Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 134830 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134830 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
I make a point of looking around too. “Seems like you’re living the dream too.”
I think he blushes a bit, but that has to be a trick of the light or something because something that simple can’t possibly get to a guy like Kyle who lets seemingly everything roll off his back.
“My family would be horrified to hear you say that,” he says, and though I’ve been listening intently, my ears perk up at his mentioning them. “I started out on a crew right after high school, no college like my brothers and sister, no plans for a corner office or anything like that. That was never me.”
His eyes go distant for a minute like he’s remembering his younger self.
“Stayed with that crew for a couple of years, learning and working, and taking ridiculous amounts of pleasure from walking into my mom’s house with dirty boots that left footprints everywhere.” He chuckles. “She threw so many fits over that.”
“Negative attention is still attention, and that forced them to see you,” I guess, remembering what he said before, and he nods.
“When the boss said he was retiring, I jumped at the opportunity to buy him out, making monthly payments at first, and finally, when I’d grown it enough, I bought him out. It’s mine now, and I’m damn proud of that, but my siblings are all big-shots, so my digging holes, no matter how fancy they are, is unfathomable to them. We don’t even talk about it. When we have family dinners, they all sit around and talk about this deal and that bullshit, and nobody even asks what I’m up to. Sometimes, I wonder if I’d see them at all if I didn’t force my way into their lives.”
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly. “You said they asked what made you so happy last night. That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah,” he allows, but he frowns. “But I was there because I went over to check on Janey while Cole’s out of town. He didn’t ask me to, I just took it upon myself to do it. I do that a lot, just show up here and there to take my niece out for ice cream or fuck up one of my brother’s perfect schedules so I can make sure they’re okay.” He looks down at our hands, his eyes following the movement of his finger over mine. “We’re closer than we’ve been in ages, but it’s hard to forget that they all just left… one by one… to do their own thing, and I was stuck at home with Mom and Dad, who ignored me unless I was setting something on fire. Usually myself.”
“Being the baby of the family’s not always all it’s cracked up to be, huh?”
He shrugs like it’s not a big deal, even though it feels like his family’s lack of interest hurts him a lot. “I’m happy where I am, don’t need more than this right here.”
“Sounds like you’re making the most of your dream too.”
I hear the similarities in our journeys—the overbearing families, the fierce need to succeed on our own terms, and the way we both live in the moment, not putting too much weight into tomorrows and maybes.
“I’m trying,” he says, taking my hand in his. He weaves his fingers through mine, and his thumb begins to swirl a thoughtful circle on the back of my hand. I can feel the roughness of his palm against mine, and it itches a scratch I’ve ignored for too long but is beginning to loudly demand attention.
“I’ve been thinking…” I start, but then my tongue freezes, not sure how to say what I want to say.
“About?” Kyle prompts, his eyes locked onto my mouth like he’s hanging on my every word.
“My conversation with Nessa this morning.” God, was that only this morning? It feels like a lifetime ago. “She has this guy, a friend, if you will.”
Kyle’s lips lift into a smile, but it’s not his beaming one. This one is pure sex, and when his gaze meets mine, the heat there nearly scalds me. “Friends are good. We’re friends.”
“You said friends can hold some things against each other,” I remind him, hearing the needy breathiness in my own words.
His nod is slow and thoughtful. “I did say that. I think my specific suggestion was holding their bodies against each other. Is that what you want, Daniela?”
My full name on his tongue in that rough, deep voice must be some sort of black magic spell because I can feel every doubt I have simply poof into nothingness as heat pools low in my belly.
I think I need to be the one to make the first move, for myself and for Kyle, especially after last time, so I scoot toward him and then create a place for myself, straddling his hips as I settle into his lap. I lay my hands on his shoulders, and his palms land on my thighs. I look into his eyes, falling into the desire I see burning deep in their icy depths. “This can’t mean anything,” I caution him. “Nothing’s changed. I don’t have time for a relationship or more than this.”