Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“Better,” I admitted. “Thank you.” I looked up at her and my gaze fell on her rosy lips.
Which was not what I was supposed to be focusing on. I stood up, but Naomi didn’t step back. We were close. Too close.
She ran her hands up and down my bare arms as she looked up at me. “Thank you for letting me stay at this beautiful place this week.”
That wasn’t my doing, but I was too distracted by how close she was. And how damn gorgeous she was.
Involuntarily, my hand rose, and I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. But once I’d felt the silky smoothness, I couldn’t help plunging my fingers into her mane.
Her eyes looked so big as she stared up at me. And her mouth… god, I wanted to kiss that mouth.
And then insanity took over, and I did.
Or I almost did.
I dipped my head and her hands slid to my shoulders. Her eyes closed as I zeroed in on her pink lips.
They were so tantalizing. I was so damn close to ravishing them with my own.
But reality struck when I was half an inch away from her.
She had a boyfriend.
This wasn’t right.
I stepped away and moved to the other side of the gazebo, looking out at the waves. After a minute, I heard her approach.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked hesitantly.
I sighed. “No.”
I didn’t blame her for what we’d almost done. She was clearly in a bad relationship, and she’d probably gotten caught up in the moment. I wished I’d been able to forget, just for one moment, that she was taken, but I couldn’t. “No, you didn’t.”
She touched my back lightly. “Should we go inside?”
“You go,” I said without looking at her pretty face. “I’ll be in a bit later.”
She hesitated, and I wondered if she was going to say anything else, but then she gathered our glasses and the tray and left.
Fuck.
Sometimes it sucked having principles. Then again, we couldn’t very well set ourselves up as lawyers who’d guide other athletes through setting up charitable organizations if we didn’t have integrity ourselves.
For all his goofiness, Justin was a good man. Tye too.
So I needed to be one, also.
It was dark when I finally returned to the house. I assumed the others had eaten, so I swung by the kitchen and got a beer and a snack. I deliberately chose to go through the great room, figuring that the others weren’t likely to be in there.
And they weren’t—but it wasn’t empty.
As I walked across the vast room, I saw a figure by the door.
Not Justin. Not Tye. Not any of the staff.
My eyebrows rose as I approached the familiar figure, and I blinked in disbelief. It almost felt like our conversation around the bonfire last night had brought this about.
“Hello, Dominic,” he said as I neared.
It was Shitty.
12
NAOMI
I didn’t know what to think after I left Dominic in the gazebo. He’d been about to kiss me, that much was certain. And in that moment, I wanted him to.
It was such a romantic setting, the pretty little gazebo that provided great views of the water but also felt rather private and cozy, too.
And it felt good to rub his taut skin, too. Since it wasn’t an official massage, I used some modified techniques. At times, I felt they were almost as much for my enjoyment as his.
Afterwards, I’d felt very close to him, and when he dipped his head down, I rose up on my tiptoes to meet his lips.
And then… nothing.
He pulled away abruptly and then I left.
I tried to explain all that to my friend Penny when I called her from my room. “I don’t know what it is with these guys. Sometimes I feel like I’m getting close and then it’s like hitting a brick wall.”
“I’m sorry about Dominic,” she said. “I probably would’ve wanted to kiss him, too. It sounds like a beautiful spot.”
“You’ve got enough men to kiss,” I said, but my heart wasn’t in the teasing, and I sighed. “I shouldn’t want to start anything with any of them. We live in different states. They’re headed off to their university with big plans, while I’m…”
I trailed off. I’m stuck, is what I wanted to say, but I didn’t want to bring Penny down.
“Which one do you like best?” she asked. “Justin, Dominic, or Tyler?”
“All of the above?” I said with a half laugh. “Is that bad?”
She laughed. “I think you know what my answer to that is.”
“Good point.”
“I think this trip is good for you,” she said. “It’s a break from real life, and a break from your dad. So why shouldn’t you have some fun while you’re down there? Like a little vacation fling.”
“Yeah,” I said automatically, but I wasn’t sure if I agreed. I’d never really been the type to have a fling. When I liked a man, I tended to fall hard. And there was a lot to like about these men.