Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
And Nikki? She removed her cover-up. Beneath it, she wore a hot-pink barely there bikini. Even from a distance, Asher’s cock sprang to life. Though he could no longer hear them, the tinkling of Nikki’s laughter rang in his ears. The view of her tiny bikini tortured him. Their joint enjoyment mocked him.
Even if he understood Corey was just being friendly while working, the guy was still closer to Nikki’s age than Asher was. And he wasn’t forbidden to touch her. Yet. Those would be the next words out of Asher’s mouth… when he joined them by the water.
She hadn’t been here for more than an hour and Asher was so fucked, he thought, as he stalked to his room so he could change for the beach.
* * *
Nikki took out the sunscreen she’d packed and lathered up all the parts of her body she could reach. Courtesy of her mother’s Italian family, she was lucky enough to have olive skin that didn’t burn, but she still had to worry about things like wrinkles and skin cancer. Once she was finished rubbing in the lotion, she slipped on her sunglasses, leaned back in the comfortable chaise, and closed her eyes.
Instead of putting in earbuds and listening to music, she tried to let the rush of the ocean relax her. But with nothing to distract her, the swirling humiliation of her life came rushing back. She imagined her parents were meeting with their PR people and losing their minds, not that she’d heard from them since Derek had told her mother off earlier.
She ignored the pit in her stomach that formed whenever they disappointed her… usually as a result of her disappointing them first, she thought and let out a long sigh.
“What’s on your mind?” a familiar but surprising voice asked.
She opened her eyes to find Asher standing over her. “I thought you had work to do?”
“I couldn’t concentrate.” Thanks to the aviators covering his eyes, she couldn’t read his expression. Then again, even when she could see his whole face, the man’s moods and feelings were tough to decipher.
He lowered himself to the edge of her lounger and sat, forcing her to pull her feet back to make room—instead of asking Corey to get him his own lounge. See, she mused. Confusing.
“You didn’t answer. What’s on your mind that had you sighing so loudly?” He shifted, knees toward her, so they could talk face-to-face.
“A lot has happened since I woke up this morning. I’m just trying to process it all.” She and Asher weren’t close enough for her to open up to him about always falling short in her parents’ eyes. “And you didn’t answer me. I thought you had to work?”
He ran his hand over that sexy beard before finally replying. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
That was surprisingly… sweet. “Thank you. It’s been a rough day.”
He nodded. “I’m sure it has. Want to talk about it?” he asked, showing her yet another side of Asher Dare.
She considered it for point-two seconds and shook her head.
She already had the impression he didn’t think highly of her. She’d be better off not going into detail about the photos and her fear of someone watching her in her apartment. All her honesty would do was make him think worse of her than he already did. It seemed to be a running theme. Her parents, the girls on the modeling circuit, now Asher. Thank God for her brother, who believed the best about her and defended her no matter what circumstances she found herself in.
She glanced at the blue water and lapping waves. “I think I’ll take a walk. Get my feet wet.”
She was about to stand when he grasped her ankle, his warm, strong grip taking her by surprise. “Sunscreen?”
“Already done.” Again, she found it nice that he’d ask.
“Even your back? Because it’s easy to burn when you’re in the water.”
Her lips twitched as she tried not to grin. He was so not going to like her answer. “I can’t reach my back,” she said, eyeing him as she tried hard not to let her smile and laughter escape.
With a put-out groan, he extended a hand, palm up, a silent, grudging offer to help.
She studied him with shameless curiosity. “Asher Dare, are you trying to get your hands on me?” She couldn’t deny the possibility had her body buzzing in the most incredible ways.
He shook his head, gripping the back of his neck. “Just hand over the lotion,” he muttered.
Now grinning, she did just that.
Then, grabbing her hair, she pulled it into a messy bun so it wouldn’t get dirty and tipped her head down, giving him easy access. From the corner of her eye, she saw him pour the cream on his palm, and soon he was massaging the lotion into her back.