Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57188 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
My head fell back and I laughed. Feeling naughty, I lifted the skirt of my dress up and gave him a quick glimpse of the black lace thong. “Nothing at all worth wondering about.”
His nostrils flared and he took a step forward.
I stepped back and put my hands up to stop him. “Uh-uh, Brady. We have dinner first.” I laughed again when his shoulders fell in disappointment.
“Right,” he straightened and flashed a tight smile. “Dinner. Where’re we going again?”
“That, my friend, is a surprise. I just hope you brought your appetite.”
His hand landed on my lower back as he pressed his chest to my back, his next words were whispered in my ear. “Oh, my appetite is big and strong, Antonia. I could devour you whole right fucking now.”
My breath hitched and when I looked at Brady over my shoulder, he winked at me. Who was this sexy playful beast and where was my workaholic boss? “Good to know,” I purred. “I’ll hold you to that. Later.”
“You’re kidding. This is where you want to eat tonight?” The look of disbelief on his face was comical.
I bit back a laugh. “What? Were you expecting a fancy steakhouse or seafood restaurant?”
“No,” he said, a little too quickly.
“Liar.” I bumped his shoulder and took his hand, leading him up to the little beachside dive bar that wasn’t really a bar. With a thatched roof and a small building where you could place carryout orders, it was barely an establishment. “This place has, in my opinion, the best tacos in all of Texas. Come on, you’ll see.”
Brady gave my hand a quick squeeze and let me pull him to a table on the edge of the beach. Like a perfect gentleman, he helped me onto the high-backed stool and let his hand linger on my thigh. “This dress,” he growled.
“Better than the jeans?”
His nostrils flared. “Nothing is better than those jeans, but this dress? Fantastic.” He licked his lips and leaned in, brushing a kiss against my lips so hot that my core quivered. He took his seat beside me and smiled. “What’s good here?” He asked just as the waitress appeared.
“The fish taco platter is amazing, at least that’s what I hear, but I usually come here alone, so I haven’t had a chance to sample it yet.” I held my breath and waited for disgust or exasperation to cross his face, but Brady’s smile widened.
“The fish taco platter sounds perfect. As long as it comes with lots of different sauces?”
“It does,” I said at the same time as the waitress. “And even better? The margaritas come in big ass glasses.” I smiled at the waitress. “Strawberry mango for me and watermelon lime for him.” I turned to him, expecting to see a frown or some other sign of displeasure but there was just a hint of amusement and a small dollop of affection.
“Sounds good to me. Now I just have one question. Is this the kind of place that has fresh chips and salsa?”
The waitress smiled. “On the house,” she said and disappeared.
Brady turned his full attention to me, a smile on his handsome face. “So, did I pass?”
“Pass what?”
“Your test.” He leaned in close enough that I felt his warm breath on my face. “Bringing me to this taco stand for dinner?”
“Not a test, I’m just allowing you to see me. The real me.”
He studied me for a long moment and then sat back and stared some more. “And this taco hut is the real you?”
I nodded. “It is, part of me anyway. Just because I grew up with access to money and everything that brings, doesn’t mean that’s who I am. I love fish tacos and margaritas as much as I love my Louboutin wedges,” I told him and kicked my leg out to show off my shoes.
“If the tacos are as good as you look in those shoes, I totally get it.” He brushed a fingertip up from my ankle up to the hem of my dress. “A nanny who loves tacos and designer shoes. Tell me more.”
“I like kids. But I grew up surrounded by nannies and house staff who were all nice, but I was a job, you know? Other than the housekeeper, I was a duty to them. I wanted to give kids an adult who was interested in them and cared about their everyday lives. Someone who cares about what they have going on beyond how it makes their parents look.”
“Sounds like a story?” He leaned in close and took my hand.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s an age old story of a wealthy woman wanted to mold her daughter in her exact image. I balked and rebelled at every turn, and our relationship worsened with every act of rebellion.” I hated to think about the shit my mother said to me over the years and the awful things I said in return. “Enough about me. Tell me about you and Marnie.”