Total pages in book: 225
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
He shakes his head. “No. That would’ve been a bad idea. Not the least of which is the fact that the Steele family is rumored to have cops in their pocket. A cop friend of mine,” he gives me an extreme expression, “knows a lot about them.”
I sigh. He’s talking about Craig and doesn’t want to name him. Derek already knows about Craig, made that clear tonight already in talking about Adam springing boners. In fact, Alannah mentioned Craig’s name today on the phone with me.
“I know I’ve been hard to live with. I don’t blame you for venting. I vent to Paul and Craig about you, too. I wouldn’t want you hearing those things either.”
“What’s he holding over your head?” I ask. “You can tell me.” Though clearly he’s keeping a lot of secrets from me. Publisher rejections. Seeing Jeannie the night he had the accident. The forty grand he has. That he’s been getting erections.
“I can’t talk about it. It’ll kill me. It’s something from my childhood. It’s… ugly. I can’t talk about it just on the fly like this, especially with him out there listening, watching.” He shakes his head.
He doesn’t trust me. It’s sobering, to say the least.
“It’s not something I wanna talk about with anyone, Chloe. You don’t have to take that on as if it’s your burden. You always do that. Like this … trying to deal with it by yourself. Clearly this guy charmed you and then showed his true colors and you didn’t know what to do about it, but I wish you would’ve told me and then we could’ve talked about what to do.”
I sigh. “By the time I knew how dangerous he was, he was following me, put cameras in the house. He was clearly determined we’d break every one of your rules. I couldn’t tell you or he’d find out because he was watching us. It’s bent. This whole thing.”
He sighs. “I just… don’t know what to do.” Adam rakes his hands through his hair.
“He bought Cavalier and finagled me working on that campaign full-time. He’s now my only client. He threatened to buy my company. I don’t know how far he’s willing to go. I don’t know why he’s so fixated on me. Why he pursued me. I really just don’t get it.”
“You’re beautiful, Chloe. You’re sensitive and caring. Nurturing. Loyal. You’re also sexy as hell. What guy wouldn’t want that?”
The way he says it doesn’t feel nice. It doesn’t feel like a compliment.
“And above you being the whole package that you are, you’re my best friend in the whole world. I know I sucked at being your fiancé. I know I pushed you to sleep with someone because I thought it’d help me feel like I was doing the right thing. It didn’t feel like the right thing when I found you in your office that night crying about what I made you do. I hated myself for it. I’m sorry. I… I hope you wind up with a big fat bank account when all this is over. Maybe he’ll do a generous prenup and it’ll end well. Be great if it lasted longer than a year so we’d both get paid. If I find out he hurt you, I don’t care about me, I will do something about it. I mean that.”
I gawk at him as it sinks in. This is him saying goodbye. Saying goodbye while paying lip service about doing something about me getting hurt. Reacting after the fact instead of protecting and preventing. He’s wishing me well. He’s ready for me to go jump into Derek’s arms. And stay for at least a year so he can be a millionaire. Derek went to extremes at the notion of Adam fucking me. Adam is giving up without any sort of fight at the idea of me being forced to marry a psychopath.
This is surreal.
He’s afraid of Derek. I suspect he’s also thinking about the sweet deal he gets out of this. I just don’t know what the bigger motivator is.
“You never told me about Jeannie, either.”
“She was trying to talk me into getting back together. There was no point. I’ve never been unfaithful to you. I swear it. The engagement wasn’t even… she talked my gran into giving her the ring. I think she and my mother put their heads together. It didn’t mean what it meant with us. She and I grew up together. It was just… she thinks that old history should’ve kept us connected.”
“And he told me you’re hiding money from me,” I say.
He has the decency to look remorseful.
“I…” He blows out a breath. “I have some money aside for a bug-out fund. It’s something my father preached to us as kids. Being prepared for an emergency. I wasn’t trying to hide it, I just… it was there in case we needed it. In case things come out in the press about… the stuff I’m trying to keep under wraps.”