Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
She shrugs and shifts her attention back to rinsing the empty lasagna pan under the sink. “I’ve been chilling with RJ. All that make-up sex, you know?”
“Nope, I wouldn’t know,” I answer sheepishly, because I’ve never even had sex, let alone the make-up kind.
“Yeah, well, let’s keep it that way for a while,” my sister says, snapping into maternal mode.
“I’ll see what I can do” is my light response.
That instantly gets her back up. “What does that mean?”
I turn to find her gaze boring into my face. Flickering with suspicion and something else I can’t quite decipher. “What?”
“I mean, who might you be having make-up sex with, Case?”
“Oh my God. Nobody. I was making a joke.” She remains unconvinced, and I roll my eyes. “I’m not sleeping with Fenn, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Yet.
I’m not sleeping with Fenn yet. But I keep that thought to myself. I’m not looking for a fight with Sloane tonight. Besides, if Fenn has anything to say about it, sex won’t be on the table for another decade. He’s determined to go excruciatingly slow.
She bristles at the sound of his name. Her mouth opens, eyes darkening again. She looks as if she’s about to say something I’m not going to like, but then the doorbell rings.
“Lucas is here,” I say, oddly relieved by the interruption. “You mind finishing up?”
After a beat, she nods. “Yeah. Sure.”
In the front hall, I open the door to let Lucas Ciprian in. As usual, Dad is hovering in the doorway leading to his study. He does this every time anyone with a penis enters our home, needing to scope out the situation to determine whether he believes said penis will remain in its owner’s pants. If Dad gets even a whiff of suspicion otherwise, he usually wanders over with a blithe smile and suggests, Hey, why don’t we all watch a movie together? Doesn’t that sound like fun?
I still remember the look on Duke Jessup’s face the first time Dad pulled that trick. I’m sure Duke came over thinking he was going to get laid—instead, he spent the night watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with Dad sandwiched between him and Sloane. I don’t even like Indiana Jones, but I came downstairs to watch with them solely for the comedy appeal. And I’m not talking about Harrison Ford’s cheesy one-liners.
Dad doesn’t interfere with Lucas, though. He’s the one who introduced me to Lucas in the first place when he arranged for him to tutor me in chemistry first semester of sophomore year. For four months, Lucas came over twice a week with his textbooks and an easy smile, and it didn’t take long for the two of us to become good friends. Next to Fenn, Lucas is one of my favorite people.
“Hey.” I greet him with a big hug, ignoring Dad’s laser focus boring a hole into us. “Come in.”
“Hey.” He gives me a quick squeeze before stepping back to seek out Dad’s gaze. Lucas knows the drill. “Hi, Dr. Tresscott. Thanks for having me.”
I grab Lucas’s arm and practically drag him to the stairs. “Let’s go upstairs and pick something to watch. I vote for a rom-com.”
“Does my vote ever count?” he asks wryly.
I beam at him. “No.”
“Door open, Case.” Dad’s warning tickles our backs as we head up to my room.
As instructed, I leave the door open, but only a crack. Then I throw myself on the bed and hug one of my fluffy, white throw pillows. Lucas kicks off his shoes and joins me, making himself comfortable as he leans against the headboard.
“You look happy,” he tells me, eyes narrowed.
I giggle. “Is that a problem?”
“No. Of course not. Just want to make sure you’re aware.”
“I’m aware.”
He grabs the remote from the nightstand and clicks on one of the streaming sites. Rows of movie poster thumbnails fill the screen, and he begins scrolling through them.
“Rom-com, you say?”
“Yes, please.”
I rest my head on the throw pillow and watch Lucas’s profile as he peruses the selections. He’s got a great profile, I realize. We’re such good friends that sometimes I forget Lucas is actually kind of hot. He has dark hair that always looks a bit rumpled, in that cute, just-rolled-out-of-bed way. Dark eyes. Dimples. A little cleft in his chin. He’s not as tall or muscular as his older brother, Gabe, but he’s just as good-looking. Better looking, in my opinion. I didn’t know Gabe Ciprian well, but he always came off as very cocky. I’m okay with some cockiness in a guy, but too much of it and they veer too close to douche territory. Like Sloane’s ex, Duke. Duke is cocky to the max and therefore douchey to the max.
The chime of an incoming text jolts me out of my thoughts. I reach for the other nightstand to grab my phone, smiling when I see Fenn’s name.