Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 153946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
His expression said it hadn’t occurred to him. “You think he’d remember me?”
“You’ll never know unless you take a chance.” I smiled wryly. How many times had the same advice been aimed in my direction? “But you’re not that easy to forget, Wade Hudson.”
I’d never been able to.
He gave me a long look that made my heart beat faster. “I could say the same about you, August Retta.”
“Well, sure.” Huffing and scuffing my toe on the bottom of the pool, I took a step back. “Because I’m such an insightful ray of sunshine. Which is why we’re best friends and we’ve been talking like this for years.”
“You really don’t know why I’ve kept my distance?” He was circling me slowly now. For a big man, he was very graceful in the water.
“Because you didn’t like my brand of soap?” I joked weakly.
“No, because—” Thunder echoed around us and I looked up, frowning at the still-clear sky.
“I think our reprieve is about to end,” I said, thankful for the distraction. I didn’t want to hear why he’d stayed away from me. Not tonight. I already felt too raw and vulnerable after sharing so much with him.
He accepted the subject change easily. “I think you’re right.”
Still studying the stars, I said, “Morgan and Gene are in Athens now.”
I knew the schedule by heart. Lesa. Athens. Mykonos. Malta. Sicily. A whirlwind tour of the Mediterranean.
“I can picture it,” he said, his voice deeper. Closer now. “Gene sticking out in his lime green shirt next to your fashionista sister. They’re taking selfies at the ruins while complaining about the heat.”
A giggle escaped me unexpectedly. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d made that particular noise. “Way to take the romance out of it.”
“Is it a lie?”
It wasn’t, but in a way, we’d been doing the same thing here, hadn’t we? Taking pictures of my “ruined” roof and complaining about the heat. I started to let him in on the joke, but the words died when I opened my eyes and realized our mouths were only a breath apart.
When had that happened?
He was close enough that I could see the crow’s feet around his eyes and the small curved scar on his forehead.
“I bet it’s hotter here,” I said inanely, my voice breathless.
“I think you’re right. A better view too.”
The intensity of his gaze sent my train of thought careening off track. He might have a polite way of doing chores, opening doors and crawling through attics, but there was something about him that made me think Wade Hudson might be a beast in the bedroom. If I were the tiniest bit more self-confident, I might try to find out for myself.
Excuses, excuses.
His hands closed around my hips and the water swirled around us, pushing our bodies apart and pulling them back together.
You didn’t realize how loud the world was until the power was suddenly gone. When the soft whirring and humming and buzzing of the appliances and creature comforts we barely noticed was yanked away, the quiet left behind could be a shock to the system.
Without light or sound, all I could do was feel the heat coming off of him, piercing the heavy air around us. His chest hair brushed against the skin above my clinging shirt, and I put my hands on his strong, slippery shoulders.
Because in the dark, I could.
The flex of his fingers told me he agreed, but he didn’t pull me closer or lean in to erase what was left of the distance between us.
I let my legs part to slide against his outer thighs. It was a subtle invitation, but enough to make his breath hitch and grow ragged along with mine.
My thighs floated up to graze his hips and I held my breath. It was slow torture, waiting for that moment when the water would finally press us against each other. But neither one of us seemed willing to end the suspense.
I was afraid to break the spell of this seven-minutes-in-heaven seduction. The risky, forbidden nature of it was too alluring. I’d say I felt like a teenager again, but even when I was more hormones than brain cells, I hadn’t needed like this.
He was the first to give in. The proof of his erection nudged me at the same time his fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt and up, his palms feathering over my ribs until he cupped my breast through my sports bra.
I exhaled sharply and he grunted in response, hand tightening to hold me in place while he lightly traced the peak of my hard nipple through the fabric. Too lightly.
My hips bucked restlessly in reaction, silently begging for more pressure. More contact.
“What are we doing?” I whispered, unable to help myself.
“Finally being honest about why I’ve kept my distance,” he rasped, throwing me completely off kilter.