Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
I force out a slow breath and try to steady everything that riots painfully inside me.
Maybe this situation is for the best.
I can get my first time over with.
No fuss. No muss.
And it won’t be with someone from the university. The guy won’t be lurking around every corner of campus or turning up in my classes.
Can you say awkward?
I’m yanked from those thoughts when a soft moan fills the air. My brows slam together as I tilt my head and listen more intently. When it happens for a second time, my eyes widen, and my jaw crashes open. Even though I’ve never heard that particular sound come from her room before, I’m pretty sure—
The bedframe knocks into the wall as a masculine grunt follows.
Holy crap, Madden and Viola are having sex.
I clap a hand over my mouth before reluctantly glancing toward my cousin’s room as the noise continues to pick up. All we need is some cringey seventies music to go along with the porno soundtrack that’s intensifying by the second.
It’s obvious that Vi doesn’t realize I’ve returned home from the interview.
They’re both adults. And since Madden sleeps over most nights, I assumed they were, um, having relations. On more than one occasion, Vi has stumbled out of her room in the morning after Madden takes off for practice, looking bleary eyed, like she’s barely gotten a wink of sleep.
Have I teased her mercilessly about it?
Damn right I have.
What kind of cousin would I be if I didn’t?
But Vi has kept all the intimate details to herself. She’s never been one to kiss and tell. Even when I was trying to live vicariously through her.
With my phone clenched tightly in my hand, I jerk to my feet. I should take off for a while. If I come face to face with either of them after hearing all this, I’ll probably self-combust. Waves of heat are already stinging my cheeks.
A sneaky little thought invades my brain that has me grinding to a halt. Since agreeing to this situation, my focus has been on getting it over with. Only now does it occur to me that there’s a slight possibility it could feel…pleasant.
Viola cries out, her voice growing louder.
What would that kind of pleasure feel like?
Before my world was blown to bits, I’d lie awake at night in my bed and think about what it would be like if Wolf kissed me.
Or touched me.
He’s the only guy I ever dreamed about.
As soon as that sly memory invades my brain, I shove it away, not wanting to dwell on Wolf or the past. There’s already been too much of that this afternoon. Everywhere I go, there he is. It’s no longer possible to ignore him.
Although…it’s doubtful I’ll feel anything like what’s happening in the next room.
I mean, what kind of man buys a girl’s virginity?
Or can even afford to piss away that kind of money?
I really hope he’s not decrepit.
Another shudder slithers down my spine.
Is that why he wants me to wear a blindfold?
For all I know, the dude could be eighty years old. My face scrunches. That thought is like a punch to the gut and is enough to have nausea stirring at the bottom of my belly.
I stare at the phone in my hand as doubt creeps in at the edges. Maybe I should pull the plug on this unorthodox situation. It’s not like any money has been exchanged yet.
Just as my fingers hover over the keyboard, ready to fire off a text to Chloe, my phone rings. I nearly jump a foot, my heart getting lodged somewhere in the middle of my throat as I glance toward Viola’s bedroom and quickly answer the call.
“Hello?” I squeak, still trying to get my heartbeat under control before quietly padding across the room and closing my bedroom door.
“Hi, sweetie,” Mom says. “I just wanted to check in. You never called back to tell us what happened with school.”
“Oh, um, sorry about that. I spoke with someone in student services, and we’re trying to work it out.”
“I know you’re really disappointed by what happened, but maybe it’s for the best.”
“The best?” I echo in confusion. My father being ousted from the company he started and not being able to pay for my education can in no way be considered for the best. My life has turned into a veritable nightmare.
Doesn’t she understand that?
“Yeah,” she continues, enthusiasm brimming in her tone. “I think you moving back home again is the perfect solution. Western feels so far away. We’ll help you get a job, and then you can take a few classes. I’ve already freshened up your room and changed the sheets on your bed. It’s all ready for you.”
Sweat springs to my palms as an icy hand wraps around my heart before squeezing until sucking in a full breath becomes impossible. Any minute, it’ll explode.