Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
What the fuck? Is she into this kid?
I push up from my chair mumbling something about using the bathroom and make my way across the back deck and into the house. By the time I get to where Stephanie and Cash were standing, they’re both gone.
Simone walks by and I ask her, “Have you seen Stephanie?”
She indicates with a thumb over her shoulder, “Yeah. She just went into the bathroom.”
“Alone?” I demand.
Simone’s eyebrows rise but she quickly answers, “Of course alone. Why wouldn’t she be alone?”
I shake my head as I brush past my sister toward the bathroom, instantly relieved that she and Cash aren’t getting physical with each other in Garrett’s guest bathroom, and even as I appreciate the relief, I know that was stupid to even think that would happen. If it did, though, I do believe I’d have to kill Cash.
Leaning up against the wall, I wait for Stephanie to come out. When she does she blinks at me in surprise but gives me a welcoming smile. “Hey, you.”
“What’s up with all the flirting?” I ask, then I immediately regret the words. I absolutely did not need to confront her with that because I have no right to.
Stephanie’s expression darkens. “What do you mean?”
“It just seems to me that you and Cash were getting awful cozy together,” I tell her with a nonchalant shrug.
“We were just talking,” Stephanie says with her lips quirked up, and I can tell she is thoroughly amused with me. “He’s a funny guy.”
“Don’t look at me like that,” I snap at her.
She stifles a laugh then asks me, “Look at you like what?”
“That you think I’m jealous and you find it completely hilarious,” I tell her with my chin lifted.
“Are you?” she asks me with mischief written all over her face.
“Absolutely not,” I say with a casual smile. “No strings between us, right?”
“That’s right,” she says with a slightly teasing tone, but I can also see in her eyes that there is no room for jealousy.
That sort of irritates me. We may have a firm friends-with-benefits agreement, but I thought we had been pretty clear that this was exclusive.
“So you mean to tell me,” I ask her as I lean in and murmur, “you would not be bothered if I flirt with other women in your presence?”
Stephanie swallows hard but her jaw stiffens with resolve. “That’s right.”
“Huh?” I say, sounding genuinely interested in this concept. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Then I push past her into the bathroom with a satisfied smile on my face over the look of surprise and perhaps a little anger on hers.
Let her chew on that for a while.
Chapter 10
Stephanie
“Stephanie, are you even listening to me?” Jules asks as she shakes my shoulder lightly.
I twist my neck to look at her and distractedly ask, “What?”
She gives me a knowing smile and leans into me, murmuring, “You seem awfully interested in something else.”
I’m back at the table, chatting with Jules and Simone, the men talking about hockey. I’m all kinds of unsettled about that confrontation I had with Lucas about half an hour ago. Since then, I returned to the table and he has not. Jules and I have been talking about my idea, with Vale adding in her thoughts as well. Simone is off doing who knows what.
“Nope, not interested in anything else,” I tell Jules, although my gaze moves to the window to peek in on Lucas again.
Which is a complete lie. I’m absolutely interested in the fact that Lucas is standing in the living room almost exactly where I had been talking to Cash. Except he is talking to a blonde with big boobs and a very little dress.
“I’m sure that doesn’t mean anything,” I hear Jules murmur near my ear. It surprises me enough I turn my head quickly look to at her. She nods at the window. “Lucas.”
“I don’t care what Lucas does,” I tell her with vehemence. Too much vehemence, actually, because it sounds fake.
I know it sounds fake because Jules cocks an eyebrow at me. “I know exactly the nature of your relationship with Lucas. And while I don’t know how you are treating it, I can tell you absolutely that if Lucas promises exclusivity, you’ll get it.”
I bristle at what she’s saying, because it clearly means Lucas has talked about me. While Lucas may have no qualms about sharing personal details with other people, I’m not that way and never will be. So I shut down Jules as kindly as I can. “Lucas and I have a very clear agreement. I’m telling you right now I don’t care if he is in there flirting with a porn star. It’s none of my business.”
“Well, that’s good,” Jules says with a smile. “Because that woman he’s talking to in there actually has been in the adult entertainment business.”