Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
After dinner, which was absolutely delicious, Gareth, Asher, and Weston headed off to work the crowds, Gareth ensuring that he spoke to every player who was in attendance. He was quite marvelous to watch, looking like the human version of temptation itself, dressed in an all-black suit that only complemented his dark hair and pale green eyes.
We'd been in Charleston for a week, and I'd been sleeping in Gareth’s bed since the first night we arrived.
He hadn’t touched me since that first night, either. It’s not like I'd asked him to, though.
I wanted to, especially after what he’d done to me. He’d blown my mind in ways I didn't know were possible. And now that I’d gotten a taste, it was practically all I could think about. If this was the way things were in relationships, I don't know how any of these women got anything else done.
But I was tired of asking, tired of begging. There was only so much rejection I could take, even when I knew it had nothing to do with attraction or physical chemistry. We'd already proven we had truckloads of that.
Gareth’s refusal to take things further between us came down to some misplaced honor in protecting me, and quite honestly, I was just…so tired. I may crave him like I craved my next bite of mint chocolate chip ice cream, but there were only so many times I could be told no before I gave up.
“So, Serenity,” Savannah said, smiling at me mischievously. “Now that it's just us girls, do you mind if I ask you a blunt question?”
Brynn and Daisy giggled, but my eyes widened.
Was she going to ask why I married Gareth on such short notice?
Was she going to judge me about it?
“Sure, go ahead,” I finally said, resolving myself to fully dive into the new social freedoms I’d been afforded.
Her smile deepened. “How is it climbing that tree?” she asked, motioning across the room to where Gareth, Asher, and Weston spoke with some players. “Don't get me wrong, I love my tree.” She waved a hand to where Hendrix was waiting at the bar for more drinks. “But I'm just curious about your tree.”
The question had me laughing with relief. Was this how easy girl gossip could be?
I took a deep breath, sighing almost nostalgically as my mind cast back to our first night here. To the way Gareth had handled me, had extracted every exquisite ounce of pleasure from my body possible and yet somehow still hung on to his determination to not sleep with me.
“He's a fantastic tree,” I said, and our table erupted into a fit of giggles that were so infectious and freeing.
“I’m so happy that you two were able to stop dancing around each other,” Brynn said, and Daisy nodded her agreement. “We called it two years ago.”
My lips parted open, a little shock fluttering through me. I honestly hadn't been sure what exactly Gareth told his friends, and subsequently their wives, but it seemed they were under the impression that this had been by choice.
And that was probably just as well, especially with the stakes revolving around our marriage. The less people knew, the more protected they would be. That's another reason, despite being forbidden from making friends outside of our contacts, that I’d kept myself mostly closed off whenever the girls approached me during the billionaire’s game. Sure, we’d exchanged some kind words, and I listened to their gossip with rapt attention, but I never gave up anything of my own.
Because I couldn't.
Because I knew that with the life I lived, bringing civilians into it was a dangerous game.
At least I could be completely transparent with Gareth. He'd been in the game longer than I had.
“I like it,” Savannah said. “It looks like you're perfect for him. I've seen him smile at least three times tonight, and that's three times more than normal.”
I laughed softly, my eyes tracking Gareth across the room. He turned and looked at me, like he could feel me watching him. I didn't dare break my stare, instead offering him what I hoped was seductive smile to let him know exactly what we were talking about. I may not want to keep asking him for that kind of attention, but it didn't stop me from flirting occasionally.
“He's not as scary as he looks,” I said, taking a sip from my drink and finally returning my attention to the girls.
Daisy and Brynn begged to differ, but Savannah agreed with me.
“Sometimes the scariest-looking ones are always the biggest pushovers,” Savannah said.
“Who's the pushover?” Gareth asked, suddenly at my side and looking down at me.
“Apparently, you are,” I said, feeling as confident as I ever had before.
Maybe I was getting used to this sort of lifestyle. The one where I could make my own choices, whether that be food or clothes or entertainment, or even passion projects. Not that I'd landed on one yet, but Gareth told me that if there was something I wanted to do, all I needed was say it. Of course, the one thing I really wanted to do was the one thing he constantly denied me.