Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 86068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
He bends his head, his lips touching mine just a touch before he looks at me. “What do you want to eat for lunch? If you like, I went and got some fresh bread and deli meat before we left.”
“That sounds good. I can help.”
“I need to put the book away.” He holds up the book.
“Can I use the bathroom?” I ask, looking around.
“Oh, let me give you a tour of my home.” He smiles at me, his eyes turning a bright blue. The sorrow from before forgotten, for a minute at least. “Down these stairs.” He walks down the stairs, going to the left. “There is a big room here.” He opens the door for me to see the queen-size bed. A white comforter is on the bed with a baby-blue blanket on the foot of the bed. “This is where Beatrice usually sleeps.” He laughs. “And then over this way, to the right, is my bedroom.”
“Ohh,” I say, teasing him as he opens the door, and I see a king-size bed. “This room is massive.” I look around as he walks over to the drawer beside his bed, opening it and placing the book down. “In there”—he points at the door—“is the bathroom.”
“Can I?” I ask, looking at him, and he just laughs.
“Please, be my guest.” He points at the door.
“I’m going to do one of those videos,” I say, walking into the room, and he just looks at me. “You know the one where you go through the drawers and stuff of the guy you are hooking up with.”
He claps his hands. “Hooking up with?” He tilts his head to the side toward the bed.
I throw my head back and laugh. “Good one,” I say, walking into the bathroom. “Oh my God, you have two sinks and a huge shower.” I look at the massive glass shower and the two glass sinks.
“You going to open the drawers?” Xavier asks from the doorway. He leans against the doorjamb, folding his legs at the ankles and his arms over his chest. He looks so fucking sexy right there, with his hair perfectly pushed back and the scruff on his face.
I turn and lean against the counter and look at him. “Is there something in them I shouldn’t see?”
He just smirks, and I can’t help but go to him. I stand in front of him, and with him leaning, he isn’t that much taller than me. “You know, you are really, really hot when you smirk at me like that.” Stepping even closer to him, I get on my tippy-toes and lean in to kiss him.
My lips are about to touch his when he says, “You know that you are really, really hot.” He mumbles, “Like all the time.” I laugh, now about to kiss him. “It’s really annoying.”
I can’t help but throw my head back. “Especially when I didn’t want to like you.”
I’m about to say something when Beatrice comes down the steps and then walks between us. “Oh, look at that,” I joke with him. “Saved by the bell.” I tilt my head to the side. “Did you miss your dad?” I ask her, and she looks up at Xavier. “Or did you want something to eat?”
“When doesn’t she want something to eat?” Xavier says to her. We both look down at her and then look back up at each other. “Thank you,” he murmurs softly, “for coming with me today.”
“Thank you”—I wrap my hands around his neck—“for bringing me to my happy place. Now, let’s go eat.”
He nods at me, and he stops next to another set of stairs as we walk back. “There are two bedrooms down there with bunk beds.”
I shake my head. “This is a monster of a boat. Makes my three-bedroom two-bathroom look like it’s a pool house.”
We walk back into the kitchen; he goes to the fridge, taking stuff out. He grabs two bags of deli meat, placing them on the counter with lettuce. “Turkey or ham?” he asks, and I shrug, not really caring.
“I’m good with either.” I lean against the counter. “What can I do to help?”
He shakes his head as he walks to the drawer, taking out a knife to cut the bread. “Nothing.” I can’t help myself and instead go to the fridge and grab a couple of types of fruit to make a fruit bowl. I work side by side with him as he goes about making our lunch. He chuckles and looks over at me.
“What?” I ask as I cut strawberries.
“I just.” He shakes his head as he washes the lettuce and then grabs the paper towel to dry it. Placing a piece on each sandwich, he looks over at me. “Like, you are Cooper Parker.”
I laugh, looking down at the fruit on the cutting board. “That I am.”