Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
I still held onto the curtain, and that was still in view in front of the pane of glass. God, he probably thought I was an idiot. Even more embarrassment flooded me.
I could hear the grandfather clock chiming, and I knew if I was going to do this I would absolutely be crossing lines. There was no going back.
It chimed once. I held on tighter to the curtain.
Two. I swallowed roughly.
Three. My heart started beating faster at what I was no doubt now going to do.
Four. I let go of the curtain and stepped back in front of the glass.
Five. I didn’t look down to see if Gio still watched me as I pushed open the curtains so his view would be unobstructed.
Six. I exhaled slowly and then licked my lips, my hands shaking as I turned my back to the window and gripped the edge of my shirt.
Seven. I pulled the material up over my head, letting my shirt dangle from my fingertips before it fell to the floor.
I swore I could feel his gaze on me, and I knew he was still down there... looking at me. And now he had a front row seat to my debauchery.
When I reached behind and undid my bra, my hands were shaking. I felt the straps slide down my arms until the garment fell to the floor. I was breathing so hard, and despite the room being a perfect temperature, my nipples puckered as my arousal heightened. I felt a breeze in the air, or maybe it was my increased breathing, because I felt like I was hyperventilating.
I’m going to do this. I’m not going to chicken out.
I lifted my arms to cover my breasts, closed my eyes briefly, and turned toward the window, not opening my eyes yet, not knowing if Gio left or if he was getting the show of the century.
And when I slowly opened my eyes, looked out that window to the patio, our eyes locked. He stood there so still he could have been one of the stone statues my mother insisted on placing around the pool.
The shadows partially concealed him, but I saw his gaze was most definitely locked on me. And then he lowered that intense focus to my chest, and my body was on fire, liquid heat in my veins.
He slowly licked his lips, and even from a distance, I could see his hands were closed tightly into fists at his sides, as if he were grappling with control.
I should’ve pretended like I didn’t see him, like I had no idea I undressed in front of him. But a part of me wanted him to know, wanted to see if he liked what he saw.
And he definitely looked like he very much enjoyed what he saw.
I’d drawn a line in the sand... and I’d wait to see what Gio would do.
Chapter Five
Pyper
The next night
I couldn’t stop thinking about him… about what I’d done just last night.
I undressed for him.
My mind was so consumed with that thought I declined going out with some of my friends, a country club party Ryan and Melissa Single—brother and sister twins—threw every summer. Their parents had rented out the club for them alone, and despite all of us being underage, there would most definitely be drinking. It wouldn’t be the cheap beer most teenagers scrounged up for secret parties. It would be the expensive champagne that cost hundreds of dollars a bottle. And it wouldn’t be a secret party either. The cops wouldn’t stop it, not with how much was tucked into their pockets to look the other way for the night.
Disgusting and despicable the things people could get away with for the right price.
No, I’d rather stay home and mope and pine after Gio.
I thought back to last night, and my cheeks began to heat. I’d known he’d been watching me through my bedroom window last night, and it made me feel alive. Tingles raced through my body with every piece of clothing I removed, the sensation of his look alone was a physical touch so pronounced it had been hard to breathe.
But I pretended like I didn’t notice, like I wasn’t undressing for him. Before yesterday, I thought I did well by not looking at him, by acting like he didn’t affect me on this primal level. But each day, it was getting harder and harder to pretend otherwise.
Acting like I didn’t want Gio was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. It felt so wrong.
And then, without glancing at him, I’d feel his presence leave. It was then I searched him out, and when it was confirmed he was no longer near me, I felt this pang of disappointment, this hollow, lost feeling. It was the same sensation I felt every time I had to go back to school, when my holidays were over, when my summer vacation ended. I hated leaving him and even discussed attending a local university so I could commute. Although I didn’t tell my parents the real reason for wanting that.