Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
I came with a muffled grunt, spots dancing at the edges of my vision as my knees threatened to buckle. I gasped in a breath as I struggled to simply stay upright.
Fuck me.
Once I could move without falling flat on my face, I shut off the water and snagged the towel I’d slung over the top of the shower door.
I dried off fast, using the time to regain control of myself before I stepped out of the shower. I slung on a fresh pair of boxer briefs before I unlocked the door and stepped out. Crush was sitting on his bed, fully dressed, scrolling through his phone like he had no clue what I’d been doing. I knew better -- the man knew me better than anyone else ever could -- but I hoped.
He looked up. Didn’t smile, but I caught the glint of humor in his eye. Yeah. He knew. “Feel better?” he said, voice perfectly neutral.
“Fuck off.” I grabbed jeans and a shirt from my duffel and dressed with snappish movements.
Crush just shook his head and kept scrolling. “We’re leaving in thirty,” he said. “Wake River?”
“River is already awake.” She stood in the doorway to her room dressed in jeans, a purple University of Washington sweatshirt. A white T-shirt collar peeked above the neckline. She looked like every college student I’d ever seen in Seattle before Crush and I left to join the military. She smiled. “Morning. You guys eat yet?”
“Nope,” I said. “But I could.”
She smiled brightly. “I’m starving.” There was excitement in her gaze, and I swear she was actually bouncing with it.
I couldn’t help but grin. “Little anxious?”
“Nope!” Yeah. She was practically vibrating with energy. “But I drank three Redbulls a half hour ago! I’m ready!”
Crush snorted so hard he choked on his own spit, and I wasn’t far behind him. “Three Redbulls? Why the fuck would you do that?”
“I couldn’t sleep last night so I knew I needed a shot of caffeine and I really like Redbull so I ran out to the little convenience store across the parking lot and got some snacks for the road and drinks and --”
“Three Redbulls.” Me and Crush finished her sentence with her so we all spoke at the same time.
She took a breath before starting again. “I honestly don’t know why I did that. I was just so wired about today. I’ve never been so excited in my life!” She clasped her hands together, bouncing on her toes. “I feel like I could run a marathon or climb Mount Rainier or something equally ridiculous.”
I watched her fidget with the hem of her sweatshirt, her energy infectious despite the early hour. The caffeine had definitely kicked in, as evidenced by the way she kept shifting her weight from foot to foot.
“Jesus, River,” I said, unable to keep the amusement out of my voice. “You’re gonna crash hard later.”
“Worth it,” she said, flashing me that grin that made my chest tight. “Besides, I figure if I’m going on some mysterious adventure with two bikers I’ve known for less than twenty-four hours, I might as well be fully caffeinated for the experience!”
Crush stood up, shouldering his duffel. “Smart thinking. We should grab breakfast and get moving. Pike Place opens early, but it gets crowded fast.”
Breakfast was terrible. Watery orange juice, soggy eggs, and a sad pastry tray. But River ate like she hadn’t seen food in days, all while talking nonstop. Normally the chatter would have been a special kind of hell for me, but I found myself enjoying the shit out of a caffeine-intoxicated River. Crush sipped hotel coffee and glared at a business guy who kept staring at River over the rim of his latte. If River noticed the tension in Crush’s gaze she didn’t comment, but I thought she was too excited to notice. I wolfed down three Danishes and two cups of coffee.
River drained her juice and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. She almost muffled an impressive belch before bursting into giggles. Christ, this woman! There was such joy and wonder on her face I had to wonder how much fun she’d had in life. Though she had a default setting of shy and reserved, the more comfortable she became around us, the more she loosened up and let more of her natural personality bleed out of her shell.
Fuck. I already missed the shower.
Pike Place Market looked exactly like it did in every Seattle tourist video I’d ever watched. Fish flying through the air, neon signs, street musicians competing with gulls for the loudest sound in a three-block radius, and a ton of people. Even in the morning. The air was a mess of saltwater, fried dough, and the faint, ever-present smell of fish and sea air. I loved it.
River walked between me and Crush, head on a swivel. Every time a fishmonger yelled, she started, turning this way and that trying to see the spectacle. When a violinist played a trembling phrase right in our path, she lit up like a kid at a birthday party. To say she didn’t want to miss anything was a vast understatement.