Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 86398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Her eyes darted to mine. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”
“No.” I found myself smiling. “Not really. I’m not the one they go to for a pep talk.”
“Somehow, I believe you.” She looked around wildly, her gaze landing on anything and everything but me. “Can you let me go now? Please?”
“Always so fucking polite.” I ran my tongue along my bottom lip. Why did her mouth look so good? And why was I even thinking about it?
Remembering the way she’d tasted.
Or the greedy way she rode my leg last year, like her body was begging for it.
“Stop looking at me like that.” She jerked away from me, but I still had my arms pinned around her.
My brain told me to let her go and that I was being an ass, but my body was frozen in place like it had been so long since I’d had human contact that it was starved. Already addicted.
“Promise me.” I lowered my head so I could look directly into her eyes, get at her level. “Promise me you’ll think about what I said. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m actually looking out for you this time. It’s not fun, you know…”
“What’s not?”
“Getting your heart obliterated,” I said through clenched teeth.
She let out a choked laugh. “Believe me, I know.”
Anger built up like a volcano inside. “The hell? You were fucking someone in Italy? Who? Who’d you spread your legs for? Tell me now—”
She slapped me so hard my ears rang. Guess there was a first for everything, son of a bitch!
I yawned and stretched my jaw. “That hurt.”
“All you do is hurt!” She struggled against me. “And for your information, I didn’t spread for anyone in Italy! The only guy I’ve ever even been close to sleeping with kicked me out of his bed while screaming like it was my fault. So excuse me for slapping you, but most days I want to do more than slap you. You’re a bully. A jerk. An asshole with a silver spoon shoved so far up his ass that you can’t even see how your words affect the people around you. Don’t even get me started about your actions. Do yourself and everyone else who knows you a favor, Ash. Grow up.” My arms dangled at my sides as she finally shoved away from me, opening the pantry door to see Maksim standing there with a sloppy grin on his face as he sipped his wine.
“Oh, ladies first.” He moved out of the way as she stormed off, grinning the entire time. He waited until she was out of earshot and then. “That was brutal, my balls were tingling, and she wasn’t even talking about me.”
“Shut up.” I shoved at him. “How much did you hear?”
“Only the interesting parts.” He shrugged, his perfect golden blond locks falling across his forehead. Damn, I hated him sometimes. “I never thought I’d see the day when Little Miss Perfect lost her temper on you.”
“It’s new.”
“I wonder why you get under her skin…”
“Probably because she hates me.”
“Huh…” Maksim scratched his head. “Well then, good thing Tank has a hard-on for her, huh? Besides, she’s too good for you.”
“Can you leave now?”
“Nah, I’m good, bro. I’m good. By the way, you might want to take care of that before going back into the kitchen.” He pointed down.
“Wha—” I looked down, and sure enough, you’d think I’d been in the friggin pantry masturbating next to the Cheerios.
“No judgment, bro, you do you. If small dark places next to the rice make you horny, I’m all for it, but something tells me it’s a feisty little straight-A student that’s causing that reaction as much as you hate to admit—”
I gritted my teeth. “Leave.”
“Oh right, right, um, do you need like lotion or something? I think there’s some coconut oil in there. I heard great things—”
“Son of a bitch, Maksim. Do you ever shut up?”
He winked. “Never.”
“You slept with my sister.”
His smile immediately fell. “What’s that, Junior? Yup.” He cupped his ear. “Sorry, bro, gotta go.” He darted away from me so fast I had no hope of catching him, and of course, he did this at about the same time King arrived for the party. He took one look at me, then the pantry, then me as a slow smile curved his lips.
Without warning, he took out his phone and snapped a picture.
“KING!” I bellowed, fists at my sides.
“Shhhh, wouldn’t want your mom running in here worried for her poor little boy only to see he’s finally turned into a man, and Maksim’s right about the coconut oil, trust me, bro.”
I squeezed my eyes shut as he patted me lightly on the shoulder and strolled into the dining room.
I had a hell of a time walking back to the pool house.