Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 147021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 735(@200wpm)___ 588(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 735(@200wpm)___ 588(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
“Sort of depends on the club, but you could send me the details?” I suggest.
“Sure.” He shuffles nervously. “If it doesn’t work out, we could meet for coffee or something next week.”
“Yeah, sure. That’d be great. I’ll see you tomorrow in class.”
It isn’t until I’m on the subway home that I question whether Jameson was asking me out for coffee independent of our study group. I think I totally missed that. I’m accustomed to being around elite athlete alpha males. Not uncertain university boys.
My phone buzzes as I’m waiting for my stop.
Mom
Hi honey! Checking in, how are you?
These are the moments when I wish she was the parent I told everything to, not my dad. It’s like there’s a block that stops me from spilling my guts to her. I’m not used to being so alone with my thoughts. I usually text my dad five times a day and vice versa, but we haven’t done that as much the last few months.
Aurora
I’m good! Coming home from class. Probably going to make dinner tonight for dad.
Mom
He loves your Mac and Cheese. So do I! We’re booking tickets for your birthday. Is there anything you want?
Aurora
I’m just excited to see you and North. Do you think he’ll bring me that tea that he made last time?
Mom
I’m sure he will. I’ll ask him for you. He says hi, by the way!
Aurora
Do you have plans this weekend?
Mom
We have a week-long camping retreat with some healers that I’m so excited about. I’ll be out of cell range, so I wanted to text you and tell you how much I love you and miss you before we go.
Aurora
I love you and miss you too! Have fun! Just not too much hahahaha I can’t wait to see you in a couple months.
Loving my mom is easy. She’s free and wild. It’s one of my favorite things about her, but it also means we’ll never have a normal mother-daughter relationship. My dad is my person.
I pull up his calendar on the ride home, checking his schedule. Tonight, he has a massage, which means Hollis also has a massage. It’s part of their routine. They have someone come to the penthouse. Hollis always has his first and then my dad, followed by time in the hot tub. Maybe it’s time to step out of avoidance mode.
Rix is washing dishes from her meal prep side hustle when I get home. A brand-new bouquet of peonies sits on the island. Tristan strikes again. She glances at the clock. “You’re coming in late.”
“I was working on a group project.” I didn’t tell her what happened with Hollis in Vancouver, but my coming in late all week says what I won’t.
She tips her head. “I’m heading to Tristan’s soon to cook dinner together, unless you need a little girl time?”
“You enjoy getting railed into next week. I was thinking about going to the pool for a swim.” It’s what I do when I need to think.
She rinses a mixing bowl and sets it in the drying rack. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just need to burn off some energy. All the sitting around is a lot.” I miss the hustle that came with working in the office alongside Hemi and Tally. We were such a great trio, and we were always on the move. I go down the hall to my bedroom to change.
Rix gives me an appraising look when I reappear a few minutes later in my bikini, coverup slung over my arm. “That’s quite the bathing suit choice for laps.”
“Is it too much?” I’m feeling antsy and anxious, like my skin is too tight.
“If you’re swimming with your dad, yes. If not, no.”
“Cool.” I slide my arms through my coverup. “Message me if Tristan’s patience wears out and he comes here.”
“Oh, that won’t happen. I’ve already told him under no circumstances is he to come over here, or else.”
“How’d he take that threat?”
“About as well as can be expected.” She grins deviously. “Enjoy your swim.”
“Thanks.” I shoulder my bag, leave the apartment, and take the elevator down to the pool. It’s empty when I arrive. Laps in a bikini aren’t the most practical, but clearly, I had a plan when I made this poor wardrobe decision.
I’m not disappointed. Half an hour into my swim, Hollis walks in. When I reach the end, I flip over and start a backstroke. He walks the edge of the pool in time to my measured strokes. Just like in the hotel room, he’s shirtless, all those defined muscles and his half-sleeve on display. He’s standing in front of me when I reach the end.
I pull my goggles up, resting them on my smiling banana swim cap, and grip the edge. His toes are close to my fingers. I tilt my head back and let my gaze climb his thick, muscled legs. Heat blossoms in my belly, traveling up my spine and into my cheeks as I remember the way he caged me against the wall in the hotel room. How his nose brushed mine. His lust-soaked gaze. The intense ache in my chest and between my thighs.