Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“Ha, shit. Didn’t mean to scare you, Lex,” Finn says, his face morphing into a curious but soft smile.
Quickly, I slide my phone into the back pocket of my jean shorts and turn to face both him and Scottie. He stands behind her wheelchair, his hands gently gripping the handles, and Scottie smiles up at me.
“We just wanted to say thanks,” she says, and I tilt my head to the side.
“Thanks?”
“Yeah,” Finn chimes in. “For talking to your dad about Scottie. He’s already reached out and wants to do a consultation when he’s back in the States.”
“Oh,” I answer with a little shrug. “It was no big deal.”
“Actually, it was a big deal,” Scottie says, and she reaches out to gently grip my forearm. “I know the odds of him being able to do anything are probably slim, but any opportunity is an opportunity, you know?”
I nod. “For sure.”
But as the words settle in, my gaze drifts back toward the dock, almost instinctively. Blake is there, standing at the edge, his silhouette outlined by the golden shimmer of sunlight reflecting off the lake.
Any opportunity is an opportunity. Scottie’s words echo in my head, but they’ve taken on a completely different meaning now.
The thought of finding secret moments with Blake this weekend—moments hidden away from prying eyes, when it’s just the two of us, like it’s been night after night in the quiet intimacy of our apartments for the past two weeks—sends a heady rush through me.
And maybe, just maybe, this weekend’s secret moments will include the one thing I can’t stop fixating on—having actual sex with Blake.
Sunday July 5th
Blake
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Lexi says as I carefully guide the canoe off the dock in the pitch darkness of an eerily still night. “If we end up in the water, I will be so mad at you, Blake Boden.”
“I promise we won’t.” My laugh is quiet as I use the paddle to guide us toward the center of the lake, my sights set on a discreet bank I noticed this afternoon. It’s about half a mile from where we are and on the opposite side of the lake, but it’s a spot Ace said his dad and Lexi’s uncle Jude had cleared out just for their Fourth of July fireworks antics. There are chairs and a firepit and even a fucking electrical outlet they had put in a few years ago so they can play music.
It’s well after two in the morning, and after the wild day of celebrating and shooting off fireworks without any casualties, everyone is asleep inside the house.
I was almost asleep too—until I got the text. Lexi’s name lit up my phone with the simple demand: Meet me at the dock.
Tiredness evaporated, I didn’t hesitate to leave a snoring Ace and Gunnar to sneak out of the house and give in to her demands.
“Where are you taking us exactly?” she asks, and I glance over my shoulder to where she sits behind me.
“Just a little spot I know.”
“A little spot you know?” She laughs. “How many times have you even been to this lake house, again?”
“Just this once, but I’ve really gotten the lay of the land.”
She rolls her pretty eyes at me, but I just turn around and focus on paddling.
“Only a few more minutes, Lex, and I’ll have your grumpy little ass safely on land.”
“I’m not grumpy,” she counters, her tone sharp with wit. “I’m simply being pragmatic about the probability of our capsizing and sinking to the depths of an unlit lake at two in the morning. Dive teams may find our bodies, but given how much effort I’ve put into living, that doesn’t seem like much consolation.”
I smirk but concentrate on easing the canoe toward the bank, careful not to jostle us too much as the front bumps into land. Since her whole ramble was based on the need for me to keep us safe, I think it’s a fair use of my skills of prioritization.
Without delay, I hop out, willingly tolerating the water that’s soaking my sneakers, and reach forward to lift Lexi into my arms before I grab the blanket I brought from the house and toss it over my shoulder.
“Oh my God!” she exclaims on a giggle. “What are you doing?”
“Keeping my promise,” I tell her, smiling down at her as I carry us toward dry land. “After all that complaining from your pretty little lips, there was no way in hell I was going to let even a drop of water get on you.”
She rolls her eyes at me again, but fuck, it’s so adorable that I can’t stop myself from leaning in and pressing my lips to hers. Our kiss lasts longer than I expect, and I have to stop my forward progress because it’s so fucking distracting.