Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“Or a man who likes restraints,” he reminded me. “Speaking of which…”
A little zing went up my spine. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of my chair then boosted me into his lap so quickly that I lost my breath. Our lips were centimeters apart. My pulse beat in the hollow of my throat, and I imagined his mouth there, his tongue swirling over that throbbing hollow.
I remembered he still held my hand when he suddenly jerked it toward the cake. I squealed and tried to pull away, dragging both of our fingers through the frosting, and we laughed so hard we bumped foreheads.
“Well, I was coming in here to see if you needed help cleaning up, but it looks like you’re just making more of a mess.” Mom shuffled from the swinging kitchen door to the island with a tray of glasses in her hands. “I think the caterer missed these.”
“No, those are from the bar.” I shook cake from my fingers. “Julia will get them in the morning.”
“I don’t mind.” Mom slid the tray onto the counter and flipped on the tap. I felt Neil tense behind me, and stood. I could have stayed in his lap all night, but obviously not with her right there.
“You don’t have to go on a cleaning spree,” I reminded her as I crossed the kitchen with the plate of mangled cake.
Neil got up and grabbed a paper towel to wipe frosting off his hands. “This sounds as though it may take a moment. I’m going to go to bed.”
“I’ll be right there,” I told him over my shoulder. Watching him walk to the door, I got a little shiver. The man had absolutely no intention of turning in; when I got to that bedroom, I had no idea what would be waiting. But I knew I would like it.
“You don’t have to stay up with me,” Mom said, checking her watch, a knock-off Pandora style with round charms. “It’s almost two-thirty.”
“It’s no problem.” It wasn’t like I was going to feel comfortable getting my ass-paddled with my mom still up and puttering around the house, anyway. “I haven’t completely forgotten how to wash a dish.”
“I didn’t think you had.” Mom didn’t sound defensive. She actually seemed like she was proud of me. “That was a great party tonight. I have to say, I’m impressed.”
“Oh, well, we’re very impressive.” I nudged her with my arm.
But she wasn’t playing around. She half-turned, her wet hands still safely confined in the boundary of the sink. “I’m talking about you, Sophie. Not about Neil, or his money.”
“Oh.” I could take praise from my friends, from Neil, from total strangers, even, without a second thought. But my mom’s approval was harder to accept. Maybe because I wanted it so bad. So, I shrugged it off, like it was nothing to me. “Well, you know me. I love to party.”
“No, you don’t. You’ve never been a party girl.” Mom still studied me, her brows drawn together though her mouth smiled. “But there you were, keeping an eye on the food and the drinks, chatting with people. You were so poised and sure of yourself.”
“Okay, Mom,” I started to protest, because laughing her off would have been easier than just taking the compliment.
“No, I’m serious. You’re suddenly this adult that I’ve never noticed before.” She rolled her eyes at herself and went back to washing the glasses. “I know I didn’t see her when she came home for Christmas.”
“Well, that’s kind of my fault.” If I was an adult, all of a sudden, I had to accept some responsibility. “I should have been real with you about Neil and me, and I wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to expect you to deal with your shock and not express any of it.”
“That’s true.” She went quiet for a moment. “I know I reacted…badly. To your engagement.”
“You’ve been reacting badly for a while, Mom,” I pointed out dryly.
She pursed her lips and pretended she hadn’t heard me. “I would still be happier if you were marrying someone…”
“Twenty years younger?”
“More like you,” she finished dryly. “The two of you have nothing in common, you’re from different generations, your backgrounds are…very different. But I don’t know. The more time I spend with the two of you, the more I see two adults in a relationship together. Before, I was seeing my little girl and a man who was inappropriately older, who was probably taking advantage of her.”
“And, now, how do you see him?” I took a glass from her and dried it.
She considered a little longer than I would have liked. “Now, I see him as an inappropriately older man who loves my daughter and wants to make her happy. I can’t find a lot of fault in that.”
“Well, he does make me happy.” I shrugged a little. “If I were in your position, maybe I would be the same way.”