Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
“It’s been great,” she answered him, lifting her wine glass. “Better than great, actually.” Her gaze flicked to mine briefly, and I couldn’t resist dropping my hand to her thigh beneath the table. I gave a squeeze and saw a small breath escape her. The caveman part of my brain wondered if she was wet. “Everybody’s been so welcoming, and I love working at the hotel.”
“With Rhys?” Aidan went on, that twinkle in his eye returning. I couldn’t be irritated at him, not when he hadn’t breathed a word to anyone about Charli’s breakdown at the opening. In fact, he behaved like it had never even happened, which I knew was a relief to her.
She sipped her wine. “Yes, Rhys’ office is just across from mine. It’s been nice to have a familiar face around.”
Aidan grinned. “I’ll bet.”
I narrowed my gaze at him, and he was smart enough to change the subject. A server arrived with our starters, and the talk changed to other topics. I kept my hand on Charli’s thigh for most of the meal, and I noticed she was more relaxed every time I touched her. My chest practically hummed with satisfaction.
Just after dessert, she and Nuala went to visit the ladies’ room, and as soon as they left, Aidan plonked himself down in the seat Charli had just vacated.
“So, you two are fucking, then?” he stated casually, and I was just glad Tristan was busy flirting with his date and Derek was on the phone with one of his kids.
“You’ve always been a nosy bastard,” I grunted, slugging back the last of my wine.
“Hey now, I’m merely an observer of human interactions. It’s clear in the way you’ve both been looking at one another all night. It was always going to happen. Put you two in a room, and it’s pure chemistry. Has been since you were teenagers.”
“I distinctly remember you chancing your arm with her back then,” I commented.
Aidan chuckled. “Chancing my arm was pretty much all I did at eighteen. Luckily for everyone, I’ve matured since then.” He paused to eye me, his expression sobering a little. “So, is this a rebound from Stephanie or—”
“Charli isn’t a fucking rebound,” I practically growled, and he raised his hands.
“I only ask because the last time Charli was here, she looked like she was going through it. Now, I don’t know what happened to her, but I can make a few educated guesses. And if my guesses are accurate, I wouldn’t want to see her being used in whatever battleground is going on between you and your ex.”
“There is no battleground. We’re over. Have been for a while.”
“You sure about that? Because she turned up at the opening and glued herself to my side for the better part of an hour. I eventually had to tell her outright that I wanted no role in whatever game she was playing to make you jealous.”
“Fuck,” I groaned. “I’m sorry, Aidan. Steph can be a little—”
“Vindictive? Yes, I got that. All I’m saying is, your love life is still a bit messy if she’s trying to get with your friends to make you jealous. I wouldn’t like to see Charli become a casualty of whatever else your ex-fiancée tries.”
“She won’t be. I won’t let anything happen to Charli,” I said, my mood souring. Aidan patted my shoulder, his look meaningful. He stood just as Nuala and Charli returned and retook their seats.
I should’ve given more heed to Aidan’s warning because he was right. Steph had made herself scarce the last few weeks, but it turned out she wasn’t done getting her own back. I wanted to believe she’d take the high road, but it turned out that was too much to ask for.
A few days later, I spotted Charli making a dash through the hotel lobby mid-morning, a distraught look on her face. On instinct, I went after her, only catching up with her a short distance from both our offices.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my features narrowing in a concerned frown.
Her lip wobbled as she turned to face me before swallowing down what appeared to be a lump in her throat. “It’s nothing,” she answered, barely meeting my gaze, which told me something was definitely up.
“I know that’s not true. You’re upset.”
I cupped her shoulder gently, and she met my gaze, releasing a tired breath. “The last couple days, I’ve noticed some of the other staff giving me odd looks. I couldn’t figure out what was going on, so I mentioned it to Maeve when we were in the office. Well, Maeve began acting shifty, and her conscience obviously got to her because she finally confessed Stephanie’s been spreading a rumour about us.”
My hand on her shoulder stiffened as my frown deepened. “What kind of rumour?”
Charli sniffled. “It’s ridiculously untrue. She’s been saying that the reason you broke up with her was because you and I were having some kind of long distance affair behind her back and that I moved here to be with you.”