Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“I am not listening to my book with you!”
“Why not?” He grinned. “Afraid I’ll get some ideas and murder you?”
I wasn’t about to share that my book had explicit sex scenes—ones that involved a dom with a filthy mouth and a sub with a praise kink. No way in hell was I going to listen to that with him. I’d rather walk home naked in this blizzard.
I shook my head. “I’m gonna put my phone on the charger and go upstairs and take a nice, hot bath. At least there’s a big tub.”
Cade was already loading wood into the fireplace. “Whatever floats your boat, princess.”
The tub turned out to have whirlpool jets, so I soaked for the better part of an hour. It really helped unknot the tension in my neck that driving in the snow had caused. I felt so relaxed that I started to think I might be able to make it through this sham of a retreat without killing Cade.
Though that thought quickly disappeared the moment I walked down the stairs.
…and found Cade listening to my audiobook. I froze.
“That’s a good girl,” the male narrator’s husky voice said. “Now get on your knees. You’re going to take my cock down your throat until you can barely breathe. Do you hear me, Pet?”
“Yes, sir. I can’t wait.”
I blinked myself out of my stupor and took the last of the stairs two at a time, lunging for the man sitting on the couch when I hit the bottom. “Give me that!”
“Holy shit, Red. You like some fucked-up shit. But damn, this is hot.”
I yanked my phone from his hand and stumbled, finding the button to turn off the volume. “You had no right to touch my phone!”
“Relax. I didn’t do it on purpose. Billie called to make sure we hadn’t killed each other yet. The storm must be affecting my cell service. She could hear me, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. So I told her to try calling back on your phone. I answered it on speaker. After she hung up, that audiobook automatically started to play. I didn’t touch a thing to make it happen.”
Shit. I did have a bad habit of forgetting to turn the audio off. Something similar had happened once on the subway. As the doors slid closed, I hung up with my sister on speakerphone and my book started playing—in the middle of a sex scene. Everyone around me stared, and I had to jump off at the next stop. “Yeah, well…it doesn’t mean you had to listen. You should have turned it off as soon as you realized.”
“The dude was spanking the woman with a paddle when it started. I’m a man—there’s no way I was going to walk away from that.”
I marched to the kitchen. “I need a drink.”
“And I need a cigarette.” Cade chuckled.
“Not funny.”
“I thought it was.”
I poured wine to the brim of my glass and started for the stairs. Thinking ahead, I stopped and marched back to the kitchen table, grabbing the open bottle. “I’m taking this with me.”
“Enjoy your book, Pet.”
I flipped him the bird. “Bite me, you jerk.”
Cade’s smirk widened. “I’m sure you’re into that, too, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 4
* * *
Daria
After leaving me alone for about half an hour, Cade approached, speaking from outside the bedroom door.
“So…funny story…” he began.
I leaned up against the headboard. “What?”
“I texted Billie, like, ‘What the fuck was up with those games?’ And apparently, she didn’t mean to send that box. She told her husband to order legitimate team-building games for us. Those are still in another box at their apartment. These games were meant for some romantic getaway they’re gonna take. They gave us the wrong freaking box!”
“Oh my God.” I laughed.
“Anyway, she told us to make the best of it,” he said. “How nice of her…”
“And how exactly do we do that?”
“We’re supposed to work through our issues. If you stay in your room diddling yourself to your book the entire time, we’re not gonna be able to tell Billie we made any progress.”
I hopped up from the bed. “I’m not diddling, jackass. I’m avoiding you.”
“Seriously, Daria. Why don’t you come downstairs, and maybe we can figure out how to modify one of these games so they’re not basically porn. Talk, Flirt, Dare doesn’t look that bad.”
“Or we could say we tried and not do anything.” I leaned against the door.
“Billie’s smarter than that. She’s gonna ask what we did, and we’re gonna have to get our stories straight. Might be easier to put the effort in and not have to bullshit her.”
I sighed. “I guess you’re right. If we can’t prove we’re getting along at least a little better, both our asses are on the line.”
“I’m glad you agree.”
I opened the door. “I’m gonna need more wine.”