Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
He laughs. “I think you’ve already guessed. But I’m cool if you want to pretend.”
I inwardly cringe at his words.
We’re pretending right now by having this conversation without me telling him the truth. We’re pretending we’re the same old Max and Damien, the friendship, even an ocean between us, couldn’t end.
But this might end it. Me and Danielle. The amazing and destructive thing we’re building together.
Or that I want to build.
I need to speak to her, but not here.
As we walk toward the house, my instincts start flaring. It’s the same way I feel at night before Danielle, and I start our lust-filled texting. It’s like my body is waking up, going to high-alert mode, as if part of me believes I’m going to push this door open and charge in there, grab Danielle and disappear upstairs.
Max pushes the door open.
“Surprise!”
Two dozen people, maybe more, crowd the entranceway.
Max’s wife, Lacey, holds one end of the banner which reads Welcome Home. I follow the lettering, my gaze moving over the faces of people I recognize, friends and acquaintances from before I moved overseas.
Danielle holds the other end of the banner. She meets my eyes, smiling shakily, her body seeming to tremble slightly.
Or is that the animal inside of me, the one who roars and howls with desire when I see her in the summer dress?
Maybe I’m shaking so much that I think she must be too.
I’m trembling like a bomb, ready to explode on the inside.
Her dress is long and flowy, the material settling against her curvy form. Her hair is gorgeously wavy down to her shoulders.
She’s even more beautiful in real life than in photos, with a flush spreading across her face down her neck. The redness tempts me as if inviting me to pull down the front of her dress and see if that redness has spread.
“Wow,” I say, after a long pause.
Everybody laughs…except for Danielle.
At first, she just stares as if she’s too paralyzed to respond.
But then she joins in, and I get the message.
We’re going to pretend everything is normal.
We’re going to act like every instinct in our bodies isn’t willing us closer and closer together.
“Hey, man,” Ryan says, walking forward. “Welcome home.”
I do my best to say hello to everyone when really it’s taking every piece of me not to run across the room and grab my woman.
The text exchanges come back to me full force as I shake hands and smile my hellos. I do my best to be friendly, not to let this detonation inside of me guide my behavior, but it’s difficult.
She’s tempting me.
Just by being there.
She’s calling to me.
“Nice to see you, Lacey,” I say.
She smiles up at me. She’s a short woman with dyed blonde hair styled in a bun. “How are you finding the city?”
People are beginning to disperse all around us. Max guiding everyone into the backyard with the promise of food.
But Lacey and Danielle are still holding onto the banner.
I look at Lacey, imagining something is holding my head in place to stop me from giving in to the temptation at the periphery of my vision.
She’s right there.
“Fine,” I say, after a long awkward pause. “The driving’s taking some getting used to.”
Lacey laughs as she walks toward Danielle, folding the banner as she goes.
“This is Danielle. Danielle, do you remember Damien?”
“Remember him?” she says. “I was ten when he left. Plus, he’s on TV. So, of course, I do.”
Lacey chuckles. “Well, excuse me. I didn’t mean to offend her holiness.”
Danielle rolls her eyes, then looks at me. It almost breaks me as we stare at each other, into each other.
“Didn’t I tell you I was working with him?” Danielle says.
Lacey laughs again as she takes the banner. “No, you didn’t. I guess you’ve been a little preoccupied. With us all working such different hours, sometimes I feel like we need a weekly meeting to catch up.”
Danielle turns to Lacey at the catch in her voice.
“We will,” she says. “I’d love that. Let’s arrange something.”
Lacey smiles, and my heart glows at the kindness in my woman. The future mother of my children is overflowing with selflessness and love.
“Hello,” she says, turning back to me.
“Hello,” I reply, my voice getting husky despite my efforts against it.
“Shall we get some food?” Lacey says. “I’m starving.”
“Sure,” Danielle mutters, her eyes locked on me.
I can’t look away either, but it’s beginning to become obvious. At least, it feels like that, as if everybody else is crazy for not being able to see how badly I want her.
The fabric of her summer dress outlines her ass temptingly as she turns and begins to walk into the house.
I swallow as I look greedily at it, my cock twinging, threatening to erupt into hardness.
Quickly looking away, I follow her, promising myself that’s the last time I’ll let myself go like that.