Semua Bab Blackmailing the Boss: Bab 31 - Bab 40

We stop inside the bedroom. Pink curtains billow with the breeze coming from the open window. Outside, the night air is filled with sounds unlike anything in the city. There's no rumbling of cars or honking of horns. Instead, there’s the soft murmur of insects—crickets and cicadas—as well as the occasional croak of a toad or hoot of an owl. "I bet you're not used to any of this," she says with a hint of sadness in her tone that I instantly dislike. I step closer and wrap my arms around her. "Used to what? A pink canopy bed? You might not know this about me, since I've been such an awful boyfriend for the last five months, but I like pink. I have a pink canopy bed in my penthouse." I turn toward the window. “Pink curtains too. Actually, pink has always been one of my favorite colors.”Kimbra's eyes open in amazement. "No, you don't.""How do you know? Have you been sneaking into my place?"“You said your favorite color was blue.”I caress her cheek and look deeply into her eyes. “It

"What?" Helen asks. "Amazon has those too, all sizes and shapes. Even pretty colors. You know when your grandfather was alive—"Kimbra stands and reaches for my hand as tears of laughter slide down my cheeks. "I'm sorry, everyone. I promised Duncan I'd show him around the farm.""Not the barn!" Oscar yells as she pulls me away from the kitchen. "Did you hear me? That's my barn. A man needs his space. I don't want to think that my daughter—""Kimberly Ann," Judy calls. "You didn't let him finish his eggs. A man needs his strength. You can’t expect him to be able to—”I reach back for my bacon and toast with a quick nod. Though words are hard to form, I try my best to help Kimbra as I uncharacteristically interrupt her mother. "Thank you for the breakfast. I've heard the farm is very nice and I can’t wait to see it.""Not in the barn," Oscar repeats."Not in the barn," Kimbra calls back over her shoulder as she slips on flip-flops and pulls me through the front door. The screen slams as

Duncan reaches again for my hand and I lead him into the woods. Looking down at our feet, I recall we're both only wearing flip-flops. "Be careful of burrs," I warn."Burrs? Are those bugs?"I point at a small green plant. The leaves are pointy, but it's the small, prickly-looking balls that can really grab ahold. "See that little plant. They're worse in the summer when they get all dried out."Duncan nods as he steps carefully away from the prickly threat, scanning the ground as if I'd told him there were mines instead of weeds.Under the canopy of leaves, the sun breaks through in long rays of light. As we get closer to the lake, we pass in and out of the bright shafts only to emerge again to the dimness of the foliage. All at once the trees end and a flat meadow filled with sunshine is all that separates us from the lake. The early morning fog is completely gone, burned off by the sun, and the sky is a stunning shade of blue.Hand in hand we walk to the water's edge.I point to a g

“Bride to Be” is printed in sparkling font on Scarlett’s bright white sash. Although she’s already had numerous bridal showers and even a bachelorette party, Sheila, Scarlett’s older sister, decided we all needed girl-time tonight. She also decided that the best place to do that would be down the street from where the guys are holding Kurt's bachelor party.We’re in downtown Indianapolis at an incredibly popular hangout. The place is packed and the music is blaring. By the way Shelia is downing her drinks, I would venture to guess that there’s more to tonight than meets the eye. More than likely, Sheila is as interested in keeping an eye on her husband as she is in partying with her sister and cousins.Truthfully, I don’t want to be here, surrounded by thousands and thousands of race fans. I also don’t want to go down the street and check on Jimmy, Sheila’s husband. I don't want to find out if he's watching the dancers and not touching.The real reason I don't want to be here is that

Kevin and Susan walk hand in hand up the stairs toward the house as our Uber drives away. When I start to follow, Duncan holds tight to my hand but doesn't move. Instead, he stares up at the sky."What?" I ask once we're alone."There are so many stars.""Yeah, once we get away from the city—"His warm lips capture mine. My breathing hitches as I melt toward Duncan's chest. When we finally break our kiss, he says, "Let's go for a walk.""Okay."The moon is barely a sliver, leaving the sky black as space, dotted with thousands of twinkling diamonds of all sizes and clarity. Duncan leads me toward the barn, but instead of going in, we walk around to the back."I've never been as happy to see anyone as I was you in that club," he says.I smile. "You didn't seem like it when you first turned toward me. You looked kind of angry.""I thought you were another woman hitting on me or your brother or cousin..."My chest fills with pride that he didn't want me to be one of those women—another wo