Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“Everyone needs to let loose sometimes. Which reminds me.
Last night, the girls called you Sam. Did you like the nickname?”
She shook her head and groaned. Some people had nicknames that worked. She’d never been a Sam. “Why do you ask?”
“Because a woman like you deserves a special nickname.” A more serious expression took hold and his eyes turned a touch darker than earlier. “I think I’ll stick with Samantha.”
He spoke like they’d be spending time together after they landed and her stomach swished in a good way. One that had nothing to do with her hangover and a lot to do with how he made her feel.
“I don’t understand. You stopped the kiss.” And he hadn’t stayed with her last night, though she had a vague recollection of asking him to. And that invitation was something she refused to dwell on. It was too mortifying on top of already being embarrassed, she thought.
“Samantha,” he said, this time in a gravelly voice that caused bigger flutters in her belly. “I stopped because you were in no condition for me to take advantage of you. No matter how much I wanted to.”
He wouldn’t have been taking advantage but she understood what he meant. She bought the too drunk excuse. Dex was a gentleman.
Still… “This is the second time you walked away from kissing me.” And she didn’t say that as a poor me type of thing, either. She was just stating a fact.
He clenched his strong jaw and she had no idea what was going on behind those light blue eyes. “One day, we will have a long overdue talk. But for now—”
Before he could finish, the pilot’s voice came over the intercom. “We are starting our descent into Teterboro and there’s heavy rain. I expect turbulence, so please check that your seat belts are fastened. We should be on the ground in about thirty minutes.”
The flight attendant walked over and removed their drinks.
A few seconds later, they hit the rough air, and the plane began to bounce, at least that’s what it felt like. Instinct had her grabbing for Dex’s arm and gripping tight. Normally she could handle turbulence, but not when she was suffering from a pounding headache and nausea from overindulging.
He placed his strong palm over hers and spoke comforting words about how the bumps and dips would end soon. When she dug her nails into his skin, he changed the subject to a funny story about how after a game, their running back had been hit in the face with a shaving cream pie by a teammate, while he was talking to the media.
She laughed. “Did he have a sense of humor?”
“Not much,” Dex said, chuckling. “Now you tell me a story.”
The plane jolted again and she let out a moan, leaning her head on his forearm.
“Story, remember?” he asked, rubbing her back.
“Right.” She kept her head on his arm and thought back to her childhood. His shaving cream story sparked the memory of one Halloween. “So instead of trick-or-treating, my siblings and I took shaving cream from the bathroom and had a foam fight.” She couldn’t stop smiling as she recalled that fun night. “Then, we went home and rang the doorbell. Ian answered, dressed in his good clothes, as always.”
“No big shock,” he said laughing. “And I see where this is going,” he said, his smile still wide.
She nodded. “Well, we couldn’t leave him so clean and proper, so we attacked him, tackling him until he was covered in foam like the rest of us. He didn’t speak to any of us for a full week.”
Dex let out a loud laugh. “That’s amazing. I’ve never seen Ian dressed in anything but a suit and tie.”
“As a teen, he was always dressed like a man. Sweaters and pressed pants.”
Laughter filled the cabin and she thought Dex had the best laugh.
Before she knew it, they were landing and the turbulence was behind her. She even felt better once they were on terra firma except, she realized, it was time to say goodbye.
They stood on the runway under umbrellas and waited for someone to deliver their bags from the plane. Once they had them, they rolled them into the main area where people congregated before their private flights.
“Can I give you a lift home?” Dex asked. He’d parked his car in the long-term lot the day they left for the Bahamas.
She shook her head. “I thought I’d take an Uber to Brandy’s apartment. I’ll stay there tonight and deal with Jeremy living in my place tomorrow.
“No need to take an Uber when I have my car. Where does Brandy live?”
She was about to answer when she caught sight of a man with her name on a sign. “Apparently, someone in my family sent a driver.” She waved at the man and he made his way over.