Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 147(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
I can hear in his voice that this means something to him. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess. "A real date, huh? Well, you'll have to change out of your uniform."
He grins, a flash of white teeth, and my stomach flips. Oh, I’ll do just about anything to see that smile more often. I blow a stray strand of hair out of my face and relent. "Fine. Go get dressed, and I'll get ready, and we'll go out."
“You act like you had a choice, princess.” He chuckles, carrying dishes to the sink.
I stick my tongue out at him, and he growls, reaching out to grip my hips and pull me closer.
"You better watch it, princess. I have a feeling your punishment is going to come sooner rather than later."
I wiggle out of his grip, blowing him a kiss as I go. "Promises, promises."
"I mean it, Delia. I want you, and I'm going to have you. Every inch of you."
I bite my lip. "Yeah, well. We'll see about that."
"Now, go get dressed. I'm going to take a quick shower, and then we'll leave."
He gives me a gentle slap on the butt, and I yelp but move towards the bedroom. Dean might be able to take charge, and he may even have me. But if I'm going to continue with this unconventional flirtation, there's something I need to do first.
Once I'm alone in the guest room, I pull out my phone and compose a text to Brody.
Delia: There's nothing to talk about. I want to break up, just like I told you before. I'll find my own way back to Providence on Sunday.
Brody: No. We need to talk. I have a lot to say.
Delia: No. You're the one that chose to ghost me, not the other way around. You left me, and now I'm leaving you.
Brody: This is insane. Are you okay?
Delia: Yes. I'm great. In fact, I'm happier than I've ever been.
Brody: Happy. Sure. So what you're saying is you've met someone.
Delia: I don't need to explain anything to you.
Brody: Just be for real right now. Are you messing around with my dad?
I break out in a cold sweat.
Brody: That's fucked up. You're such a terrible person.
I stare at the text, feeling numb. Is this really happening? Am I a terrible person?
Delia: I don't care if you think I'm terrible. We're not together anymore, and you can't stop me from seeing whoever I want.
Brody: So you are hooking up with my dad.
Delia: It's none of your business.
Brody: Of course it is. You're supposed to be my girlfriend.
Delia: Not anymore. We're done, remember?
Brody: Whatever. You can have him. Just don't pretend you didn't start this.
I roll my eyes.
Delia: Sure, Brody. Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving. I have somewhere to be.
I don't wait for him to answer.
After Dean takes a quick shower, we head out. It's cold and dark, but I can still see the trees lining the street and the way the moon shines above us. My heart is still racing, and I'm a little shaken after texting Brody.
I didn't pack a lot of things to wear, but Dean insisted there was no reason to dress up for this outing. He's wearing a flannel and well-worn jeans, so I'm confident my knit sweater will be perfectly fine.
We take the cruiser this time—my request since I put my hair up—and Dean refuses to tell me where we’re going. He'll only answer in grunts and shrugs, which annoys the hell out of me, but I guess this is just part of his personality.
To my surprise, we don't end up in the parking lot of some restaurant. Instead, it looks like a small farmstead, and there is just a smattering of cars in a grass field. He comes around to open the door for me and hands me a fleece-lined jacket.
"We'll be out here a while. I don't want you freezing to death," he says, waiting patiently until I relent and put the enormous jacket on. It goes down past my wrists and nearly to my knees.
"Now will you tell me what's going on?" I huff, and his mouth pulls up a bit.
"Nature hike."
My mouth falls open. "In the dark?"
He nods once. "There are some lights. Supposed to be pretty romantic. I heard a buddy talking about it at work. Come on."
With this wildly sparse description of our outing, I throw caution to the wind and take his hand. We stop inside the barn first, where he insists on buying us both an enormous cup of spiced apple cider at the snack stand. Then we go out back, where the only light is the stars and the moon. There’s the faint sound of cows mooing in the distance and the scent that is undeniably farm, but soon enough, our path curves left and into the forest that lines the property.