Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“What are you doing?” she hissed at me.
“Trying to eat a biscuit,” I replied with a grin I hoped cooled off my heated grandmother.
She pointed her finger in my face. “That is not want I mean, and you know it.”
I stepped back and leaned against the edge of the sink. “I’m not gonna be able to stay away from her.” Might as well get that out there now. Nothing she was going to say could stop me.
“And what happens when she sees the news? Or someone says something to her about your engagement?” Maeme snapped.
Not what I wanted to dwell on this morning. I’d gotten my peace, buried deep inside Rumor last night. After an entire fucking day of having to set up a fictional relationship with Scotlin, I needed to have Rumor. She’d come to me so willingly, and, damn, it had eased all the shit in my head. Maeme reminding me about what had gone down yesterday wasn’t helping me. I was going to end up back in bed with Rumor.
“I’ll explain it to her,” I bit out through clenched teeth. “It’s not like it’s real.”
Maeme threw up her hands. “No one can know that.”
“Rumor can know,” I argued.
Although I wasn’t entirely sure I was allowed to tell her. Blaise hadn’t said anything about keeping it from Rumor.
“The more she knows, the more danger she will be in. You can’t tell her anything. Her safety is supposed to be our only concern. Not your need to fuck her.”
“Maeme,” I began, but she slapped a hand on my chest, harder than necessary.
“I want that girl to have happiness. I want her to have the life she’s never had. Don’t get her messed up in this. She isn’t strong enough for our world. We will protect her and make sure she has all she needs. But you?” She dug the tip of her nail into my chest. “You are going to mess around and break her heart.”
Footsteps upstairs stopped me from what I was going to say. Rumor was awake.
I had come here last night, needing to wash away the fake kiss I’d had to give Scotlin while we pretended to be out on the town together. Making sure pictures were taken of us at every hot spot in Atlanta. With me touching her. Pretending with her. Having her hands all over me. The engagement had to seem real when it was announced. Once we called it a night, I wanted a shower and to get Scotlin’s perfume off me. After that, I had been like a crazed man, needing a fix. Rumor being my fix.
“This could take months. You can’t have Rumor behind closed doors and successfully sell your engagement to Scotlin in public. The Derby is in ten days, and you have to go on the arm of Scotlin May. The diamond ring has to be on her hand and flashed around for all to see. Jupiter has already started the planning for the engagement party being held at Barrett and Annette’s in a month.”
My ears were trained on the footsteps upstairs.
“I’m telling Rumor. No more lies with her,” I repeated.
“You can’t,” she argued.
“Yes, I can.”
Maeme stalked across the kitchen. “Your father can deal with it.”
“I won’t lose her,” I said. “Try and understand that I need her.”
Maeme spun around and glared at me. “You’re being selfish.”
Was I? It didn’t feel selfish. It felt real. Like the most real thing in my life.
The footsteps faded, and I pointed to the ceiling to quiet Maeme. Rumor had walked out of her room and was probably headed to the stairs.
Maeme just shook her head and turned back to the cabinets and jerked one open.
I turned my gaze to the door, waiting on Rumor to appear. When she did, it was even better than I had anticipated. Her eyes swung to me, and the pink flush on her cheeks was so damn sweet that I wanted to toss her over my shoulder and take her back upstairs. The five-foot-tall woman currently pissed at me was the only reason I didn’t.
“Morning,” I said as I walked over to her.
The way she followed me with her eyes nervously but with a glint of pleasure had me forgetting the shit I was currently facing.
“Good morning,” she replied softly.
I reached for her hand and wrapped it in mine. “You gotta be hungry. Come eat,” I said, tugging her closer to me. “I’ll fix your plate.”
“Good Lord, let the woman breathe,” Maeme scolded from behind me.
I winked at Rumor before sliding a hand to her back and turning to face Maeme. “I was just being a gentleman, Maeme.”
My grandmother rolled her eyes and set the orange juice on the counter. “You have work to do. I’ll get Rumor fed. You can go.”
I had a meeting with the others at the Shephard Ranch. Blaise Hughes would be there on a video call. It wasn’t a meeting I wanted to be at, but I was required. Since it was me they were forcing to be fake engaged to Scotlin. All to weed out her father’s mole and to find out who had been leaving the notes on her car, stalking her. It was more than likely the same person, and the sooner he was found, the sooner I could stop pretending with Scotlin.