Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
I grabbed her waist and pulled her back onto my lap. She squealed as I wrapped my arms around her body and rested my chin on her shoulder.
Harvey’s jaw dropped.
I raised my eyebrows. “Does that clear it up?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO – CHLOE
This Bastard
I turned around and thumped Theo on the top of his head. “This is not keeping it a secret, you bastard!”
“But look at his face. It’s worth it.” He grinned, staring at Harvey.
All right.
It was kind of funny.
Harvey looked somewhat like he’d just been punched in the face and the balls simultaneously, but the pain hadn’t quite hit yet, so he was hovering somewhere in the shock phase.
“What… What the fuck is that?” He gripped the arms of the chair and pushed himself up. “Let go of her right now!”
“A sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with,” I said, reaching for the mouse. “But in my experience, he won’t.”
Harvey stomped over to us. “What is this?”
I leant to the side. “Just mind my face when you punch him.”
“Hey!” Theo spun the chair, putting me between him and Harvey. “Why are you all right with him punching me?”
I peeked back at him. “I just punched you,” I pointed out.
“You’re allowed to punch me.”
“Can I hit you with a box file?”
“If you really want to.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Are you two… flirting… right now?” Harvey took a step back, wrinkling his face up. “Wait, Chlo… Is this why you weren’t interested in Alex at Mum’s party?”
Theo’s fingers twitched against my hip.
“Shh,” I said to my cousin, putting a finger to my lip. “That name upsets him.”
Harvey squinted. “Nothing explains what the fuck is going on.”
I sighed. “Harvey. You’re a smart man. What do you think is going on?”
“It looks like you’re in a relationship, but the Theo I know is a heartless prick, and the Chloe I know complains about that at least ten times a day.” He pointed between us. “So, what the fuck is this?”
“What it is, is supposed to be a secret,” I said dryly, pinching the back of Theo’s hand.
“Ouch!” He flinched. “I deserve that. He’s the fourth person I’ve accidentally told today.”
“Acciden—fourth?” I turned on his lap, planted my hands against his chest, and glared at him. “What do you mean, he’s the fourth person you’ve told today?”
Theo peered over at Harvey. “Help me.”
My cousin shook his head, holding up his hands in defeat. “Absolutely not. You’re on your own, pal.”
“You.” I gripped Theo’s shoulder tightly. “Explain. Now.”
“It was Gramps’ fault!” he said quickly. “He and Dad coerced me into telling the truth, and Cassidy overheard.”
Hmph.
That wasn’t his fault, but it did mean my conversation with the duke at the end of the week just became a thousand times more awkward.
“Don’t worry. She’s going to make sure they don’t tell anyone,” Theo added.
“Why would I be worried about them? We’re four hours into our first day back, and you’ve already spilled the beans to four different people. All within the same hour. It’s you I’m worried about.” I flicked his forehead, then turned and located the file. “That’s the file you need. Now, let me go, so I can go back to work. I have too much to do for your games, sir.”
“Fine.” Theo reluctantly let go of me, and I got up, adjusting my skirt so it wasn’t crumpled. “Can you send that report over to PR?”
“Who do you want it to?” I asked Harvey.
He cocked his head. “Send it to Louie.”
“Not him,” Theo grumbled. “He was in here earlier flirting with you.”
I stopped at the door and looked over my shoulder. “Get over it. Sir.”
“Adding ‘sir’ on the end still doesn’t make it nice, Chlo.”
“It was never supposed to.” I grinned and opened the door, throwing my hand up in a goodbye. “I’ll send it over now.”
I closed the door behind me and walked back to my desk, slumping down in my chair. I sank my fingers into my hair and groaned as I dropped my forehead to the desk.
That idiot.
That absolute idiot.
I should have known his grandfather would find out—that man could get blood out of a stone and was the kind of person you’d want interrogating a criminal. If he wanted to find something out, there was nothing he wouldn’t do to achieve that goal, and his family were particularly weak to it.
I should have known that total secrecy was impossible the moment Theo left to meet his grandfather and father.
And then he’d just done that in his office in front of Harvey.
I was never, ever going to hear the end of this.
Harvey going on at me about this relationship was the last thing I needed, in all honesty. My mind was completely jumbled—I’d managed to use the board meeting as an excuse to delay my final decision about my resignation, but it didn’t mean I was actually any closer to doing that.