Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“Of course,” Xavier said without hesitation. “Maybe with you being there they won’t be on my back all the time about my manwhore ways.”
I snorted. “So I’m your safety shield?”
Xavier gave me a grin. “I fear you will join in their bashing of me. I know what you think of my manwhore ways.”
“You act like a caveman and pig to women, Xavier.”
His fingers around the steering wheel tightened ever so slightly. “They know what they’re getting when they come home with me. I never lie beforehand. They come freely despite what they can read about me in the tabloids.”
I was surprised by the serious note in Xavier’s voice. “I know. They are grown-ups, Xavier.”
He relaxed. “I don’t act all caveman around every woman. I never do around you.”
My lips twisted. That was true, and for some inexplicable reason it bothered me. I was Xavier’s assistant, his friend, and definitely not his type, and that was for the best. Xavier’s eyes flickered to me again. “Or do I?”
The hint of doubt in his voice was almost adorable.
I gave him a small smile. “No, you are surprisingly tolerable around me.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up in that annoying way that made me want to slap and kiss him with equal fervor.
Xavier’s family home was a beautiful white farmhouse with a faded red roof. It was surrounded by pastureland for the family’s horses. Stables spread out to the left of the building, and in the distance I could make out the first signs of the Blue Mountains. “This was my grandparents’ home, but it was pretty desolate before my mother had it renovated a few years back. The stables are new. My grandparents had sheep, not horses.”
Two dogs shot toward the car the moment Xavier turned off the engine, ginormous creatures with reddish fur and slightly darker muzzles. I wasn’t afraid of dogs, but their deep barks made me jump briefly. “Sherlock and Watson are big pussycats. You don’t have to worry.”
“Sherlock and Watson?”
Xavier’s mouth curled in that sexy way. “My sister is obsessed with the series, and she got to name the dogs.”
“What are they?” I asked as I watched the dogs prowl around the car.
“Rhodesian Ridgebacks.” Xavier got out of the car and I followed after a deep breath. The dogs were busy greeting Xavier but the second they were done they trotted toward me, wagging their tails slightly. I stiffened when they nudged me with their muzzles and Xavier stepped up to me, taking my hand. “Come on, Evie. You usually handle me. You can handle two dogs.”
I sent him a look, trying to ignore how good his hand in mine felt. “With you I don’t have to worry about having my fingers chewed off.”
“I wouldn’t mind nibbling at certain parts of you,” he drawled, and we both stiffened at the same time.
My eyes flew up to his, my cheeks flaming. Xavier had never flirted with me like that, not like he meant it, but this had sounded like something he’d say to someone who wasn’t me. From the look on his face, he hadn’t meant for the words to slip out either. I supposed it was habit.
“Do I have to put you on a leash?” I said to lighten the mood.
Xavier winked. “I’m not into that kind of kink, I’m afraid.”
Thankfully, the door opened at that moment and a thin, tall woman in her early fifties opened the door. She was dressed in jeans and a loose checkered shirt, her dark hair pulled up in a messy bun. The dogs rushed back into the house.
Nerves hit me hard, which was ridiculous really. Xavier released me when his mother came down the steps. She didn’t greet him first; instead she pulled me into a tight hug. “It’s so good to meet you, Evie. Xavier hasn’t been very forthcoming with information.” She drew back with a warm smile. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time. Finally Xavier brings a girl home.”
“Doesn’t Xavier get a hug as well?” Xavier muttered.
His mother stepped back from me and up to her son, touching his cheek. He bent down to kiss her cheek, and she gave him a slight clap on the chest, a silent reprimand. “I read that last article in the Daily Mail.”
Xavier frowned. “I told you not to read that bullshit.”
She pursed her lips. “It’s easier to get information about you than from you.” She nodded toward the house. “The rest are already inside, eager to meet your girl.”
“Xavier and I, we aren’t together,” I said hesitantly, worried she might have forgotten that small detail.
She shook her head. “Call me Georgia. Now come in.”
I slanted Xavier a confused look. “They know I’m your assistant, right?”
“They do,” Xavier muttered as he took our bags out of the trunk. “But that doesn’t mean they’ll treat you that way.”