Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
I keep watching as he walks back over to me, takes a seat beside me, and then hands me my drink.
The taste of the vodka is a welcome distraction.
It courses down my throat, burning a wake in its path. I enjoy the burn. It makes me feel like I can do this.
I’ll need all the strength in the world for this.
“It’s a nice night,” I say, even though I sound like an idiot. Because what else do you say when you’re drinking with a bunch of guys, and one happens to be your father’s biggest enemy.
“You really must be hard up for entertainment, if you’re leading with that.”
Telling him he’s a jerk sits heavy on my lips, but I refrain. Instead, I give him a false smile.
“Then what do you guys normally talk about?”
“Pussy,” one says.
Alaric shoots him a look that puts the drunk idiot back in his place. I don’t know his name or what he even does for Alaric. I do remember him at the club, stone-cold and serious. Obviously, they don’t perceive me as a threat here on the boat, wherever we are. This will work to my advantage.
“What Tom meant to say is we talk about …” He lets out a chuckle. “Fuck it. I can’t think of anything.”
“Women it is.”
He shrugs.
“And when you aren’t talking about women …”
“We sure as shit aren’t talking about the weather.”
“Touché.” I lift my glass and down the rest of the clear liquid. “Then let’s talk about women. Or sex or whatever you guys talk about. But first another.”
Alaric’s mouth parts, and he smiles broadly before standing. This time he doesn’t take my glass. He takes the whole bottle. He holds it up to me.
“Glass or do you just want to drink straight from here?” He winks.
I grab the bottle from his hand and take a large swig, causing the boys to cheer and give me a round of applause.
“Careful. I don’t want you getting sick.”
His meaning comes in loud and clear, hinting at the night he played nurse when I had seasickness. What he doesn’t know is, I might be small, but I’m no lightweight.
Back in school, my roommate Hannah and I drank a lot. I’m no stranger to drinking heavily. I can hold my own. But he’s doesn’t need to know that, and he won’t.
“I’ll be fine,” I say and then giggle.
I see the look that passes between Alaric and his boys. The look that says she’s yours to take care of if she gets sick.
Good. Take the bait.
As we continue to drink, everyone around me loosens up.
Somehow, we venture into a conversation about sexual positions.
Now, I’m no prude or anything, but sitting around the room talking sex with a man who looks like Alaric has my cheeks feeling hot.
The man who I now know as Tom laughs about the last woman he slept with.
I listen with feigned interest, watching Alaric the whole time to see what he adds to the conversation.
“And you …” Tom asks, and I realize I was so enthralled with my father’s enemy, I didn’t realize what he asked. I look up at Alaric with confused eyes, and a wicked smirk lines his face.
“Position? Tom was just telling us he likes it when he doesn’t have to do any work. Now, he wanted to know your favorite.”
If my cheeks could get any warmer, they would be on fire, but I don’t let it stop me. Instead, I continue to look at the man whose attention I need. I lift my right index finger and start to trail it across my lips as I think.
“For me …” I can see the lust in his eyes and the way his gaze traces over my lips. I part my mouth, and his jaw twitches, his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, watching me. “Well, boys … That I’m not going to tell.” I wink at Alaric, and he rewards me with a smile. A heart-stopping smile. “On that note …” I move to stand and purposely stumble. Alaric is fast, and before I know it, I’m in his lap, his arms wrapped around me.
A slight breath escapes my lips at the contact. His fingers splay across my ribs. The position is intimate, and I tilt my head up to look at him.
He looks down at me, ready to meet my stare but not before an unspoken command is issued. The next thing I know, it’s only us.
The salty air feels warmer now. Or maybe it’s the proximity of our bodies.
With our eyes now locked, he pulls me closer. Close enough that my chest now touches his. I can feel him breathe. Can feel his heart as it beats against my own. The feeling is intoxicating. Regardless of why I’m here, or why I’m doing this, I can’t deny this pull between us right now. Despite the heat, goosebumps break out across my exposed skin. His fingers decadently trail up my arm as if he’s tracing them. He moves to my shoulder, across my collarbone, until his journey takes him to my jaw.