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)
What the hell? I frowned and cracked one eye open.
She looked adorably flushed, though I suspected most of it was from the warm water. “What?” She flicked her gaze between Darius and me. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” Darius said slowly. “That’s pretty much what we think is gonna happen. The question is how the fuck you know?”
That made her scowl. “I follow the news, asshole.”
The corners of my mouth twisted into a smirk. “Come on. Tell us the truth.”
She scoffed and splashed water on me.
I chuckled and straightened in my seat, wiping my face.
“I just did!” she defended. “It’s like you’ve forgotten that I live with Ryan.”
“Ahh,” Darius and I expressed in unison. See, now it made sense. “I get it,” he went on. “Ry makes you watch the news or something. That’s good.”
Oh, she was annoyed now. “It may have started that way, but I’ll have you know I enjoy it. It’s our thing. We eat breakfast and read the paper together most mornings while Angel’s still asleep.”
Ouch. That just made me jealous. It was all too easy to picture having breakfast with Pipsqueak in my kitchen, maybe before Grace was up. We’d share the different sections of the newspaper, I’d inhale her poppy seed bread, she’d stir too much sugar into her coffee, I’d tease her about it, she’d give me one of her sleepy grins…
I winced and rubbed at the center of my chest as a sharp twinge bolted through.
Darius and Pipsqueak bickered playfully, but I couldn’t hear any of it. A rushing sound in my ears took over, and I couldn’t shake the longing for those mornings with her. They couldn’t be merely a chance, an option, a “we’ll see what happens next year.” I needed it in fucking writing. I needed her to promise me that it would be our future.
Fucking hell, I was screwed.
“I think it’s time for a cooldown.” Darius’s words broke through, and I shook my head quickly to clear it. “Y’all comin’ with?”
“No, I’m staying here,” Pipsqueak replied.
I cleared my throat. “I’m good here too.”
I wasn’t good yet, but I hoped I would be. It was my turn to need a bit of reassurance, which spoke volumes of how fucked I was over this girl.
Twenty-Seven
Darius climbed out of the spring and reached for his towel. Like me, he’d opted for swimming in his boxer briefs, whereas Ethan had brought trunks.
As Darius descended the rocks, he disappeared out of sight. The lake was some twenty feet down the slanted cliffside, with boulders and trees providing seclusion for us up here. And that was exactly what I demanded right now.
I wasn’t sure what Elise thought about us being alone. Her eyes showed relief, but her smile hinted at nervousness.
“I don’t know whether to move across the pool or scoot closer,” she admitted.
I exhaled a little laugh and realized I felt some nerves too. “I vote for closer.”
I’d hoped for one of her cute grins; instead, her reaction cannonballed a rock into my gut. Her eyes filled with tears, and her smile became wobbly as she slid closer to me.
“I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat quickly and splashed some water on her face. “It’s just difficult being near you when we can’t…you know.”
Oh, fuck that nonsense. With forceful urgency rushing through me, I threw caution to the wind and tugged her onto my lap, not satisfied until she was straddling me. “I give up. I fucking hate the distance.” I cupped her out-of-this-world beautiful face and rested our foreheads together. Maybe my reaction had broken the levees for her, but when she snaked her hands up my chest and trembled, it didn’t worry me as much to see a tear rolling down her cheek.
This was where she belonged—here, in my arms, where I could feel her, touch her, make sure she was real. Her soft skin, her intoxicating, gentle curves, her perfection. I drew a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting my hands roam up her thighs and back along her spine.
I’d once wondered where the rest of her flimsy yellow bikini was. Now I thought the little scraps of fabric were in the way.
She swallowed hard and touched my cheek. “I miss you so much.”
Christ, she was shaking. And her eyes asked the right question when her gaze dropped to my mouth.
“Me too, baby.” A shudder ran through me as I shut my eyes and closed the last distance, covering her mouth with mine.
I wanted those mornings with her. They had to belong to us.
There was no other option anymore, and I wasn’t sure there ever had been.
It’d always been her in one capacity or another.
“What the hell is going on with you?” Ethan panted. “If this is how you fight against Darius, it’s no wonder he beats you.”
I chuckled, out of breath, and pushed off the floor with a grunt.