Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
He’d brought flowers when he picked her up.
For me.
Said he wanted to thank me for watching the kids so he could take her out. I’m not saying I melted into a little puddle of warm goo or anything, but a girl’s just not natural if she doesn’t love fresh flowers.
I’d made it through both my second beer and a second episode of the Kardashians when my phone buzzed.
Shade: Hows it going?
Me: I’m drinkng alone in the dark and watching the kardashians.
Shade: ouch
Me: No kidding. They don’t even work for a living. Why do they get to wear shiny stuff and travel all over while I have to wait tables?
Shade: Well the fact that the $500 I gave you as a tip is still sitting in Bones office might be part of the problem. If your goal is money then you’re doing it wrong
He made a good point. I looked around the room, thinking of all the things we could do with five hundred bucks. I’d start with a new couch, I decided. I could probably find one on Craigslist for less than two hundred. Preferably one that didn’t still smell faintly of the disgusting AXE body spray Randy loved so much.
We could really use a new table, too. Or a new TV—ours had a blue band on the left side, running right through the picture. I took another drink. If I had to be honest, everything in the whole damned house needed replacing. The girls had a decent bed, of course. And we kept it as clean as we could. But the trailer was old and faded and there was a strange smell in the bathroom that never quite went away…
To hell with new furniture—we needed a new house. Five hundred bucks wouldn’t make a dent. Depressing.
Me: I’m bored. What are you doing?
Shade: I’m at the bar. Bone has been glaring at me all night because I told him you can’t work tomorrow
Me: We already covered this. I’m going in to work. New topic
Shade: What are you wearing?
Me: Clothes. You?
Shade: I’m in a bar. What do you think?
Me: A fancy dress with lots and lots of ribbons
Shade: Sure, it’s red with black lace. And underneath it is super sexy lingerie. Now tell me what’s under your clothes…
I snickered. Had to give him credit—the guy never gave up. Pushing myself off the couch, I went over to the girls’ door and peeked in. All three of them were sound asleep, the pink glow of the night-light bathing their little faces. Then I walked into the kitchen and grabbed another beer before going into Hannah’s room. She’d said I could have the bed that night and I planned to take her up on it.
Setting the beer down, I unbuttoned my jeans and pushed them down, grabbing a pair of sleep shorts out of the laundry basket. Then I slid my arms into my shirt and reached around behind to unhook the bra. Feeling lazy, I let it fall to the floor before climbing into the bed and propping myself up against the pillows.
The phone buzzed again.
Shade: Waiting
Me: I just took off my bra and got into bed
Shade: Tell me more
Me: About what?
Shade: Tell me what else you took off or I’ll come and see for myself. I could be there in five minutes
Oh, shit. Would he really come here? Of course he would. Shade didn’t do the whole boundaries thing. He didn’t do shame, either. He wasn’t the kind of guy to show up with pizza while you’re babysitting, but he’d make a booty call after the kids went to sleep. I’d bet money on it.
Me: Bad idea
Shade: Talk to me then
Me: I’m wearing sleep shorts and a T-shirt. Not sexy at all
Shade: Nope, definitely not sexy. You should take them off. Much sexier
I laughed despite myself, then took a deep drink of the beer. Warmth settled into my stomach, and I scooted lower into the bed.
Me: I’m leaving them on, but I’m sliding my hand down into my shorts.
Shade: Touch yourself. You wet?
A tingle of awareness rushed through me. I shivered.
Me: where does phone sex fall in terms of one night stands?
Shade: Phone sex doesn’t count. But think how much fun it’d be if you didn’t have to type everything. Call me.
Calling was probably a bad idea, I thought.
He’s right, though, Wonder Woman said. Phone sex doesn’t count. Everyone knows that.
Hmmm…she probably knew what she was talking about, right? I mean, she was a demi-goddess. I killed the rest of my beer, found his name in my contact list and hit the dial button.
“Mandy,” he said, that low, gritty voice of his sending shivers through me just like it had the first time I’d heard it. “Wasn’t sure you’d call.”
I heard the noise of the bar in the background, but it was getting softer. Like he was walking away.