Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Sure enough, Jay’s tall, broad-shouldered frame filled the doorway. He’d yet to take off his Ray-Ban sunglasses, and he cut a striking figure in a pair of designer jeans and a polo shirt that showed off his powerful arms. He walked straight into the bedroom, finally lowering his sunglasses. He didn’t look annoyed or even surprised to see them. If anything, he looked pleased.
“Mila, Erin, good to see you. I saw your car out front.”
Erin was absolutely tongue-tied and could feel herself blushing. To be found touring his house when he wasn’t even there seemed completely inappropriate. But Jay didn’t seem the least bit put out. His rugged face was tanned, his expression confident. Although she didn’t find him to be as good-looking as her sister and Tessa did, she could see the appeal for some people. He had an intense sexuality about him. He had started to go bald early and so kept his head shaved. Somehow it made him look more virile.
Mila shook Jay’s hand warmly. “I was just dropping off your extra set of keys and Erin was with me, so I gave her a tour.” She shot a quick look at Erin and added, “But I need to get going. Can you show Erin around? She hasn’t even seen the garden yet.”
Erin started to back away and was about to say she’d rather catch a ride to her editorial meeting with Mila, when Jay replied, “Sure. I’d be happy to.” He gave Erin a wide smile, showing off his straight, white teeth. “You’re the first person to see my new house. I can’t wait to hear what you think.”
His tone was so earnest and he was so obviously delighted that she didn’t have the heart to refuse.
* * *
Jay felt like pinching himself every time he walked into his new home. The light-years between where he’d come from and where he was now shocked even him. And of the few who would appreciate the house as much as he did, he suspected Erin was one. He bet she would appreciate the quality and the old-school charm the way he did.
When the front door closed behind Mila, he grinned at his unexpected guest. “This is my favorite room in the house. The best views are from this bedroom. And believe me, the sunsets are amazing. Incredible. I mean, I walked in here and all I could think of was hot sex.”
Erin’s mouth fell open and she took a step back. “Jay!”
“What? Am I oversharing? Surely we’ve known each other long enough for you to know I’m not a virgin.” He laughed, a little taken aback by Erin’s reaction. Sometimes he said things without realizing how they might be taken.
“Definitely oversharing,” Erin said in a prim and proper way. He found himself grinning down at Archer’s kid sister. In truth, he’d always thought of her as someone a bit younger to tease. Although now, looking at her standing in the middle of his empty bedroom with a slight blush on her cheeks, he felt a flicker of something else, something he’d denied to himself over the years, shutting down the thought as soon as it appeared.
But with her petite frame silhouetted against the window, he realized Erin Davenport was beautiful. Really beautiful. How had he not seen this so clearly before? He frowned at himself. Surely he was not attracted to Archer’s kid sister. He liked Erin, he respected her intelligence and the way she saw things that other people didn’t notice, but no way could he ever have feelings for the sister of one of his top clients. Archer would actually kill him and bury his body in the Big Sur wilderness, and he wouldn’t blame his client and friend. They’d been through a lot together. Archer probably knew more about his personal life than he was comfortable with. Jay knew that his string of women was longer than most, and even though he always tried to keep things casual, to be absolutely clear that he was married to his work and his clients would always come first, he’d left the odd broken heart in his wake.
He stood by the window for a moment, still a little stunned that this was really going to be his view every day, then turned to Erin and suggested they continue the tour. He walked out of the bedroom and she followed more slowly. He couldn’t stop himself from asking if Mila had told her there were six bedrooms. Erin nodded.
He knew he sounded as though he were bragging, but every time he was reminded of the house’s size, he flashed back to his childhood home—a roach-infested apartment with no dad around and a drug-addicted mother who was barely hanging on. They had mostly lived on the meals he’d learned to cook when he was about seven. Probably about the time he learned to hustle. He could usually get an extra-large portion of the school lunch by making nice to the lunch ladies. He soon learned which grocery stores threw out produce that was going bad or packaged goods that were stale. And, while he wasn’t proud that he’d had to steal money from his mom when she was passed out, he’d managed to keep them both alive.