Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Hearing footsteps in the hallway, I straightened, bracing myself to see him for the first time in a month. We’d shared a few texts to clarify days and times, as Rafe updated our shared calendar with events he wanted me to attend with him over the next few months.
Then he was there.
Taller and broader than I remembered as he filled my entire doorway.
I’d also, apparently, forgotten how gorgeous he was with his thick dark hair and denim-blue eyes. My breath caught in my throat as I attempted not to ogle him. He wore black suit pants and a dark green cashmere sweater that molded to his powerful physique. The sleeves were pushed up to just below his elbow, revealing corded forearms. He was like a Marvel hero out of costume. “Hi,” I croaked. “Come in.”
Rafe entered the apartment, closing the door behind him, and his attention never left me. His gaze drifted down my body to my bare feet. My toenails were pink and glittery and my big toes had daisy flowers stickered onto the nails. He quirked an eyebrow and dragged his gaze back up in a way that caused goose bumps to prickle down my bare arms. Rafe seemed to linger on my bare midriff before our eyes met.
“Is this the kind of thing you’re planning to wear tomorrow?”
I wore an off-the-shoulder white peasant blouse with buttons down the front, puff sleeves, and a cropped hemline. Not sure if he liked or disliked it, I shrugged. “Well, I was thinking I’d wear shoes, if it’s all right with you.”
His lips twitched as he nodded and then looked around my small apartment. A frown marred his brow, deepening the more he studied it. “This place is tiny.”
I snorted at the observation. “Yeah.”
Rafe looked back at me. “I can only imagine what you’re being charged for this place. Rental costs are a travesty.”
“Do you rent in the city?” I was curious. “Should I know where you live?”
“Yes.” He nodded and gazed around. “Where should we sit to discuss?”
Way to avoid giving me his address. What did he think I’d do? Gather my gang of ne’er-do-wells and break into his apartment during the night to steal the family jewels?
I gestured to my sofa. “May I offer you a drink?” Jeez, now I sounded formal. We would never be able to convince his family we’d been dating for a month if we continued like this.
As if the same thing had occurred to him, he scowled. “Yes, please. Coffee, black, if you have it.”
He took his coffee black. Not surprising. “Have a seat.”
Yet as I made coffee, one black and one with milky sugary goodness in it, Rafe didn’t take a seat. He stood before my sofa, staring at my bookshelves. “You have quite the eclectic taste in literature,” he commented.
“I have quite the eclectic taste in all things.” I brought the coffees over. “I like what I like, no matter what it is. Do you read a lot?”
“I used to.” He lowered down onto my sofa, making it look tiny. “Now I don’t have as much time to read as I’d like.”
Sitting down beside him, I ignored the way his cologne teased my senses. “What genres do you enjoy?”
“Right. You need to know this stuff.” He turned to me.
Truthfully, I’d genuinely wanted to know, but whatever. “Right.”
“I enjoy crime, mystery, thrillers.”
“Do you like nonfiction? Autobiographies? I love autobiographies.”
“Not really.” Rafe frowned and shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not much of a people person.”
Why was that personality trait suddenly adorable when he admitted to it?
“I’m a total people person. Love people. They’re so freaking weird.”
Humor lit his eyes. “Yes, they are.”
“So you prefer animals, huh? To people, I mean?”
Nodding, he replied quietly, “Animals are a lot more straightforward than humans. And if you love them, their loyalty is unwavering.”
Oh wow.
Our gazes held, his so blue and deep. Tightness constricted in my chest.
Rafe wrenched his gaze away, taking a quick sip of coffee. “I’ve lived in New York my whole life, attended a private high school in Manhattan, went on to Columbia for my undergraduate degree and then Cornell for my veterinary license. I worked as a vet in a couple of clinics before I opened my own and hired Owen, who, as I said, I met at Cornell. That was two years ago.
“My father, as I’m sure you already know, is Gregory Whitman. He started his shipping company Mercurious in the mideighties, and it has become one of the biggest homegrown shipping companies in the country. Not the biggest in the grand scheme of things, but extremely successful. My father expected all of his children to go into the family business, and only my brother decided to. Hugo is the new CEO of Mercurious now that my father’s technically retired—though he likes to be kept informed on everything as if he still works there—and Hugo spends almost all of his time working, although he has a wife and child at home. My sister, Gigi—Georgina—is five years younger than me, and she is a software engineer for one of the biggest tech companies on the planet. She’s a genius, and she’s always gone her own way.” His lips curled into a genuine smile, and my heart raced a little harder at the sight. “You’ll understand when you meet her. I have an inkling you two will get along.”