Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Loyal, hardworking, and trustworthy, I’m used to putting everyone’s needs before my own. I’m the ultimate good guy. But when Sophia Jones walks into my life, everything changes. Beautiful, guarded, and completely off-limits, she’s all I can see. Even though she’s being set up with one of my best friends, I want her for myself.
I try to fight my feelings but soon realize it’s futile. Thrown together at our friends’ wedding in Vegas, the more I spend time with her, the greedier I am for longer.
Vegas has a way of turning rules upside down, and one night changes everything. Between stolen glances and secret moments, I do the unthinkable—I ask her to marry me. Maybe it’s the drinks. Maybe it’s the city. Or maybe it’s because she feels the same connection I do, but she says yes.
Sophia’s hiding something—I can see it in her eyes—but it doesn’t matter. She’s mine now. And I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her this isn’t just a mistake. This is the beginning of forever.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
ONE
Worth
A New York brunch can be just brunch—a get-together with friends to carb off a hangover or go through the Sunday papers. But today isn’t just brunch. I can tell by the way Leo—one of my five best friends—is nervously fingering his collar. And by the way his new fiancée, Jules, is shifting her weight from hip to hip.
In fairness, the stakes are high today. We—Leo’s friends-slash-brothers in all but blood—will be meeting Jules’ best friend for the first time. It’s going to be fine. I’m sure of it. But the happy couple wants it to be more than fine.
“What do you think, Worth?” Jules asks. “Is it too obvious to put Fisher next to Sophia?”
I glance between Jules and Efa, the only two women in the room. “Obvious how?” I ask, picking my words carefully. I’m not sure exactly what should be obvious.
“That we’re setting them up,” Efa says, thwacking me on the arm as she leans forward on the table.
“I think it’s fine with Worth on the other side of her,” Jules says, answering her own question. “Like, she’s not going to think we’re setting her up with Worth and Fisher.”
I push my hands through my hair, trying to think what to make of that statement, when there’s a rush of noise by the door.
I glance around to see… the top of a woman’s head. She has long blonde hair that reaches the floor as she bends over to pull off a heel and toss it on the ground.
“I have to take these shoes off. They’re not made for walking. I was trying to be ladylike and refined, but you can take the girl out of Cincinnati—”
She straightens and we lock eyes. She’s beautiful. Her blonde hair is lighter at the front, like she’s spent the entire summer outside. And I can’t tear my gaze from her mouth—dusky-pink lips that form an almost-perfect circle as she stares back at me. I trace a line around the edge of her lips in my mind. A smattering of freckles kiss the bridge of her nose, and her hair is long and loose. I have to fight a full-body shudder at the thought of how it would feel against my skin.
Jesus, I want to stalk right over to her, back her up against the wall, and kiss her into Wednesday of next week. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt such a visceral, primal urge to be close to a woman in my life.
In fact, visceral, primal urges aren’t the norm for me at all. That’s exactly what makes me good in a crisis. I’m a cool head. A logical thinker. I don’t make rash decisions.
I don’t get the sudden urge to possess a woman. Not until today.
I’m vaguely aware of chatter behind me as the woman and I stare at each other like we’re sharing the exact same thoughts. All of a sudden, Efa pulls the beauty into a hug, effectively breaking our eye contact and bringing me back to the moment.
“Worth!” Jules practically bellows. “Meet my best friend in the entire world, Sophia.” She turns to Sophia. “I’m sitting you next to Worth, because honestly, he’s the best man in the world after Leo—”
“Hey,” Efa calls from across the room. “What about Bennett?”
“You didn’t let me finish my sentence. Whoever said the British are polite never met you!”
Efa and Jules dissolve into laughter, and Sophia’s eyes grow wide. She glances over at me, confused. I want to go to her, assure her that Efa and Jules are joking and there’s nothing to be concerned about, but before I put one foot in front of the other, she starts toward me.
“Hi,” she says, her smile blinding like I’m looking at the sun or something. She seems to be surrounded by lightness, like she’s glowing. I hear Bryan Ferry in the background, singing about being a slave to love—or am I imagining it? I need to snap the fuck out of whatever this is or I’m going to start seeing bluebirds lifting her napkin into her lap and squirrels pulling out her chair.
“Hey,” I say. Normally I’d hug anyone introduced to me by Efa or Jules, but I can’t risk touching Sophia. Instead, I hold out my hand, like I’m in a fucking boardroom.
I’m an idiot.
A fucking idiot.
Surprisingly, her smile widens, like offering to shake her hand is even better than scoring the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl. We stare at each other for a beat, oblivious to what’s going on around us. I’m vaguely aware of more people at the door and the clinking of glasses, but I have no desire to move out of the bubble I find myself in—we’ve found ourselves in.
Sophia slides her hand into mine and a small gasp escapes her lips. A growl reverberates in my chest. Her hand feels so soft, so tiny, so… mine, it’s difficult to describe.