Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“Yeah, but not to sleep,” Colton said.
Jen’s eyebrows shot up, and a surprised sound came from my throat before I realized what Colton had meant. His cheeks instantly got cherry red as he jumped to clarify. “We’ve got a book club meeting we’re staying up for. Get your heads out of the gutter.”
“Riiiiight,” Jen said. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
She got up with a chuckle and waved over her shoulder. “Night, boys. Have fun reading or whatever.”
Colton shook his head and rolled his eyes, cheeks still a bright pink. It was so fucking cute. I wanted to lean in and kiss him, press my lips against that warm and flushed skin. But I’d already gotten my limit of kisses today, and I didn’t want to press any further. Not after the whirlwind of a night we’d just had.
I decided to control myself, getting up from the table and following Colton as we went to our room, neither of us speaking much. He was likely still processing the conversations that were had at the dinner table while I was scanning every inch of the villa as we walked through it, trying to spot anything that could help with this case.
In one of the living rooms was where I noticed a couple of black bags sitting on the couch, a company logo emblazoned across the center of them.
AC Tech and Security.
I stopped Colton with a gentle hand on his elbow. “Whose are those?” I asked, not surprised to see that Amelia had raised other entrepreneurs in her family.
“That’s Archie’s tech company. They sell stuff and help fix things, too. They also pride themselves on delivering items straight to your house and installing them for you. It’s a hit with the older crowd, for sure.”
“When did he start it?”
Colton chewed on his cheek and quirked his lip. “Couple of years ago. Once he got out of rehab for the third time. I guess it really was a charm.” Colton glanced at his wristwatch. “We’ve got thirty minutes until the Zoom call. That’s enough time to freshen up and mindlessly scroll through TikTok for a little bit.”
“Let’s go,” I said, wordlessly filing away the tidbit of Archie’s business in my mental case files. I’d have to look into it a little further, but for now, I had other things to focus on: like the way Colton’s ass jiggled on his way up the stairs. That kept my entire attention as we climbed the spiraling staircase, giving me a semi by the time we reached the landing, which I adjusted with a hand in my pocket so that it was held down by my waistband as I grew harder, my mind wandering in directions that weren’t allowed but were very much wanted.
Damn it, Colton. If this is supposed to be fake, then why does it feel so fucking real?
20
COLTON COOPER
We were lying in bed, waiting for the start of the book club. With the time difference, we had decided that midnight our time would probably work best. There were twenty minutes left, which the two of us filled by scrolling through our phones, chuckling at viral videos and memes, leaning over to show one another when it was a particularly funny one. It was a good way to scrub the brain after the shitshow we’d just had to sit through at dinner.
Jackson and my mom? The reason for my parents’ divorce? And now he was with my sister, here at this retreat, holding the last will and testament of the woman we all apparently loved.
How in the hell did that happen? And did it have anything to do with her death?
There were a thousand questions storming through my brain, rattling around without any accompanying answers. And none of them were being answered by the cutesy viral dance that kept popping up on my timeline. I was about to close out of the app when another swipe brought up a thirst trap video, showing a particularly hunky guy climbing out of a pool with his wet shorts clinging to his body for dear life. There was a clear outline at the front that made me suddenly want to go take a dip in the pool myself.
I swiped up, the algorithm apparently just as horny as I was, another video of a half-naked man chopping wood filling up my screen. His grunts and muscles were doing it for me. I crossed my feet at the ankles and readjusted myself, wondering if my growing bulge wasn’t all that obvious. I glanced to my left, seeing Eric smiling at whatever funny thing had just landed on his phone. I swallowed.
We were both on the bed together, only inches separating us. There wasn’t a pillow barrier or a comforter wall between us. I could easily kick my leg to the side and cross it with his, our bare feet rubbing together. My briefs got even tighter. I turned my attention back to the phone and swiped up.