Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Ouch!”
“Try and tell me I’m wrong.” He arches a brow, his hand pausing over the bar to fix me with a challenging stare—a challenge I know I would lose every day of the week.
I roll my eyes. We both know he’s right, but admitting it feels like a crime against myself. I’m saved by the bell as Sarah strides through the doors with a wide grin across her face, looking more than ready to let off a little steam.
“Ahhhh. I stand corrected. Perhaps you’re not a miserable little loner after all,” Oxley chimes, already working on a drink for Sarah as though knowing her order like it’s permanently etched into his brain. A teasing smirk dances on his lips. “Perhaps you’re a miserable little couple.”
“Hey,” Sarah says, dropping down beside me at the bar. “I heard that.”
“You were meant to,” Oxley laughs, sliding her drink toward her like the perfect bartender.
Sarah lets out a huff, her gaze swinging toward me. “I’ve had the worst freaking day,” she says, lifting her glass to her lips, bypassing the straw, and drinking straight from the rim. Actually, drinking is the wrong word. It’s more like a desperate chug. The half-empty glass is put back on the bar, and she takes a breath, having to wipe the sides of her lips clean. “Do you have any idea how stupid some people can be? It’s Blushing. Our hospital is supposed to be nearly empty, but the second the snow rolled in, it’s as though people’s brain cells got frozen along with it.”
Sarah launches into the rundown of her day, and I smile and laugh along with her stories before she throws the limelight onto me, and I go into vast detail about how well I’ve managed to avoid Nick over the last few days. I tell her about our lunch together in my kitchen and how effortless it felt, and by the time my cheeks have finished flushing at the very thought of him, we’re both drunk.
Oxley becomes our designated server for the night, keeping a close eye on us as other bar-goers try to shamelessly hit on us, but hell, if they’re willing to buy us a few drinks, I’m willing to spend their money.
We outlast nearly everyone in the bar, and it’s not until a familiar scent assaults my senses and my skin becomes hyper-aware of the man standing behind me that my gaze shoots up to Oxley’s in accusation. “You called the fun police?”
“No,” he says. “You called him.”
My face scrunches. Surely he’s lying because I know without a doubt that I wouldn’t have called that grumpy-ass. But then, maybe I would.
Sarah’s face twists with confusion, clearly having no idea what I’ve already sensed behind me. As she turns, her face quickly morphs into horror. “Oh noooo,” she groans, her head having to tilt back just to meet his stare. She nudges me with her elbow, just in case I haven’t noticed him, before leaning toward me, blinking rapidly as though trying to blink him out of existence. “I think Nick is here. Or maybe he’s not. I think there’s two of him.” She leans forward, almost tumbling off her barstool as she takes a deep breath, sniffing him, and if it weren’t for Nick catching her and pushing her back, she’d already be on the dirty ground. “Shit, B. He smells good. I wonder if he fucks as good as he smells.”
A lazy grin stretches across my face, remembering it all so damn well. “Oh, he does.”
Feeling his heated stare shift toward me, I risk meeting his eyes, and damn it, that was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. The way he’s looking at me right now, all dominating and filled with intense hunger, I’m at risk of dropping to my knees right here.
My tongue rolls over my bottom lip, and I can’t help but reach toward him, my fingers grazing over the front of his shirt, feeling the defined ridges of his abs below. “Hmmmm. I’ve missed you,” I say, jumping up from the barstool and having to fist my fingers into the material of his shirt to keep from swaying. “Why don’t we head out to that truck of yours and I’ll show you just how much I’ve missed you?”
Nick’s deep blue eyes seem to penetrate mine and dive right down into my soul before he cuts our connection and glances toward Oxley. “Just how fucking drunk are they?”
Oxley grins. “You don’t wanna know the answer to that.”
“Shit.”
Nick’s hand finds my waist before sliding right around to my back, holding me close to his chest before glancing at Sarah. “Come on,” he says to her, offering a hand to keep her steady. “Get in my truck.”
My eyes widen, snapping up to Nick’s. “Oh. I didn’t realize you were into sharing,” I slur, gripping his strong arm, my fingers slowly working their way up and around the back of his neck. “I mean, it’ll be a tight fit for the three of us, and I can’t promise that I won’t get jealous, but if that’s what you really want . . .”