Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Who’s Roman?” I ask, placing my large hat on my head and digging for the sunscreen.
“He’s a guy I started seeing. He’s an investment banker,” Gabby says absently, her eyes glued to Chase as he carries the heavy cooler down the dock.
“And you invited him to go boating?” I ask, not missing a moment of how her eyes practically devour Chase’s body as he reaches the boat.
“Who’d you invite to go boating?” Chase asks, setting the cooler of drinks down on the deck.
“Roman, the guy I’m seeing. Muscular. Smart. Big dick,” Gabby states, crossing her arms over her chest.
Chase advances quickly, getting right in my sister’s personal space. My heart hammers in my chest as they stare each other down. He’s imposing with his big frame, but my sister doesn’t cower. In fact, she seems to spark to life, the challenge evident in her eyes. “Big dick, huh? That ain’t nothing if he doesn’t know how to use it, sweetheart. You ever want to know what that feels like, you let me know.”
And then he turns and stalks off, that ever-present cocky swagger trailing behind him as he goes. “He wishes,” Gabby mumbles, quiet enough that I almost don’t hear her.
Something tells me that Chase isn’t the only one who wishes.
Voices draw my attention to the docks, where I see Gina and Harrison heading our way. She’s wearing a swimsuit cover-up, but I can already tell the bikini underneath is skimpy. And red. She has the body for it, though. Can’t fault the woman for flaunting what she was given. I’m sure Chase will eat it up, considering that man bed-hops more than the Energizer Bunny does in those battery commercials.
“We all set?” Harrison asks, his body tense as he gets ready to untie the lines.
“No, we’re waiting on Roman!” Gabby hollers from behind the wheel.
“Roman?” Harrison asks.
“Muscular. Smart. Big dick,” Chase mimics, unable to keep his annoyance from his words.
Just then, a shorter guy with jet-black hair and a manscaped goatee approaches the dock. He’s wearing expensive boat shoes and pressed Dockers shorts with his short-sleeved button-down shirt. Chase snorts beside me as the man approaches the pontoon.
“Hey, Roman!” Gabby hollers, heading over to where we stand.
The moment he steps on the boat, he pulls my sister into his arms and kisses her lips. Honestly, it surprises me, considering he hasn’t even been officially introduced to any of us yet, and if the growl that slowly erupts from Chase’s throat is any indication, I’d say he’s not so happy about it either.
“Good morning, sweet Gabby,” Roman croons, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his mouth, as if he didn’t just have his tongue down her throat seconds before.
My sister just smiles, her big doe eyes eating up all the attention he’s throwing her way. “Everyone, this is Roman. Roman, my sister, Gwen, and her ex-husband, Harrison,” Gabby introduces.
Harrison steps forward, offering his hand to the shorter man. “Soon-to-not-be ex any longer,” he greets, pulling me into his side.
Roman just glances toward my sister, as if he’s missing a big piece of the story. “Long story. I’ll tell you later,” Gabby confirms. “This is my friend Gina,” she adds, pointing to Harrison’s assistant.
“Nice to meet you,” Gina greets, her large boobs pressing against Harrison’s arm as she slides forward to shake Roman’s hand. I can feel Harrison tense beside me and gently move us away from the boobs. In her defense, Gina’s boobs have their own zip code. She can’t exactly help that they get in the way all the time, right?
“Come on, Roman. We’ll get situated in the back,” Gabby says, tugging Roman’s arm.
Before either of them move, a throat clears just over my shoulder. “Don’t forget me, Gabby Goose. I’m sure you want to introduce Roman to me, right?” Chase asks, his voice sugary sweet as he steps into the group and offers his hand to the short man at my sister’s side.
“Chase Callahan. Friend,” he states, reaching his hand out for the other man. There’s tension in spades right now, and I’m not sure why. It’s like a pissing match is about to ensue. Yes, Chase and Gabby like to tease each other, but they’ve never crossed any lines from frenemies to… more.
Right?
Suddenly, I’m not so sure.
Roman takes Chase’s hand and gives it a squeeze in return. “Strong grip, Mr. Callahan. I like that,” Roman says to Chase with a grin that holds a hint of smugness. “Roman Tatro. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Chase replies before throwing his trademark cocky grin back in place. “We ready to hit the water?” he asks, clapping his hands together and defusing the weird tension that settled over everyone.
Harrison steps behind the wheel as Chase releases the ropes from the dock. Within a few minutes, we’re settled in seats and heading out of the small marina on the lake. I can already see tons of boats littering the large lake, ensuring the waters will be busy today. We’ll spend our day putting around, enjoying the sun, and swimming by a few of the sandbars around the waterway. Some of the bigger, faster boats will spend the day tubing, but that’s never really been my thing.