Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
I smiled. “Okay.”
Ford got up from bed. I’d ogled him shirtless at the beach and felt every rippled muscle of his body last night, but seeing him stand up naked in the morning light—every ounce of gorgeous, tanned, smooth skin on display—was truly mind blowing. He had that deep-set V and each of his abdomen muscles formed their own little raised mound of deliciousness. Yet his ass was the showstopper. From behind he looked like the X-rated version of a sunscreen ad with his sun-kissed skin fading to a firm white derrière.
I lifted to my elbow to watch him walk around naked. He looked perfectly comfortable doing it, as he should be with that body.
“I need to do whatever exercise you’re doing.”
He laughed. “Oh yeah? We can do that. Tomorrow morning we’ll go to the gym together.”
I laid my head back down. “I said I needed to. I didn’t say I was actually going to. But feel free to come over after you’re done and all sweaty.”
He leaned down and gave me a chaste kiss. “Care if I shower here?”
“No. Not at all. I’ll drag my ass downstairs and make us some coffee while you do that.”
“Great.”
I wasn’t ready to return to the land of reality just yet, so I picked up Ford’s shirt from last night and slipped it over my head. Since it hung to nearly my knees, I didn’t bother with a bra or underwear.
In the kitchen I flicked on the Bose Soundlink. The coffee pot sat right next to it and had a yellow sticky note attached.
Fondle Ford’s balls
I covered my mouth and cracked up. This had become a game for him. I had no idea when he’d even come down to the kitchen. He had to have gotten up after I’d fallen asleep. I found a second note stuck to the back door.
Buy naughty schoolteacher costume.
Another was stuck to the toaster.
Paint myself with Nutella.
Then there was the one on the dishwasher.
Red lipstick.
That one was underlined with two heavy slashes.
His dirty notes had me smiling like a teenager who’d just been passed one from the cute boy in class. A Backstreet Boys song came on the radio, reminding me of the day I’d walked out on the deck and found Ford playing their album. Sighing with contentment, I grabbed the coffee beans out of the refrigerator and ground them, sporting the goofiest grin.
When the loud whirling sound stopped, a voice startled me. “Someone’s happy this morning.”
The smile fell from my face. Ryan. My ex-husband stood in the doorway of the kitchen. I hadn’t heard him come in.
I crossed my arms over my braless chest. “What the hell? How did you get in here?”
He shrugged and held up a key. “I let myself in.”
“You can’t do that.”
“I just did.”
“I’m not dressed.”
Ryan’s eyes roamed over my bare legs. “Nothing I haven’t seen before. But you’re looking good, Val. Did you start exercising again?”
I hated the way he looked at me—like he was allowed to. I pushed past him and snatched a throw blanket from the living room couch. Wrapping it around my body, I pulled it tight to hold it closed. “You don’t just walk into someone’s house.”
His eyes narrowed. “It’s not someone’s house…it’s my house.”
With the shock of finding someone in the house, Ryan of all people, I totally forgot someone else was also here. Ford jogged down the stairs wearing only a pair of jeans with the top button opened. His hair was wet from the shower. I watched as his smile disappeared when he saw my ex-husband standing in the kitchen.
Ryan turned, hearing someone behind him. Ford froze at the bottom of the stairs, and his eyes darted from Ryan’s to mine.
I panicked and blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. “Ummm… Ford is fixing the pipe upstairs in the shower.”
The minute the words left my mouth, I knew Ford wouldn’t be happy. His jaw flexed, and he stared at me.
Ryan shook his head and looked disgusted. “The boy next door is fixing the pipes while you’re walking around half naked? What the hell, Val? Are you trying to lure the poor kid?”
I felt the anger radiating from Ford, and I wanted to kill Ryan for creating this situation. I chose to lash out at the cause of problem. “Why are you here, Ryan? It’s not even noon, and you said the contractor wasn’t coming until two.”
“Traffic was light, and I figured I’d check that leaky pipe in the kitchen.”
“Ford already fixed it.” I pulled the blanket around me even tighter. “Can you please go outside while I get dressed?”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “This is my house.”
“It’s not your year. Matter of fact, neither is next year since you took the last two. You need to get out right now.”
A cell started to ring. Realizing it was his, Ryan grumbled something and dug it out of his pocket as he walked toward the front door. He slammed it closed behind him. The entire floor shook in his wake.