Total pages in book: 296
Estimated words: 284055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1420(@200wpm)___ 1136(@250wpm)___ 947(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 284055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1420(@200wpm)___ 1136(@250wpm)___ 947(@300wpm)
“I’m not asking for marriage here. Just a week together. Then we can go our separate ways and continue living our lives with only the memories we made. I can guarantee you’d enjoy making memories with me, darlin’. This sizzling tension between us is electric, and if we don’t get each other out of our systems, we’re both going to explode,” he adds, just as a couple of drunk people stumble close to us on to the beach, invading our privacy.
“This fucking sand is so hard to walk in,” the whiny girl complains as the guy she’s with falls down laughing.
“Babe! Babe! Help me up. Dammit. I think there’s sand in my underwear.” The guy holds out his hand, but she’s not strong enough to lift him and tumbles onto his chest. I hear lips smacking together and clothes rustling, and I turn my head away from them. I’m somewhat thankful for the interruption because my head is in overdrive right now.
“I think that’s our cue to go,” I tell him, stepping farther away from the couple.
“I’ll walk you to your room.” He wraps his arm around my waist, holding me close as we head toward the hotel. Just as we walk into the lobby, I see a brown-haired girl hanging off Dylan’s arm, but he doesn’t look happy about it.
“There you are.” Dylan huffs. “I’ve been texting you because I forgot my keycard,” he says to Alex.
“Sorry. I’ve been busy,” Alex tells him, nodding toward me.
“Hey, River.” Dylan acknowledges me with a smile and a head nod.
The woman looks me up and down, but then she smiles wide when she notices how close Alex and I are standing to each other. “Hi, I’m Jessica.”
“River,” I reply.
Alex hands Dylan the card, and we all ride the elevator together. I have to hold my laughter back when Dylan tells Jessica his head hurts and he’s going to call it an early night. The elevator stops at their floor, and the two of them exit together, but I have a feeling she won’t be staying long.
“Did he really just use the headache line?” I ask, laughing.
“Totally did, but she’s persistent, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she pulls some extra-strength Tylenol out of her purse then tries to ride him like a bull.”
The elevator stops on my floor, and Alex walks me to my door. Before leaving, he places a soft kiss on my lips. “Think about it, okay?”
I smile and nod.
“Have a good night, River. Sweet dreams.” He winks, leaving me breathless.
“Night.” I scan my keycard, and once I’m inside, I lean against the door, my legs feeling like jelly as I slide down.
What the actual hell just happened?
My mind is racing, and I need to talk my thoughts out with someone. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I text Natalie and make sure to give her a dose of her own medicine.
River
Nat. I’m back at my room. Can you meet me here? It’s really important.
Natalie
I’ll be right there. Give me a few minutes.
I change back into my comfy clothes and sit on the edge of the bed. The room service menu is still open from when I ordered dinner earlier, and if I’m going to really think about Alex’s offer, I’m going to need reinforcements. I decide to get the double chocolate cake I passed on before. After calling in my order, I lie flat on the bed and stare up at the ceiling, letting my mind wander to all kinds of places. Twenty minutes pass, and when I hear a knock on the door, I fly off the bed to answer it. However, I’m shocked when I see it’s room service with my dessert instead of Natalie.
Sitting on the couch, I cross my legs, and before I can take a bite of the most heavenly chocolate cake I’ve ever seen, there’s another knock on the door. Dammit, it better be Natalie this time. I open it, and she’s standing there with a giant red drink, and I swear a whole pineapple is stuffed inside.
“What the hell? Did you have to crawl here or something? What took you so long?” I scold her before realizing how tipsy she is already.
“Sorry,” she slurs, stepping inside the room. “Adam distracted me, and then I had to wait forever for my refill.”
Shutting the door behind her, she follows me to the bed.
“I was about to send the search team out for you,” I tease, deciding to let her off the hook.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, knowing damn well what she did to me earlier.
I give her a smile. “I’m fine. But you deserve a mouthful right now after setting me up like that.”
Laughing, she sets down her drink on the nightstand, then grabs my plate and proceeds to eat my chocolate cake.
“A mouthful of what?” She wiggles her eyebrows and smirks.