Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“I’d like that.” I sigh, looking toward the ocean. “It’s a gorgeous evening.”
“It is.” But he’s looking at me, not at the ocean.
I squeeze my legs together. I’ve been horny for him since I stole that first kiss. But I’m determined not to go overboard like I did with Brett last night. Besides, Alex hasn’t offered.
“Did you enjoy your time with Heather this afternoon? You know, on the boat?” I regret the words as soon as I utter them. What he and Heather did on the boat isn’t any of my business, and I already know what he and Sienna were up to last night. I mean, we all know they came back without their clothes.
“I did,” he admits, “but that was just a... I hesitate to say it, Ariel, but it was a game, devised by Brett. You know that already.”
“Yes. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, you have a right to know if someone has caught my eye. I enjoyed my time with Sienna and with Heather. But to be honest, Heather isn’t really my type.”
And Sienna? I want to ask.
But I don’t. Instead, “Do you have a type?”
He smiles, steps closer, and touches my lower lip. “I love a sexy mouth.”
Funny. That’s what Brett said attracted him to me first. My mouth. Even Evangeline noticed my lips and said I should play them up. They’re full and naturally dark, but I never thought they were anything special.
“Thank you.” Though he didn’t actually give me a compliment. “But what I mean is the kind of woman you like. Why isn’t Heather your type?”
He sighs. “She has a harder look about her. Don’t get me wrong. She’s beautiful, and I enjoyed getting to know her better, but I like the natural look.”
Right. Heather’s blue-tipped hair. What would he think if he knew my reddish locks were actually mousy brown? The highlights were also Evangeline’s idea.
“You, though”—he caresses my bare shoulder—“are all natural. A lovely young woman from the deep South.”
I have no idea how to reply to him. I’m wearing a sequined tube top—totally something Heather would wear. But I don’t think he’s talking about clothes.
He thinks I’m some sweet and innocent southern angel, and I’m totally not. I did wait until adulthood to lose my virginity, but Nelson stripped it from me without any bells or whistles, and after that, I was more discriminating. But I’m hardly some Southern belle.
“Tell me what makes you tick, Ariel.”
I wish an intelligent—or at least a funny—answer would come to me, but it doesn’t.
“I love animals,” I finally say. “I like to fish. At least I did when I was a kid. I haven’t been in a while.”
His hazel eyes sparkle. “I love fishing.”
“You do?” My heart leaps.
“Yeah. Nothing better. Sometimes when I have writer’s block, I head over to Bayou St. John. It’s right in New Orleans. I grab a good spot and cast my line and take in the beauty of the surroundings. It refreshes me, and it never fails. I go home, and the words flow. In fact, I wrote the climactic scene in Love’s Dark Promise right after a fishing excursion, and it turned out to be my best-selling book of all time.”
“That’s so cool!”
“It kind of is,” he agrees, his eyes crinkling.
“What else do you like to do? Besides fishing?”
“Hiking, swimming, traveling...” He narrows his gaze at me. “Wait a minute.”
“What?”
“I asked what made you tick, but I’m doing all the talking.” He laughs.
He figured me out. It’s not all my fault, though. Evangeline told us to let the men talk because men love to talk about themselves. Of course, she also told us to be forthcoming, answer their questions, so they could get to know us.
“I told you. I love animals. I like fishing.”
“What else? Tell me what you do on a weekend in your hometown, Ariel.”
Getting drunk with Jazz probably isn’t the answer he’s looking for, and I don’t do that as much anymore anyway. I work six days a week most weeks to get the overtime. Probably also not what he’s looking for.
I sigh. “On weekends? I usually work one day. And then I relax, help Mama around the house. But it’s not like I need to live there. I pay rent, and I help her. She was in a car accident a few years ago and she has some pain. She has a desk job, but housework is hard for her. She still gardens though. It’s her passion.”
His lips curve slowly upward into a smile. A sincere smile. His entire face lights up. “Ariel Tanner, you are an astounding woman.”
“I am?”
“You are. Working so hard, helping your mother. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that?”
Has anyone? I get told I’m pretty. That I’m hot. Even the occasional beautiful. I get a few amazings after sex. But astounding? Not once.