Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
“Reuben, I’m all right. I’m fine. Nothing is going to happen to me.”
“Of course it fucking won’t. Because I hired the best fucking doctors in the country, and what did they say, Gwendolyn Mary?”
“Damn. Full name, huh?”
“Gwen,” he warned.
“That I need to make some lifestyle changes. But I’m doing that right? I quit my job—”
“You got fired after you told that motherfucking bastard to suck your big fat tits,” he said dryly.
“God, that was satisfying,” she said with a wide smile. “I swear, it took ten years off my life. Too bad it didn’t take ten pounds off my ass. Then things would really be looking up.”
“You know I don’t like that.”
She rolled her eyes at the dark note in his voice. He thought he was way scarier than he really was.
Although pretty much everyone else thought he was scary. She was one of the few that knew he was a big marshmallow.
Kind of.
“You’re beautiful,” he said. “And I don’t want you talking shit about yourself.”
“Again, not my Dom.”
“But I’m your best friend. It’s my right as your best friend to tell you when you’re being an idiot.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Because she loved telling Reuben that he was being an idiot.
They’d met in Boston a few years ago. She’d been there for work and had gone out for a drink. Later, when she’d been trying to flag down a taxi, some jerk had tried to mug her.
Reuben had followed her out of the bar and seen what was going on. He’d fought off the mugger himself, before taking her back to her hotel room in his chauffeured town car.
The bastard was rich and could fight. However, those weren’t the reasons she’d wanted to be friends with him.
Nope. It was the super badass vibe he had and his snarky sense of humor.
Oh, and his unfailing loyalty.
“Hopefully, Wishingbone does its thing, and you find yourself someone to rein in your ass.”
“What?”
The words had been muttered, but she hadn’t misheard him. Had she?
“What?” he repeated.
“You just said something about Wishingbone doing its thing and reining in my ass.”
“Andy, are you hearing things? Maybe we should get that checked.”
Right . . . hearing things.
“I’ll get onto that right after we get a doctor to examine the boot stuck up your ass.”
“A boot in my ass, huh?”
“Yeah, the one I’m going to put there.”
He sighed. “You’re such a brat.”
She sucked in a breath. Stupid. The word shouldn’t hurt so much after all these years.
“Ahh, shit! You know I didn’t mean it like that.”
She knew. He would never deliberately hurt her—he was far too protective to do that. She was just being silly. Because she shouldn’t let that word hurt her anymore.
“I know you didn’t. It’s fine.”
“Nope. Not fine. I’ll make that up to you. I’m sorry.”
She let out a deep breath, smiling even though he couldn’t see her. He rarely apologized, but when he did say sorry, he truly meant it.
He sighed. “I’ve got to go. Alejandro is calling. Probably needs me to get Cat out of trouble.”
“I love Cat. Say hi from me.” Alejandro was now Reuben’s only client. Reuben had even moved from Boston to New York to work more closely with him. She’d wondered at him having enough to keep him busy, but between Cat, all of Alejandro’s businesses and employees, Reuben was busier than ever.
And she knew that Alejandro wasn’t exactly one of the good guys, but that wasn’t really her business.
“You love Cat because you’re trouble, just like she is.”
The younger woman was everything she wasn’t. Brave and gorgeous. She didn’t care what other people thought of her.
Of course, Alejandro would murder anyone who looked at his wife wrong.
Literally.
“Just do as I say, Gwen. Take things easy. Remember what the doctors told you, and if you get into any trouble, call me.”
“Bye, boss. Love you!”
“Pretty sure you’re not supposed to say you love your boss,” he said dryly.
“Good thing I don’t actually work for you then, huh?” She ended the call before leaning her forehead against the steering wheel.
Her breathing was faster than it should be, her heart racing.
You’re okay. You’re all right.
A panic attack was trying to get its claws into her. But she wasn’t going to let it.
She was fine. She was safe. There was nothing to stress about.
But as much as she tried to get herself to calm down, it wasn’t working.
The panic attack dug itself in deeper. She should turn off the car and push her seat back so she could put her head between her legs. Waves of dizziness washed through her, making her nauseous.
Thank God she’d managed to hold her panic attack back until Reuben got off the phone or she’d be in huge trouble. He might make good on his threat to one day go all Dom on her ass.
For sure, he’d be on the next plane out here to haul her home with him.