Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 34938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
He rakes his hand through his hair and looks off at the water. “You see that view?” he asks, not waiting for me to answer as he keeps talking. “I'm newly single, and I needed a place to stay for a bit until I get on my feet, and your dad offered me this place to help me out. I'd be stupid to say no.”
I desperately want to believe him. My brain is playing a game of tug of war, pulling back and forth, rationalizing and refusing to accept his explanation at the same time.
His eyes soften, his lips fold into a pout, and my heart hammers inside my chest. There's a twinkle in his eyes, a small spark that hits me right in the gut. I feel for him, but I can't let my emotions get the best of me.
If it's as simple as what he says, then why didn't my father mention Kent is the tenant? If my dad really is helping out Kent, why wouldn’t he have mentioned that from the beginning?
It doesn't add up.
Inhaling a slow breath, I thin my lips. “Seriously, Kent, just tell me the truth. Why are you really here?”
“I am telling you the truth, Perri. I need this, just as much as you need this. I know you want to prove yourself to your father. I've seen the way you try to sell yourself to him every time a new opportunity comes up in one of his properties. But the truth is I really needed a fresh start and a place to stay for a while and get my head on straight. I'm not here as your enemy, I promise.”
Pursing my lips, I fold my arms under each other and stare up at him. I want to trust him. I just don't. He's my father's partner, that's all I need to see through him. He isn't on my side, not one bit.
But this could also work in my favor. If I do everything I'm supposed to, if I go above and beyond and Kent loves this house, he'll only be able to go back and tell my father how professional I was and then, I gain my father’s approval .
Let's prove Dad wrong. This is my chance.
“Okay,” I say coldly, nodding my head. “I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. For now. I don't really have a choice in the matter anyway, do I?” Dropping my arms to my sides, I lift up on my toes and fall back down to flat feet. “So, I guess we can go inside and check the place out.”
“I peeked in the windows when I first got here. He did it all up, huh? With furniture and everything.”
“Yeah, he renovated the kitchen, had the wood floors refinished, fresh paint,” I say as we walk side by side, and I find the key. “It's like a brand new house.”
My eyes dart to his face, and I'm trying so hard to keep them there, right where they should be. But they shift around his body, down his chest, over his arms, across his abs. I can feel my body tingling, the sensation soft and foreign.
Kent is, and has been, hard to not stare at since he and my father began working together. His big blue eyes, his thick, full, peppered hair, with a chiseled jaw, and perfect kissable lips.
He's always looked incredible in his suits, tailored to fit him perfectly. A few times I even had to force myself to stop staring at him.
And now the attraction I feel toward him is even stronger. I'm standing next to him while he's half naked, with salty wind blowing his hair around, and his skin glowing bronze from the sun.
He's sexy as hell, and my entire body is reacting, the fire in my core has ignited, and I'm not sure I can put it out. Swallowing hard, I avert my eyes to the ground.
“Wow, he went all out,” Kent says.
“He really did on this property. I think this is the first house he put this much work in to out of all the others.” Unlocking the door, I push it open, and hold out my arm for Kent to go in first.
He shakes his head no, and grips the outside of the door. “Nope, ladies first,” he says.
Stepping into the living room, I turn and take a few steps backwards. “Welcome to your home away from home.” Spinning back around, I take a moment to check it out myself.
When a new property is being renovated, my father never lets me near it. He always says I get in the way, or I'll distract the workers because I ask too many questions.
According to him, all I need are bullet points to do this job. I don't need to be hands on. Hell, I don’t even need to think