Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Brianna’s mom was a legend in the romance publishing industry. Serena Dean-Miles had been writing happily ever afters for more than twenty years, and she’d built an empire around it.
“How does your mom feel about the dumbasses who can’t get their timing right trope?” Kala snarked.
She turned on her best friend, narrowing her eyes. “Seriously? Mirroring much?”
Kala shrugged. “Not mirroring at all. Cooper and I will never have a right time, but you and TJ obviously do.”
“I thought Lou was dating around,” Daisy said, obviously confused. “I talked to Aunt Charlotte about some of the guys I know. They’re all awful players, and I wouldn’t let them anywhere near Lou. Ooo, I heard a rumor that Nate Carter is coming to Dallas. He used to be kind of cute.”
The big Aussie they’d worked with in Sydney was more on the gorgeous side, but she didn’t see that happening. “I think he’s coming for a job. Not to date.”
“You know she’s only dating because TJ’s being an ass,” Brianna replied.
She had to stop that. “He’s not. He wasn’t interested in me that way. It’s okay. He’s always been a good friend.”
“Well, I suppose that fits,” Daisy said with a sigh. “I’m going back to studying. Real estate. I’m going to be good at selling real estate.”
Daisy flounced off. Brianna shook her head as she stood. “Last week she was going to be good at party planning. At least there wasn’t a test for that one. Let me know if you find anything out. I’m worried about my brother. I’m worried about all of them.”
When they were safely away, Kala looked at Lou in the mirror. “Fake dating? Oh, bestie, do you want to go there? Because we’ve been quiet about this up until now, but I have to worry that you are moving into self-delusion. Are you really going to sit here and tell our friends you’re getting ready to play because of an op?”
It was good that Kala understood what she was doing. “Yes.”
Kala sighed, her eyes rolling. “I don’t like this. You’re supposed to be the reasonable one. If you insist on being this stubborn, we’re going to end up living together at eighty with a bunch of cats. I kind of…”
Now Lou was worried because Kala sounded almost…wistful. Kala didn’t do wistful. “What?”
“I don’t know. I kind of thought if you and TJ could work things out…”
If she and TJ could work things out, maybe there was hope for her and Cooper? Is that what Kala was saying? “It’s not the same. My problems aren’t your problems.”
Kala sank down to the bench beside her. The Hideout was kind of DIY and on a budget, but there was one space Cooper and the guys had spent real cash on. The women’s lounge. It did not escape Lou that the whole place had been done in deep blues and greens, with hints of gold and red.
Kala Taggart’s favorite colors. Cooper wasn’t some design guy, but he’d insisted on those colors.
Lou was pretty sure the guys’ locker room was a piece of crap with a bunch of folding chairs and a barely working shower.
“Aren’t they?” Kala asked. “Let’s see. You fell for TJ and he rejected your physical affection. But he still wanted to be around you. He didn’t want to keep you a secret because he didn’t want to upset his friends.”
“Kala, he was fifteen.” She knew this story, and it always made her heart break. “You can’t hold that against him forever. TJ wasn’t fifteen the last time he told me he didn’t want me. He was like three weeks younger than he is today. Cooper makes every attempt to get close to you. From what I can tell, he’s not dating, and he only tops subs in a nonsexual fashion. I think he’s doing that because he hopes you’ll forgive him.”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” Kala’s voice went stony. “He wanted normal and that’s fine. I’m not normal and I never will be, and have you forgotten that we’re not exactly compatible when it comes to D/s?”
“I don’t know as much about it as you do. My parents never got into it. They mostly went to Sanctum to hang out with friends, but I do know there are some married tops. They find a way to make it work.” She didn’t see the problem unless Kala absolutely had to have a lover who submitted to her.
She rather thought her friend might enjoy the fight.
“Well, like I said, if you and TJ can’t make it work, there’s not a lot of hope for the rest of us. You’ve always loved him, and I believe that dumbass deep down loves you. I don’t know what happened, but something clicked in his head and he wants you now. Can’t that be enough?”
She wasn’t sure. But it was going to be enough for tonight. When she’d realized what it meant to have Ben Parker running around the club, she’d known she had a unique opportunity. She didn’t have to give herself away. It was for the mission. They could play and pretend for a couple of days, and when TJ inevitably changed his mind, she would shrug and tell everyone well at least she got a couple of orgasms out of it and she would move on.