Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
She takes a bite, and I do the same. I try to focus on the food in front me instead of her. I try to think about anything but her because being this close is too much. I knew it was a bad idea when she showed up, but I thought I could surely keep it together. I had no idea that I would be seeing her naked in my tub or half-naked in my shirt. A man only has so much control, and I’m barely hanging on to mine.
We eat for a few minutes, and after a while, I notice that she seems nervous. Even her hand is trembling. Fuck, did I freak her out by walking in the bathroom on her? No, that doesn’t make sense because she wouldn’t have come out here half-dressed if she feared me. I look over at her as if I’m trying to read her mind. Why did she come out here half-dressed?
Regardless, I owe her an apology. I’m not feeling very gentlemanly, but this is Lila we’re talking about. “Look, uh, I’m sorry about walking in on you in the bathroom. I should have been louder. It won’t happen again.”
She twirls more spaghetti on her fork, and I begin to wonder if she’s going to acknowledge my apology. She sets her fork down and pushes her plate away from her to the middle of the table. Her eyes meet mine, and she asks me softly, “About that, can I ask you a question?”
I clear my throat. I have no idea where this is going, and I’m a little nervous about it. Is she wondering if I’m a pervert or what? I sort of feel like one because I couldn’t take my eyes off her in the bathtub. “Uh, sure,” I answer hesitantly.
Her face is red, and she lays her hands down on the table in front of her. She’s fidgeting with the placemat, telling me that she is indeed nervous. “I don’t look anything like the buckle bunnies... er, I mean the women you date, do I?”
An image of her from earlier flashes in my head, and there I go—instantly I’m hard again. “No, honey. Nothing like them.”
Her mouth drops, and she mutters, “Oh.” She snaps her mouth closed. “Right.”
I watch speechless as she jumps up and grabs her plate, taking it to the kitchen. I watch her ass sway back and forth, and it hits me what she was asking. I completely just fucked it up. The truth is, she looks nothing like the women I’ve dated in the past or the women at the rodeo that throw themselves at any available cowboy. Those women are no match for Lila. Fuck, they don’t even compare.
I jump up and about trip over my boot to get to the kitchen. “Lila.”
She doesn’t turn. She’s washing dishes, and I try again. “Princess?”
Without turning, she says, “What is it, Ace?” She sounds so defeated it has me moving closer, and I don’t stop until I’m standing next to her.
Even though she’s trying to hide it, I can tell I’ve hurt her feelings. I cross my arms over my chest to keep from reaching for her. “Look, I think you misunderstood me. I mean, I wasn’t lying. You don’t look anything like the women I’ve dated... but I mean, that’s a good thing. Come on, you know you’re beautiful.”
She looks stunned. “You think I’m beautiful?”
I should just tell her yes and leave it to rest, but I don’t. “Remember last night when I was in the tub?”
She nods.
I uncross my arms and stuff them in the front pockets of my shorts. I’ve started this, and now I need to finish it. I’m already questioning my crass answer, but she needs to know what she does to me. “That’s not normal. I mean, being around you—fuck, what I mean is that being around you makes me hard. I can just hear your voice, and my dick twitches, honey. I’ve fought if for a while.”
She smiles, turns off the water, and dries her hands. She looks like a woman with a plan, and I should probably be worried. “So when I was in the bathtub... is it safe to say you liked what you saw?”
Damn, how the hell do I answer that?
Chapter 12
Lila
I force myself to look him in the eye. I feel like I’m completely putting myself on the line right now, but I’m out of options. This thing I feel for Ace is magnetic. He consumes my every thought, and I have to figure out a way to get him out of my system. At least that’s what I tell myself, anyway.
The truth is, I’ve been in love with Ace since the day my dad took him under his wing. The age difference is big, but now that I’m thirty years old, age doesn’t mean the same anymore. We’re both adults.