Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 57897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
For once, I was free. From expectation, from rules, from anxiety about money or anything else. All I could think about was Jason.
I slipped into the sheets, enjoying the way the soft cotton fell on my skin. But as I rolled onto my back and the fabric brushed over my hardened nipples and fell below my breast, I knew I could either give in to the temptation or torture myself and probably not sleep.
Sliding one hand down below the sheets and between my legs, I massaged the breast that was exposed, and I imagined it was Jason’s touch instead of my own. It didn’t take long before my body exploded with ecstasy, and as I quivered and curled up in a ball, I fell into a deep sleep.
I dreamed. Of movies and dinners and cosmos. Of flannel shirts and exposed forearms. Of long drives through the mountain and sing-alongs of silly musicians and laughter.
I dreamed of Jason. And those dreams were extremely sweet.
14
JASON
I probably looked like a freaking Boy Scout. I even felt like one.
There was no way she was going to call me tomorrow. Not one single iota of faith was in my mind that she would pick up her phone tomorrow and do anything other than delete my contact information. Why wouldn’t she? I’d just turned her down cold. She’d invited me inside, with the implication that I was going to be able to see what she was hiding underneath that tight shirt and even tighter jeans, and I said no.
Still, I couldn’t knock myself so hard over it. I did the right thing. It wasn’t even a question either. She was tipsy, clearly. Maybe not drunk, but she had enough that she might not be thinking completely clearly. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel taken advantage of. Plus, how awkward would that be for us to wake up in the morning and for her to wonder what the hell she was thinking?
How does one kick someone out of their house after an ill-fated night? I wouldn’t know. My experience had been limited to Charlotte. I had no idea how a person handled a one-night stand. I also didn’t really have any desire to find out.
There was something so special about this girl. Beth Ann was exciting and fun and silly and so, so damn sexy. I wanted to make sure that I took every step of any potential relationship seriously, otherwise I might screw it up. I would never forgive myself if I did something dumb and she decided I was a creep.
Then again, she might just decide I was a big, stupid yokel who didn’t know when to just say yes. That was also entirely possible. At least I knew I did the right thing. I would have to hold on to that.
Frustrated, I drove back to Carter’s place, going over the whole situation in my mind. Was there something I could have done differently? Was there something I could have said or done to make it less like I was dropping her on her head and telling her I wasn’t interested? I thought straight up asking her to see her tomorrow would do it, but the more I thought about it, the less I thought it was. It probably sounded like a cop-out.
I let myself in and shut and locked the door behind me, carefully walking down the stairs. I turned on a lamp to see by and headed to the bathroom. There, I shed my clothes and brushed my teeth. I had very little interest in being awake. Not second-guessing myself as much as I was.
Changing into shorts and a t-shirt, I crawled into the bed and made a mental list of what I needed to do in the morning. First and foremost, I needed to bite the bullet and put my things away. Living out of the suitcases and duffel bags was silly. I needed to just go ahead and try to settle in. Carter and Lauren assured me that they really wanted me there and that I could stay as long as I needed. If I was going to be here a couple of weeks to months, I should actually live like a normal human during it.
As I went over the things I wanted to do, I lay down and flipped on the television on the wall. Putting it on reruns of The Office, I let myself relax and soon was so droopy-eyed I couldn’t keep up with the story anymore. I turned the TV off, put the remote next to my phone on the nightstand, and closed my eyes.
I dreamed of pink t-shirts and ponytails and a dark house overlooking the valley. I dreamed of Beth Ann. And the kiss.
It was nearly two thirty in the morning when I drifted off to sleep, and at six thirty, a knock on the door woke me up. At first, I was so confused I just sat there. I couldn’t remember where I was or where the knocking was coming from. Then I finally remembered I was at Carter’s and that the knocking was coming from the door to the basement.