Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
“He’s drop-dead gorgeous, rich as hell, athletic, and I don’t think he wants more than a one-night thing, if you catch my drift. I’d probably spontaneously combust if he touched me.”
“Landry’s been through his fair share of shit,” Emmett chimed in. “He’s sworn off relationships, but there’s more than meets the eye.”
I cleared my throat, walking up and making my presence known. I put one hand on Jamie’s shoulder. The two of them didn’t know I’d overheard their conversation, but Jamie still perked up as he saw me.
It stirred a particular, silent satisfaction in me. He definitely wasn’t spontaneously combusting from me touching him.
“Guess what?” I said.
“Hmm?” Jamie responded blushing a little in that way I was starting to get addicted to.
“I think I’m going to need your help with cooking after all,” I said. “I got invited to a potluck next week, and I think they’re sick of me bringing the same store-bought chocolate cake every time.”
“Chocolate cake is so easy,” Jamie said. “As long as you get the right kind of cocoa powder. Dutched cocoa is always a good option, but sometimes regular dark can be just as good.”
As I sat back down at the table, I kept Jamie talking about food, his family, and life by the beach. It turned out that similar to skiing, Jamie did best in conversation when we took things nice and slow.
And with him, maybe I could enjoy slow.
Even if he didn’t want a casual hookup, and I’d have killed for one night with him, I could still be his friend.
When lunch was over and everyone started filtering back up to their rooms, I hung back with Jamie.
“You look good after a morning of skiing,” I told him.
He looked at me with those wide, deerlike eyes again. “You seem to look good every moment of every day, as far as I’ve seen.”
I relished the compliment probably a little more than I should have. “Thank you.”
He bit the inside of his cheek. “Damn. I promised myself I’d be better at this today.”
“Better at what?”
Something simmered behind his eyes.
“Flirting with you,” Jamie said.
A thrill ran through my body. “Oh, you’re flirting with me, huh? Seemed to me like you weren’t interested in spending any time with me last night.”
“Are you kidding?” he said, his eyebrows shooting up. “You’re the hottest person I’ve ever seen in real life. Of course I’m interested.”
“Trying to make me blush now?”
Jamie shook his head. “Last night I just… thought I’d be more comfortable in the smaller bar. I don’t think I’d fit in at a fancy lounge that costs five hundred dollars just to be able to walk into.”
I reached out one hand, gently touching the side of his hip, giving him a little squeeze. “Well, meet me in the little pub tonight, then.”
There was a wild look in his eyes, and I wasn’t sure if it was because my hand was on his body or because of what I’d said.
“No obligations, of course,” I said softly, but as I stood there staring at his plush lips and comforting eyes, I sure as hell hoped he’d say yes.
“Okay,” he said finally, like he was snapping out of a trance. “I don’t know why you’d ask me when there are dozens of other—”
“Because I like you, Jamie,” I said simply. “I want to be your friend.”
There was that telltale blush again. “Even though we barely know each other?”
His words hit me harder than he ever could have known. Strangely, after I’d proposed to Parker on bended knee, he’d said something similar, eight months ago. We don’t even know each other that well.
I had known Parker very well, in my opinion, after bending over backward to make our secret relationship possible. But apparently, it hadn’t been enough for him. I wanted commitment, family, and kids, and he didn’t. He’d been screwing around with other guys behind my back.
I didn’t want to hope for too much, ever again.
Friendship was easier.
“All friends have to start somewhere,” I offered him, trying to shake off ugly memories from the past. “And sometimes, I just know I like someone from the moment I meet them. I feel that way with you.”
To my relief, Jamie nodded. “I agree. Okay.”
“To being friends,” I told him.
A smile started to play at the corner of Jamie’s lips. “To being friends. And I like you, too, even if I feel more out of place here than a lobster in a lion’s den,” he said, a sparkle of something playful behind his eyes.
He made me laugh, and all of the tension of thinking about my past melted away. “Lobster in a lion’s den? More like a hot surfer in a polar bear’s cave.”
He bit his lower lip as he smiled, agreeing with me.
God, I wanted to kiss that mouth.
Every fiber of my body wanted to lean in and press my lips to his.