Page 68 of The Cinderella Arrangement

Something about him made me feel like being open. I shivered as he drew closer. There was so much energy behind his eyes thatI felt suddenly warm and my skin trembled with the abrupt change. A jolt of electricity shot up my leg as his jacket slid from his sinewy shoulders so he could drape it around me. His hand rested for a few seconds on my shoulder and I felt the absence of his warmth when he took it away like a swift fist to my stomach.

“T—thanks.” I stuck my hand out from his jacket. “I’m Natalie Porter.”

He squeezed it. My heart fluttered as another surge shot through his hand into mine. The way he touched memade me wonder how his hands would feel around my hips. I snapped myself out of it.

“William Pardini.”

Pardini? Oh, crap. I squeezed his hand. “You’re—you’re Luke’s—?” I couldn’t quite keep the doubt from creeping into my voice. He’s a member of that super rich family? He sure doesn’t look like it.

“Cousin. Yes,” he said in a tone that really said: Yes, unfortunately.

William didn’t look like a Pardini. Sure, he had the Italian features: black hair and eyes, a permanently tanned look, but he dressed like a homeless person. It was as if they had plucked someonefrom Civic Center and shoved him into a designer closet.

He only released my hand when I pulled back. His hot gaze dipped down my dress and up again. He was being blasé about checking me out, but there was no shame in his expression.

“So, what do you do?”

My hand flew to my neck to play with the necklace that dangled there. “I’m a graphic designer. I work at the San Francisco Bay Aquarium.”

He leaned on the rail beside me, stretching his body as every bit of his eccentric energy focused on me. His tie was loose, and I fought the urge to readjust it.

“You don’t sound very excited about it,” he commented.

Well, how could I? It was a dead-end job, but the money was stable and that’s all I seemed to care about anymore. Safety. I wasn’t one for taking risks. Ben was safe. I wasn’t like Jessica, who emptied her bank account to donate her money to a soup kitchen.

I shrugged at him.

“Are you any good?”

“I think so, yeah.”

He made an indistinct sound in his throat.

“What do you do?”

“I’m the VP of Marketing.”

“Sounds fun,” I said, echoing his deadpan tone.

His fingers rapped on the wood. “It’s okay, but I want to become CEO. My dad is retiring soon. Luke’s dad is safely out of the way, so that goody-goody bore won’t get the job. It’s a fight between me and my four siblings.”

My mouth hung open in shock. Safely out of the way? “He’s dead!”

He shrugged at my indignation. “Yeah, so?He was a jerk. Even Luke admits it.”

A savage grin filled his face as he looked at me. “I couldn’t believe that he hired that girl just to fool his dad—spent tens of thousands on her and even after all that, his dad only left him five hundred grand. What an idiot.”

The backyard rang with his laughter. It was such an infectiouslaugh that I couldn’t help but smile. The shock of something so rude being said out loud and the layer of truth within it softened how offensive it was. A small giggle escaped my mouth.

“I assumed that it was something rich people did. Don’t have a girlfriend? Buy one!”

His lip curled. “Not this skinny Guinea.” He shook his head. “But I guess it gives you insight on how screwed up some rich people are.”

Like you? I rolled my eyes and blushed hard when he caught me.

His gaze zeroed in on me. “You’re jealous.”

Guilt stabbed my insides. “I am not!”

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