Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Unfortunately, that someone is Cassidy, who sits down next to me uninvited, forcing Maverick to scoot over.
“Trouble in paradise?” she asks, giving me a coy smile.
“What? No.”
“You and Kylie haven’t said a word to each other all night.”
I scoff. “We’ve been here for like an hour and she’s been busy chatting with friends. We’re good.”
“It’s because she brought her kid, isn’t it? Kids are a lot. Nothing ruins a romantic evening like a whiny kid.”
Staring ahead at the fire crackling in a tall stone fireplace, I ask, “What do you want, Cassidy?”
“I’ll give you a hint.” She puts a hand on my knee, and I feel a slight scrape from her long, fake pink nails. “What I want is in your pants.”
Not in the mood for her shit, I glare at her. “Are you for real? I already told you I have a girlfriend. I’m not interested.”
Cassidy removes her hand and narrows her eyes. “And clearly that’s going great. Can I tell you a secret?”
Eli meets my gaze and passes me another beer. This will have to be my last one since I’m driving Kylie and Jasmine home later. I finish off the one I’m drinking and open the new one, not answering Cassidy’s question.
She leans in close and speaks next to my ear. “I don’t like men who fall all over me. They’re boring. I like a man who hates himself a little bit for fucking me but can’t help himself at the same time.”
Out of patience, I’m on the verge of telling her to fuck off when Kylie appears, wearing a black low-cut tankini, her hair down around her shoulders.
Holy shit. I meant it when I said she’d look sexy in any suit, but this one is…a fucking fantasy.
“Cute suit,” Cassidy says with an edge. “Those are the ones for women without abs, right?”
Kylie ignores her, taking both of my hands in hers.
“Swim with me, babe,” she says. “I guess we’ll have to leave our suits on this time, though.”
Cassidy huffs next to me and I stand, my gaze locked onto Kylie. Am I hard? Hell yes. Do I care who knows it? Not at this moment.
Kylie drops my hands as we walk away, and I remember that we have to play it platonic tonight. That’s a damn shame, because all I want is to put my hands and mouth all over her.
I pull my T-shirt off over my head as we walk to the pool, tossing it on an empty chair. Pike’s already in the pool, sitting at one end on the stairs with an arm around Indie and a beer in hand.
The pool is huge, quadruple the size of any backyard pool I’ve ever seen. The kids are all playing under a built-in waterfall while the adults chill at this end. Kylie sits down next to Indie, and I sit on her other side, her shoulder touching my bicep.
Kylie leans close. “She looked like she was about to eat you; I thought you’d want me to save you.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I lick my dry lips, forcing myself to look away from the view of her breasts in the swimsuit. But they’re right there, and a few seconds later, I’m forcing myself to look away again.
“You okay?” Kylie asks me.
I’m great. It’s just taking every ounce of strength I have not to touch you right now, that’s all.
“Yeah, I’m good. How about you? Are you having a good time?”
“I’m having a great time. It was a busy day at work, and this is so relaxing. Thanks for inviting us.”
“Anywhere I’m at, you’re invited, too.”
Kylie holds my gaze, and while I can’t figure out every emotion I see in her face, I know for sure I see desire. Her skin is slightly flushed and her longing is palpable. That kiss at the VIP event was just the tip of the iceberg between us, and we both know it.
If we let it, the spark between us could become a full-on blaze, burning hotter and brighter than anything I’ve known before. It would die down into nothing, though, when she realized I’m only about half the man she thinks I am.
Maverick approaches and calls out to me and Pike.
“Hey, we’re playing beach volleyball. Get your asses over there.”
I don’t feel like moving from my spot next to Kylie, but I get up and follow Pike to the sand volleyball court anyway. Once the volleyball games start, they go on and on all night. We only stop to eat, and then the team that has lost the most games (which isn’t mine) wants to keep playing.
So much for a relaxing night before the road trip. The only time I see Kylie for the rest of the night is on our drive home, with Jasmine passed out asleep in the back seat.
“She’ll be talking about that dog nonstop now,” Kylie whispers as I carry Jasmine up the front sidewalk to their house.