Page 17 of Forbidden Earl
Denied. She clicked the button and stuffed the phone in her back pocket without answering it. “I’ll call her later. Thanks again, Michael.”
He hugged her tight. “You’re welcome, darling.”
She waved goodbye at the door and practically raced to the parking lot. The black Mercedes unlocked with a click when she hit the button to open her doors.
No one would suspect that she had done this for Remy—which wasn’t completely true. Part of getting her hair done was for her. She was beyond tired of her sister calling her the ugly duckling behind her back.
Cassidy raced down the street and her fingers clutched the steering wheel hard. The evening air was still warm but chillier than earlier. Once home, she’d grab a cardigan before dinner—how would Gigi be today?
Her phone rang again. Cassidy adjusted herself in her car seat and reached into her back pocket, hit deny again and tossed the phone with her sister’s picture on it on the empty seat next to her. “Stop calling.”
She blew past a stop sign and then slowed down.Drat.She was usually a more cautious driver but today she’d been distracted. She unlocked her fingers from the wheel and rolled her shoulders to relax.
Finally, she made it back to the Bei Giardini Manor and handed the keys to Fari in the parking area. Coming here should make her feel more at ease, but she was jittery, for no reason really.
Birds chirped in the late afternoon sky—the golden hue a portent that tonight was going to be one of the gorgeous sunsets they had in Avce.
Cassidy clutched her straps to the backpack with her laptop and strolled in the front door. She unhooked her bag and left it on the side table, intending to see Gigi before going to her bedroom. When, she glanced up she saw Remy walking down the staircase, toward her.
Remington’s forehead was streaked with red and his mouth downturned into a frown. Was he angry? He came in front of her and pointed toward another room. “Cassidy, please come to my study, we need to talk.”
She checked that her baseball cap was still on and followed behind him. He opened the library door and held it for her. As she passed him, she hugged her waist. “Remy, you look serious.”
He motioned for them to sit on the brown leather chairs with a small table between them near the window that overlooked the fountains. “Why are you wearing that hat? You don’t ever wear baseball caps.”
She tugged her ponytail as she sat. “As promised, I went to the stylist today.” She turned her head to show him the length. “It’s going to take until the wedding for me to look presentable. We cut it but it still needs a treatment with some sort of goop. The day after we can finally have a good style. I picked out a dress, and I have a fitting tomorrow at my parents’ house.”
“That’s a lot,” he said. “Though all I really wanted was for your hair to be pulled back from your face. I missed actually seeingyou.” He brought his seat closer. “I also don’t believe you need those glasses. You always saw right through me.”
Her red glasses fogged slightly, and the heat in her cheeks causing this was from how to respond. She swallowed. “Umm, tomorrow. I’ll come home without glasses, AFTER my hair fixes.”
He sat back in his chair as if this was a business meeting. “Good. Fari said your car needs a lot of work.”
Another topic? So far nothing explained the red streak on his forehead that he got when upset. She crossed her legs and took a deep breath. “I was afraid of that.”
His brown eyes made her feel like he saw straight through her, so she stilled. “I want to demolish it for parts and you can either keep the Mercedes or tell me what car you want and we’ll get that.”
She and Reynoldo had history, but the old junker wouldn’t fit into Bei Giardini Manor. They both knew it and she didn’t need to fight with him over everything. She nodded. “Okay. I’ll keep the Mercedes.”
His eyes widened but he sat back again. “I thought you’d argue with me.”
She wanted to and her heart sped up as she controlled the urge. She looked up beneath the brim of her cap. “Lady Sky is very different than Lady Cassidy. I’m trying to be agreeable.”
He scooted closer to her and goosebumps grew on her arms. “Good, except you denied my request.”
Seriously? She held his gaze but couldn’t figure out what he meant. She shook her head. “What are you talking about? I’m doing everything you asked of me.”
He took out two folded pieces of paper and handed them to her. “This.”
She flipped open the paper and froze once she recognized her computer report. One of her bosses had to have given this to him today while she was getting her hair cut. Cassidy focused her thoughts and then handed him back the papers. “There is a glitch in the software. I started writing the code when we were twelve because I watched too many romantic comedies. There is no way this is right when it comes to you and me.”
He dropped the print-outs on the side table and scooted next to her. She felt the room get smaller. “Why would you assume that it is right for everyone else but wrong about us?”
She adjusted the hat and leaned closer, taking his hands. He needed to understand and not take this too seriously, but she’d never tell him how she wrote the code as a teenage girl with a slight crush on him, until the bear almost ate her alive. “I don’t think my computer can be used to strip bare data about me. It knows too much nonsense and besides you’re probably the last man who would be my true love.”
His gaze narrowed. She could feel warmth radiating off his skin. “Why?”
A small laugh wanted to rumble out of her throat, but she held back. His closeness made parts of her wake up and rumble they were alive. She swallowed and stared at his lips. “Because we don’t make logical sense. You’re way too into appearances! And your title and wealth.”
