Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
He laughed like I was hoping he would. “You ain’t that hot.”
“Aw, now you’re breakin’ my heart. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover.”
“You’re just tryin’ to get me to tell you how sexy you are. That I can’t look at you without wantin’ to jump your bones, which is basically the truth.”
“And it worked,” I teased, waggling my eyebrows at him. We had so much damn fun together.
Sutton turned onto a residential street, then parked in front of a small light-blue house, with a privacy fence around the back. “You ready for this?” he asked.
“I can’t wait. It’ll be fun.” And if I let myself, I was sure it would be.
We got out and headed for her door. Sutton had just knocked when it pulled open to reveal a beautiful redhead. She was all soft curves, which was definitely Sutton’s type—well, when it came to women.
“Hey, you. Glad you finally decided to come hang out with me again,” she said.
“Hey, sweetheart. Good to see you.” Sutton hugged her and gave her a kiss on the temple. They’d gotten close quickly, which I knew. He’d opened up to Kendra about his feelings for me, which meant she had to be special to him. I tried not to let the green-eyed monster in as I watched them together.
He pulled back, then with a smile on his face that just might be brighter than the sun, said, “This is Jasper. My Jasper. Jasp, this is Kendra.”
“Nice to meet ya, ma’am.”
“Oh goodness. Don’t you ma’am me. We’re the same age,” Kendra said before hugging me too. Damned if I didn’t like her already. “Come in. Let’s not hang out in the doorway all night.”
And then, because I wanted to touch him, because I wanted to show him I was okay with this and I wasn’t ashamed of him—okay, and maybe to stake my claim just a little bit—I reached out and took Sutton’s hand.
He looked at me, one brow cocked, and yeah, he knew what I was doing, but he liked it too.
“Y’all want a drink? Beer? Wine? Sweet tea?” We followed her toward the kitchen in her open-concept home.
“I’ll take one beer,” Sutton said. “I gotta drive home later. Jasp?”
“Yeah, I’ll have one too.” I inhaled, savory scents tickling my nostrils. “Smells good in here.”
“Beef roast and potatoes. It’s my specialty.” She winked, before handing me a beer. Her gaze darted to our clasped hands, and she smiled. Suddenly, I hated that I had to let go of him to twist the top off my bottle. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” Kendra leaned against the counter.
“Kendra…” Sutton said, like he wasn’t sure how I would respond.
“All good things I hope.”
“Well, you’re certainly as hot as he said.”
“Ah, shit,” Sutton replied just as I said, “Wait. What were you sayin’ in the truck? That I ain’t that hot?”
“Oh, baby, if he said that, he was lyin’. He’d go on and on about you, how sexy you are, and like fuckin’ perfect or something. He’s got it bad.”
“Remind me why I’m friends with you?” Sutton teased her. I fucking loved her. I could see why Sutton had taken to her so quickly.
“You got it bad for me, huh?” It took me a second to realize how I sounded—like I was flirting with him, and…I was okay with that. Not because I was jealous over Kendra. Just because…it was fun…and we were a couple…and we were supposed to be able to do these things, weren’t we? She was Sutton’s friend, and she knew about us. We were safe here.
“You know I do,” Sutton replied, his voice slightly unsure.
“Because I’m so hot?” I took a swig of my beer, then smiled.
“Actually, I’m not sure why at the moment,” he teased.
“Don’t believe him,” Kendra said.
“I don’t.”
“I regret introducing the two of you now,” Sutton added, but I knew he didn’t. The way his eyes sparkled and his grin kicked up even more, I knew he was happy. It was so damn easy to make him happy. I loved that about him.
“I love you too,” I joked, then brushed a quick kiss to his smile.
“You guys are adorable. I’m so happy for you.” Kendra grabbed her beer, walked over, and held up the bottle to us. “To love and finding happiness.”
We clinked our bottles together, Sutton and I repeating her cheers.
“Come on, baby. You got this,” Sutton said from beside me on the couch.
“You realize Jenga isn’t a team game, right?” Kendra told him. “The point is to win. You want him to knock down the tower.”
“Nope. Because he’s a good boyfriend.” I pulled one of the wooden blocks out, the tower wobbling but not falling over.
It had been a great night. We had dinner together, the conversation flowing well the whole time. Kendra was hilarious and fun and made me feel right at home. Afterward, we went out in the backyard to hang out for a while. I started a fire in the pit, and the three of us roasted marshmallows like we were kids. Now we were inside for game night, Kendra on the floor, the coffee table between us and her.