Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“I’m planning to live-stream it the entire week,” Skyla says excitedly. I almost tell her I could get her tickets, but remember Jase is her father, and the last thing I want to do is weave my life in with his—even if his daughter is completely amazing.
“Skyla, there you are!” Quinn exclaims. She glances from her niece to me and glares. “You can’t take off on your own.”
“I’m not a child.” Skyla scoffs. “I’m thirteen.” Thirteen… I quickly do the math in my head, but it doesn’t add up. That would mean Skyla was two years old when I met Jase. He had a daughter and didn’t mention it? He introduced Amaya to me as his friend…so what were they? Friends with benefits? They had a daughter together but weren’t together… Just sleeping together apparently.
“Celeste,” Quinn says curtly, knocking me out of my thoughts.
“Quinn,” I say back. Then to Skyla, I say, “I need to use the ladies room before I leave, but it was wonderful to see you again. Enjoy your cake, sweet girl.” I stand and bend at the waist to give Skyla an air kiss to each of her cheeks. She reciprocates, acting more like an adult than her actual age. And as I walk away, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if Skyla were mine and Jase’s instead of Amaya’s and his.
With that thought, I change course, suddenly in need of a stiff drink, ignoring the part deep inside of me that is wagging her finger and telling me that drinking is not the answer. My mother is proof of that.
When the bartender asks what I would like, I tell her I don’t care. She grabs a metal shaker, pours a few different ingredients into it, then shakes it all up. Grabbing a tall shot glass, she pours the bright red concoction into it then grabs a strawberry, slipping it onto the rim. “One red-headed slut,” she announces as she lays down a napkin in front of me and sets the drink on it. I bark out a loud laugh at the name. How fitting. I down the alcoholic beverage and ask for another.
Just as she’s taking my empty glass, a good-looking gentleman approaches and says, “Make that two.”
“But you don’t even know what I’m drinking,” I sass.
“If you’re drinking it, I’m sure it’s top shelf. I can’t imagine you wasting your time on anything less.”
The bartender repeats what she did before, only this time doubling the ingredients. When she sets our glasses in front of us, she once again says, “Two red-headed sluts.” The gentleman laughs with a shake of his head. We both take a glass and, after clinking them against each other, throw our shots back.
“Real nice,” I hear a voice hiss. When I turn around, I spot Jase. At one point he must’ve been in a suit, but now, his jacket is missing and his powder blue button down shirt is rolled up at the sleeves, exposing all of his sexy-as-sin tattoos. His hair is gelled neatly to the side, and peeking out of his collar are a few more intricate tattoos. He screams sex and bad boy and… cheater. “You are aware my daughter is a redhead as well,” he points out.
“And you do know she isn’t the slut I would be referring to had I actually picked the drink.” I wave him off. The bartender, God love her, hands me another shot, which I down as quickly as the last two. “She picked the drink, not me, but I must say it is rather fitting.”
I slam the glass down and walk away from Jase. I don’t realize he’s following me until I enter the ladies room and hear the door close behind me. When I whirl around, Jase is standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, his muscular forearms on display.
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you,” he says with a smirk.
“Fuck you.”
“Tsk, tsk, that’s not very ladylike, Celeste. What would all your admirers think if they heard you talking like trailer trash instead of the high class woman everyone knows you as?” They would probably think it makes more sense since that’s where I came from…
“For your information,” I hiss, ignoring his question, “I’m not jealous.”
“As you shouldn’t be.” Jase shrugs nonchalantly, but when he speaks, his words are anything but. “You have everything you could ever want, right? Money, fame, status. You achieved every dream you ever dreamt.” He steps closer and I back up, my butt hitting the edge of the marble counter.
“Maybe you should focus on your perfect little family and not worry about what I have.” I wait to see if he confirms or denies what I’m implying, but he does neither, giving nothing away.
Instead, he simply laughs, but it comes out all wrong. It doesn’t sound melodic and carefree and beautiful like I remember it sounding all those years ago. No, this laugh is devoid of all humor and happiness. He places his hands on either side of my body, caging me in. “The perfect family?” He chuckles darkly. “You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.” When the coolness of his breath hits my ear, I let out a shaky breath. It’s been too long since I felt Jase’s body against mine. He’s so close. His groin rubs against my front, and I shiver in response. Damn traitor body.