Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
He turned away again and I sighed. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of drunk people I didn’t even particularly like. I knew I could go look for Becka and Matt but I had a feeling I wouldn’t like what I’d find. I had absolutely zero intention of ever seeing my cousin have sex with anyone.
“I’ve got water,” a deep voice called, from somewhere on my right.
I turned, my eyes locking on a large torso covered in a light gray flannel. Well, at least this guy didn’t feel the need to dress like it was still summer. I looked up and froze.
I’d never really felt attracted to anyone in real life. There were men on television that I’d thought were handsome and a couple of singers that had a particular pull, but it wasn’t until that moment that I understood why the girls I’d grown up with went crazy over boys.
He was incredibly tall and his shoulders were massive. Short hair, stubble-covered jaw, and intense blue eyes that I couldn’t seem to look away from. Holy crap.
“I’ve got some water,” he repeated, jerking his head toward the row of cars. “It’s in my car.”
“Oh,” I muttered, still unable to look away. “Um, thanks but—”
“Bottles,” he said, cutting me off. “Still sealed and everything.”
“Oh, no,” I shook my head. “I didn’t think you were trying to drug me.” I laughed and looked down, gesturing at myself.
The man’s lips twitched. “Relieved to hear it,” he muttered quietly.
“What?” I was still staring. I knew it and I couldn’t seem to stop. He was gorgeous. His face was perfectly symmetrical, I realized. Maybe that was why he was so beautiful. It looked like his nose had been broken at some point, but his jaw was chiseled and his lips were full. There was a hardness about him, an intensity that made me nervous but also seemed to pull me in. I was clearly losing it.
“You want to stay here and I’ll go get it?” he asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Water,” I blurted, finally catching the thread of the conversation. I glanced behind me at Travis, who was trying to get a couple of guys to hold his legs while he climbed on top of the keg. “I’ll come with you,” I told the stranger impulsively.
“Alright,” he said, shrugging. “I’m parked right over there.”
We walked side by side toward the line of cars and as the bonfire’s light grew fainter I wondered belatedly if I’d just made a very bad decision.
“I’m Otto,” he said, looking down at me.
“Esther,” I replied.
“Pretty name.”
“It’s an old lady name,” I argued easily.
He jerked a little in surprise, then relaxed again as if it hadn’t happened.
“I don’t know any old ladies named Esther,” he said in amusement. “Do you?”
“Well, no,” I conceded. “Except from the Bible.”
“Oh,” he joked. “So really old ladies.”
“You could say that.”
“I like it.” He shrugged. “Don’t meet a lot of Esthers.”
“I’ve never met another Otto.”
“My parents have a sense of humor,” he muttered.
“No, I think it’s cool,” I argued, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “I like unique names.”
“So do my parents,” he said dryly as we reached his car. “Give me a second, I think they’re in the back seat.”
“You carry water bottles around in your car?” I asked, stopping at the hood while he walked toward the driver’s side.
“You don’t?” he asked, ducking into the car.
“I don’t have a car,” I replied, raising my voice so he could hear me.
“You drive?” he asked, his big body straightening as he lifted two bottles in one hand.
“I can,” I replied. “But I don’t have a car. I just borrow my parents’ car for work and stuff.”
“Oh, yeah? Where do you work?” He strode back over and handed me a water as he leaned back and rested his butt against the hood of the car.
“My family has a nursery,” I replied. “Thanks.” The water was a little warm from sitting in the car, but I’d broken the seal on the top so I figured it was okay.
“You just graduated with the rest of those bozos, right?” he asked.
I choked on the water in my mouth.
“Yes,” I wheezed. “With my cousin, Becka.”
There was no sign of recognition on his face.
“Pretty? Blonde? Goes out with Matt Shepherd?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Oh.” I looked away and twisted the cap back on my water. I wasn’t really sure what to say. Everyone knew Becka. Considering the way we’d been raised, it was incredible really, but she was one of the most popular girls in our class.
“I didn’t spend much time with underclassmen,” he said easily. “I graduated year before last.”
“You went to school with us?” I asked in surprise, looking at him again. “No you didn’t. I definitely would have remembered you.”
He laughed and it felt like my entire belly and chest filled with hot lava. The smile changed his entire face. His eyes crinkled at the corners and his teeth were perfectly white and straight and oh, god, I was staring again.