“Be patient, Sid. The Hennessy men have a way of making everything right again. Even when it looks so wrong and impossible,” she says softly.
“Has he made it right?” I ask.
“I’m letting patience have her perfect way. It’s all my heart can take,” she whispers back.
“Once I marry him, there’s no turning back,” I murmur.
“He’s a Hennessy, there was never any turning back, hun.”
Chapter 36
Game Changer
Clayton
“These numbers don’t make any sense. Someone explain to me what the fuck I’m looking at,” I bite out into the phone.
“Sir, we stand to take a loss—”
“Are you really going to fucking tell me what I’ve already read and know? I want to know why. I want to know why the fuck the deal is suddenly bleeding money,” I snap. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a damn fool. Give me facts, not this bullshit data.”
My shoulders relax the moment I feel Sid’s small hands kneading the tension away. I almost forgot she was writing in the corner of my office. She seems to like it in here, despite me having a room designed just for her.
I turn my face to look at her and that smile stops my heart. She dips her face to kiss my lips. I want to get lost in her, but I need to focus on this conference call. I push my chair back and drag her into my lap. I grit my teeth and bury my face in her neck as the asshole on the other end stammers over his lame explanation.
“Excuse me,” Sidney says. I look at her and lift a brow.
She looks at me with a sheepish grin but continues to speak. My chest swells right along with my cock. The authority which she uses to talk to my employees as if she’s been by my side for years—it’s a total turn-on.
She frowns as Dipshit answers her question. I know how she feels. It’s the reaction I’ve had this entire call.
“No, not from what I’m looking at in front of me. It sounds like you’ve been over projecting on several aspects of the report and trying to compensate for losses with fluff,” she replies, cutting Anderson off just as I had. “Mr. Hennessy and I are going to talk about this structuring and some changes. In the meantime, I suggest you clean up this mess. These numbers stink and if I get to digging, you’re going to have a serious problem.”
I lift my brow higher, earning me a wink and a little mischievous smile. She taps her nose, bringing a smile to my face.
The fact that she’s carrying this outside the playroom makes my chest swell. It shows we’re bonding the way I hoped for. I want Sid’s trust as much as I want to give her mine. For me, safe words are signs of failure to learn my partner. Sid should never need one of those with me.
That tap is a part of an unspoken language we share in that space in our lives. It shows I know her, and she can rely on me.
“I want those fresh numbers tomorrow,” I bark before ending the call.
“I see where the loss is coming from,” she says excitedly. Reaching for a red pen from my desk, she begins to circle numbers all over the documents I have spread out. “There’s a pattern. If you gave me a few hours, I could trace it to its source. This deal may be one you want to walk away from.”
I reach for her face with my fingertips, turning it to me. My eyes bounce over her gorgeous features, but I see so much more beyond those. I know I’ve fallen in love with her mind as much as I have her body and looks.
When I look into her eyes, I see the woman I want for my wife, a business partner, the mother of my children, and the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.
“What? Did I overstep?” she says, biting her lip nervously.
“No, not at all. You got all that in one glance?” I ask, truly impressed.
She shrugs. “Numbers speak to me. It’s like they jump off the page. I saw the problem when I walked over to work out some of the tension I could see from across the room.”
I bite my lip. She’s so fucking sexy. To be able to write the way she does and the insane brain she has for numbers and business. I want to take her right here.