Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 122966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
I grinned so widely that my cheeks hurt, because that had to be the most honest, philosophical rant I’d ever heard, and she’d given quite a few in her time.
“In short, you’re not judging my stupid behavior because we’re all stupid anyway?” I teased.
“Visceral. Blob.” She glared playfully and poked at my side. “Don’t worry, it’s human nature, and we have enough freedom to continue acting on emotion and creating chaos.” She paused. “Willow and I would make excellent world leaders. There would be so much order and structure.”
I laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer so I could kiss her temple. “But none of the freedom?”
“None of it!” She smirked. “Maybe one day, I’ll share my opinion on human hypocrisy.”
“Sounds like a doozy.” I chuckled and spotted the next cliffside up ahead. “No one likes hypocrisy.”
“But we’re all guilty of it.” She shrugged. “In your situation, for example. I can’t swear that my opinions aren’t based on at least a little bit of hypocrisy. Because the truth is that when you told me how you’ve treated women in the past, there was a sense of satisfaction in me. It’s kind of horrible, but…I like being the one who broke that pattern—the one you’ve always found special.”
I’d waited long enough, but now I was getting my goddamn hug. Right there in the middle of the trail, I hauled her in and wrapped my arms around her.
She had no idea just how special she was to me, or how much I appreciated her perspective and openness.
“Never stop sharing your brilliant mind with me,” I murmured.
She exhaled and locked her hands around my midsection. “You’re the only one I can do it with to this extent.”
I drew in a breath through my nose, inhaling the scents of pine, damp soil, and pleasure. Maybe I was a hypocrite too, then. This felt just as amazing as it did to discover that she hadn’t been with anyone before me—not like we had, intimately. “Good.” I kissed the top of her head.
Willow didn’t last very long in the hot springs. She couldn’t get past the faint smell of sulfur near the water and opted to brave the cold mineral lake instead. The water was milky and blue, same as in the springs, making it nearly impossible to see anything below the surface.
Ethan followed her down the cliffs to accompany her. Unfortunately, Darius did not. He stayed with us in one of the four springs, the one we preferred, the one that was a lot like a hot tub. Smooth rocks, from the smallest pebbles to bigger boulders that pooled the hot water as well as provided seats for everyone.
Darius sank under the surface, only to reemerge and push back his hair and groan at how old he was getting. As he rubbed a kink from his neck, I kind of wanted to do the same because I could relate to the pleasure of having such hot water loosen all the knots and tension. But I had an almost nineteen-year-old woman next to me who didn’t need to see me as an old man.
Thirty-four wasn’t old—until you’d shared a bed with someone who just never got tired. Pipsqueak might have been out of breath and sweaty by the time we reached the springs, but it’d taken her, oh, two minutes to return to normal.
I leaned my head back against a rounded rock and closed my eyes, letting the hot water work its magic through me. The smell didn’t even bother me anymore.
The sound of a lighter let me know Darius was lighting up a smoke. “What’s next on your list, hon? You haven’t said anything about your birthday.”
Right, it was coming up in a few days. I was stepping out tomorrow to get her something, and I had no idea what.
“Evie and I are going to a spa tomorrow,” Pipsqueak replied. “Wanna come with?”
I chuckled drowsily.
“What a shame. I’m working,” Darius drawled.
Pipsqueak snickered.
It was best not to think about her plans for the spa date with Evelina.
I shuddered as a current of hotter water slithered around me, coming straight from the bottom of the pool. Every now and then, little pillars of steam rose from the surface. I’d been here once in the winter, when you couldn’t see the water for the steam.
“Ave, did you read the article I sent you?” Darius asked.
“Yeah,” I answered through a yawn. Fuck, this was too comfortable. I wasn’t sure I could open my eyes anymore. “You can imagine my surprise.”
“Right? What the fuck did we expect?” Darius snorted.
“What’re you talking about?” Elise asked.
“The war in Syria.” I yawned again. “It’s been confirmed that Assad’s used chemical weapons.”
“Gotcha,” she replied, and I wasn’t sure she did. She usually tuned out when Darius and I talked about the news. “Do you think we’re going to send assistance or supplies to the opposition?”