Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“My father is a lawyer, retired from the Marines in his early forties, and went to work for a firm in Boston.”
“Really? I didn’t know that. Is that why Tim went in?”
I shrugged. “Probably. My mother is a therapist. A sex therapist.”
Wes choked on his food. “What?”
Laughing, I nodded. “Yeah.”
“It sounds like you and Tim had a great childhood,” Wes said with a smile.
Nodding, I said, “We did. They made sure we had a fun time growing up. My father was raised by two very strict parents, and my mother never knew her father. He left before she was born.”
“Damn, that’s a dick move.”
I let out a small laugh. “Yeah, it was. My mother and father wanted Tim and me to have the childhood they never had, and in some ways, I feel like they spoiled us.”
Closing my eyes, I slowly exhaled, then looked back at Wes. “I was so scared, Wes. I thought for sure I was going to lose them.”
He reached across the table and took my hand in his. “You didn’t lose them, so don’t even think that way.”
I quickly wiped a tear away. “Thank you for letting me stay here. I don’t think I could be home alone.”
Squeezing my hand, our eyes met. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“You are?”
Wes nodded. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
The bubble of happiness quickly deflated, and I forced myself not to show even an ounce of disappointment.
He filled my wine glass up again. “Why don’t you head on over to the sofa and enjoy your wine. Put whatever you want on the TV, and I’ll clean up.”
“I can help you clean up.”
Wes held up his hand. “You’re the guest, you relax and let me take care of you for once.”
“Thank you, I think I’m going to take you up on watching some TV.”
Taking the glass of wine, I headed over to his large sofa, grabbed the remote, and sat down.
I turned on the TV and punched in the channel number of my favorite station.
“No, oh God, no. Not the Hallmark Channel.”
Smiling, I took a sip of wine before I set it down on the side table. “Oh, come on. It’s Christmas movies. Who doesn’t love Christmas movies?”
Wes pointed to himself. “This guy, right here. He doesn’t love Christmas movies. Especially Hallmark ones. There isn’t even any sex in them.”
I frowned. “How about this. We watch one movie, and then you can turn the TV to whatever you want it on.”
“One movie? That’s all?”
Holding up my finger, I said, “I promise. If you hate it, we’ll change the channel.”
Wes smiled and my stomach did a little dip. “You’ve got a deal.”
Wes
I Got What I Wanted...Or Did I?
One Christmas movie turned into two movies, and we had finished off the bottle of wine from dinner. And before I knew it, I had a blanket covering up both me and Clare as she snuggled into my side as we watched TV.
“They’re going to admit they love each other at the town festival. How much do you want to bet?” Clare said with a chuckle.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s so predictable, how do you like these movies?”
“Because they’re feel-good movies. Admit it, how many times have you smiled or internally sighed.”
I laughed. “Okay, I won’t lie, I might have had a feel-good moment or two.”
Clare poked me in the side, causing me to jerk away. “I knew it! See, you do have a heart down in there somewhere.”
Grabbing her hand to stop her from tickling me, she tried to pull away as we both laughed. One tug had her falling into me, and our laughter slowly faded away as we looked into each other’s eyes.
“You’re ticklish, huh?” she asked, lights dancing in her blue eyes.
“I am. Are you?”
She bit down on her lip and shook her head. I raised my brows as I slowly moved my hand toward her stomach.
“No! No, no no! Wes, if you tickle me, I’ll pee my pants!”
I let out a bark of laughter as Clare scrambled to get away from me. When she broke free, I took off after her while she let out a scream of delight. I grabbed her and spun her around and was about to toss her onto the sofa when someone knocked on my door.
“Was that someone at your door?” Clare asked.
Slowly letting her slide down my body, I kept my hands on her upper arms. She looked so damn adorable and irresistible. I lifted my hand and cupped the side of her face. When she leaned into my touch, I felt my heartbeat pick up.
We waited for a few moments, and both smiled.
“I don’t think anyone is at your door.”
“Clare,” I softly spoke as I leaned closer to her. Her tongue swept across her lips, and it felt like a punch to my chest. Everything had changed over these last few weeks, and the feelings I felt toward the woman before me shifted in the most profound way. As if suddenly everything clicked and made sense. I wanted Clare in a way I hadn’t wanted any other woman, and that included Mandy.