Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 53034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
“Right back at you. Have fun with Lucien. You’ll be in Hawaii, how can you not have fun?”
Worry gnaws at my stomach. Why am I doing this to myself? I let my pride make this decision, and the chances of that choice backfiring are very high.
“At least I’ll get lei’d,” I say weakly. “Spelled l-e-i, of course.”
Mara gives me a pointed look. “Sweetie, if you don’t know you and Lucien are going to hook up on this trip, you’re the only one.”
My stomach does another full roll of nervousness. Or maybe it’s excitement? Either way, I do have enough sense left to not dig myself into an even deeper hole.
“Lucien and I are just friends.”
Mara purses her lips and meets Lainey’s gaze. “Isn’t she adorable? We’re going to be shopping for wedding dresses with her by this time next year.”
“Strapless all the way,” Lainey says. “She’s going to be a beautiful bride.”
“Stop!” My face heats as I take cash out of my wallet to leave on the table for my tea. “Men and women can be just friends, you know.”
“Of course they can,” Mara says. “But not you and Lucien. And I’m guessing you won’t have to spank that one to get him off, girl.”
“Lucien’s a great guy,” Lainey says. “Bash told me he’s really close with his sister. When she had cancer, he stepped in and helped a lot.”
My heartstrings don’t just get tugged by learning that. It’s more like a powerful yank. He’s good to his sister, and that says a lot about his character.
No, I’m not going there. Lucien is a hockey player. I’ll take his friendship and his compliments, but I will not get stupid over him. Fool me once and all.
“Speaking of Lucien, I’m supposed to meet up with him to go over our packing lists,” I say, standing up.
“Don’t forget condoms,” Mara says, smirking. “Lots of condoms.”
“And lube,” Lainey adds.
My brows shoot up in surprise. “You look so sweet and innocent, and then you tell me to bring lube on a trip where no sex will be taking place.”
She shrugs. “Lie to us all you want, just don’t lie to yourself. Prep your lady bits and bring lube.”
That fluttering sensation in my stomach returns. Probably just from the mention of having sex. It’s been a long time. Kyle and I hadn’t had sex in months when he broke things off.
“I just want to get through this,” I say. “That’s it. Just survive it without crying in front of Kyle or Audra. Lucien is my emotional support human. Nothing more.”
Lucien’s house is cozy. Even though the massive brick home is near the back of a gated community, almost an hour outside of Cleveland, it’s a lot more comfortable than I expected.
The leather furniture has throw pillows and a chunky throw blanket draped over the back of the couch. A fire crackles in the fireplace, a giant painting of a little cabin with glowing light emanating from the windows during a snowstorm hangs over the mantle.
“Do you have a wife you haven’t mentioned?” I ask as I shed my coat and look around the space.
“Nope. I picked most of this stuff out myself. My sister helped some.” He picks up my coat. “I’ll hang this up for you.”
That’s ... unexpected. Kyle was my first serious boyfriend and he threw his coat wherever when he came inside, then flopped onto his couch to play video games.
“Thanks. Is it just you and your sister? Any other siblings?”
“Just me and Calla. She actually got some great news a couple days ago. She’s a breast cancer survivor. Her first follow-up scan was inconclusive, so she had to go back for more. It was really stressful, but she’s all clear.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
He comes back into the large living room, which is open to the modern kitchen with white cabinetry and dark stone counters. “We lost our mom to breast cancer when we were both teenagers, so it was ...” He shakes his head. “I don’t even know how to describe the way I felt when she told me.”
“I can’t imagine. I’m so sorry about your mom.”
Warmth flickers in his eyes as he nods. “Anyway, Calla’s good. Have you eaten? I saved you some lasagna.”
I furrow my brow and follow him to the kitchen area. “I’m good, thanks. You cook, too?”
He turns to face me, folding his arms. His expression is amused. “What do you mean, too?”
I look around. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“You thought I’d just have two recliners and a big-screen TV?”
“Kind of,” I admit.
“Fully functioning adult here. I don’t cook, though. There’s a chef who preps meals for a bunch of us single guys on the team that we can freeze and eat when we’re home.”
I smile, my shoulders sinking with relief. “Okay, I feel a little bit better about living with my dad and surviving on grilled cheese sandwiches.”