Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Vega!” I hissed, finding her walking up to the back of the couch where a sleeping Cesare was sprawled, an arm draped over his face, his whole torso on display.
Which was why my cousin was getting close.
With her camera out.
To take a picture of the sleeping man.
She shot me a wicked smirk, and I heard the shutter of her camera before she tucked her phone away again, gesturing toward the kitchen, where I was heading after I quickly brushed my teeth.
I felt a little twitchy that I wasn’t giving myself a chance to shower before starting my day. But I had a feeling that being naked again was only going to bring those memories flooding back.
I needed my clothes. The ones that doubled as a shield. That masked everything beneath.
“You’re cooking right now?” Vega asked, perched on the kitchen counter in nothing but a long t-shirt and, I hoped, panties. “With a hot, mostly naked man asleep on the couch?”
“He’s half-naked at most,” I objected, turning toward the cabinet, and pulling out the makings for pancakes. “And, eventually, he will wake up, and will likely be hungry,” I said, moving around all but silently, finding a bowl and utensils, then starting to measure things out.
“Fine, yeah, but you should be jumping his bones right now, not cooking.”
“Jumping his bones,” I repeated. “With you right here?” I asked, shaking my head.
“Girl, I would never be a clam jam.”
“A… what?” I asked, knowing almost immediately that I was going to regret the answer.
“The clam,” she said, gesturing toward her crotch, “jam. I would never jam your clam, girl. That’s what I’m getting at. If you wanted to go over there and get the friction on, I will see myself to my room, put on my headphones, and be in a whole different world.”
“Thanks for the offer, but no, I will not be accosting the man in his sleep.”
“Please,” Vega said, rolling her eyes over the rim of her coffee. “I saw the way that man was looking at you. It would be consensual accosting.”
“Would that stand up in court?” I asked. “And he didn’t look at me in any unique way,” I insisted.
“Mere, I love you. But you are truly blind when it comes to the opposite sex.”
“I am just reasonable about the opposite sex,” I insisted.
Sure, things had gotten carried away the night before, but in the harsh light of morning, I was starting to see things a little more clearly. Namely, that Cesare was a very attractive man who could have just about any woman he wanted. The chances of him wanting me were slim to none.
I had just been there.
That was all.
If we were in a normal crowd of people, he wouldn’t have chosen me.
I wasn’t trying to be negative about myself, just realistic.
“Listen, I get it,” Vega said, exhaling a bit. “He’s hot. And not just like regular hot. He’s super hot. And it’s hard for you to think that he might want you because you clearly don’t see yourself as clearly as everyone else does. But you’re hot shit too. And he, being a seeing man, noticed.”
I said nothing to that, just waited for the pan to heat up, not wanting to risk that dreaded first “practice pancake” all pale and sad-looking.
“Maybe it’s a good thing that he’s not long for the area, y’know?” Vega went on. “Maybe you put too much pressure on your interactions with men. This could be a fun way to subvert that. Just a fun little fling you can easily move on from when he heads back to the city.”
It was silly, but just the mention of him going back to the city made my stomach drop a little.
“I’m not interested in a fling.”
“You’re not interested in anything with men,” Vega countered.
“So?” I asked, even though the constant, distracting pressure on my lower stomach told me that there was definitely interest. And unfulfilled desire.
“Listen, if you genuinely just want to be alone, that’s fine. I just… I don’t think that’s the case. I think you’re scared of anyone accepting you the way you are. But, uhm, newsflash, cuz, you love to cook and clean. I’m pretty sure every guy would count themselves lucky to have you in their life. And with that, I will stop nagging.”
“Good.”
“But not talking about what a yummy piece of man meat that is over there,” she said, looking over her shoulder toward the couch as a grumbling sound escaped me. “Oh, come on. You know it’s true. Those muscles? The tattoos? My God,” she said, fanning herself with her hand.
“He’s attractive, yeah,” I agreed, getting an eye roll from my cousin. “Are you off work today?” I asked.
“No.”
“Really?” I asked, looking up.
“I know, right? There’s like another foot or more out there, but somehow, I have to schlep my ass into work. We are still working on that case. Hank is a bit uncharacteristically motivated by it. What about you?”