Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 115833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
He looked me up and down. “You call wearing this little black dress and the one you had on at lunch being in shambles?” he asked, completely disregarding my last statement.
I bubbled out a laugh and playfully slapped his arm. “Stop doing that.”
He threw his hands in the air. “Doing what?”
“Deflecting and being so damn charming.”
“Ah. So you think I’m charming? That’s gotta count for something, right?”
I fought a smile as I took a sweep of the rooftop again. “How did you even know this pool was up here?”
“Every rich White man like Chester has a rooftop pool in a seaside condo they own. Plus, I looked up the address before we got here. Saw it on the website.”
I threw my head back to laugh at that. “You sound like my sister. She was so excited to come here just to capture everything on her Insta stories.”
“Shit, can’t say I blame her? It’s a nice place. Not really my style, though.”
“What is your style?”
“Something more low key and chill. I have a penthouse in Atlanta. I’m hardly ever bothered there. You should see it sometime. My roommate would love you.”
“You have a roommate?” I asked, avoiding a frown. This was news to me. Was he talking about Giselle? I mean, not that it mattered . . . but I was curious.
“Yeah. His name’s Zeke, and he looks serious as hell at first glance, but he’s goofy and playful. He also has four paws and is a Doberman.”
“Oh my goodness, Deke! You are so corny!” I laughed, and he chuckled.
When silence fell between us again, it was welcoming. Comforting.
He was sitting close to me, his hand resting on the edge of the canopy where mine was. One lift of my pinkie, and I would be touching him.
What was it about him that made me want to touch him? I couldn’t figure it out, but it wasn’t good to want so much from someone I didn’t want to get serious with.
I ignored the thought just as Deke sighed. His head was down, and he was staring at the ground.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
His head tilted enough for his eyes to connect with mine. “You want the truth?”
A smile tugged at my lips. “Always.”
He turned toward me so that his knee was touching mine. I glanced down at where we were touching before dragging my eyes up to his.
“Well, truth is being just friends with you is killing me slowly.” His eyes fell to my lips, and I froze a little.
“Why?” I dared myself to ask. I shouldn’t have asked. This was testing the limits and going against all the things I told him I didn’t want.
“Because from the moment I met you, I wanted you, D. And wanting someone has never felt so complicated.”
“I told you I’m in shambles,” I whispered as his mouth moved closer to mine. “I’m so broken, Deke. You don’t need that.”
“You think you’re the only one here who’s broken?” he rasped, and I instantly thought of his brother, the post I found on Facebook by his mom. “You say you’re in shambles, but that can be fixed.”
He was closer now, his lips only a hair’s breadth away. My heart pounded when he slid a warm hand over my thigh. The frozen parts of me unthawed. My heart pumped faster. His hand was smooth, and he carried it up my hip. My breath hitched as the tip of his nose touched mine.
“But my shambles are like glass,” I whispered.
“That so?” His mouth was right there, the heat of his breath spilling down my chest. His large hand—the same one that palmed basketballs for a living and shot perfect three-pointers—went beneath the hem of my dress and cupped my hip.
“Yes,” I breathed.
“Well, for you, I don’t mind getting cut a few times.”
He inched his face closer. At this point, I could feel those lips—that, or I imagined I was feeling them.
“Can I kiss you now?” he murmured on my mouth.
I nodded way too quickly for my own good, and he gripped my hip tighter. As soon as his lips came down on mine, my whole body charged to life. My heart pounded faster, and a moan filled my throat as he laid me back on the canopy bed to shove my dress higher up my thigh.
He was between my legs in a millisecond, claiming my lips and kissing me so deeply I spiraled. I got lost beneath the solid weight of his body, the scent of his skin and cologne, and when he coaxed my mouth open with his tongue, I felt a clench between my thighs. He tasted like whiskey and citrus. He tasted good.
A deep groan rattled in Deke’s throat as his tongue played with mine. Then he hissed through his teeth after breaking the kiss and looked me in the eyes.