Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 20958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
“Kade, this is a surprise,” he says from his place behind the desk. No hello, no standing up. Apparently, he used up all his niceties last night in front of Lilian.
“So was the bomb you dropped. How long do you think this one will last? Enough for the ink to dry?” I dive right the fuck in. Two can play whatever game he’s after. Jasper sits back in his seat, elbows propped on the arms of his desk chair, and the tips of his fingers form a triangle under his chin.
“Who’s to say I don’t love Lilian?” He doesn’t elaborate, doesn’t say what he loves about her. Meanwhile, I can tell you every single thing I love about Drena. How she loves her job, the way her eyebrows furrow when she’s determined to stand up on the board, when she wraps her arms around me while enjoying riding on my bike, and I could go on and on.
“You really wanna go there?”
Dad holds back, ruining my moment to push deeper. “Not necessarily.”
“Figures. Let go of Lilian. She’s a good woman and doesn’t deserve your line of bullshit.” Jasper Callahan could use a healthy dose of reality. He could also use someone to talk to or at the very least a group for grief survivors.
“Give me one good reason why.” He doesn’t deserve to hear what I have to say about how I feel about Drena. But I know my dad well enough to know he’ll back off with one sentence.
“Found my version of Mom. It just so happens to be Lilian’s daughter. I met her a few days ago, felt it instantly. It came as a shock to both of us last night that you got married and we were related by something you and I know isn’t going to stick. When Drena ran, there was no way I wouldn’t chase after her.” I tell him enough to appease his curiosity, not that I’m completely fucking gone for her or that when I’m not with her, I’m craving the next time I am. The old Jasper Callahan loved Katarina Callahan for as long as she had on this earth. It was a love that I’d hoped to find one day. The years went on, and I never found it until one warm summer night. I was only meant to drive around, to burn off some energy, when Audrena “Drena” James appeared.
“You’re sure?”
“One hundred percent.” I cross my arms over my chest, feet shoulder-width apart, and keep my lips in a thin line.
“Alright, I’ll break things off with Lilian,” he agrees easily, which means he didn’t love her to begin with. Sucks for a good woman to get the short end of the stick when it comes to my dad. And I’m a dick enough to admit that as long as it works in my favor, I’m going to be damn happy.
“For what it's worth, Mom wouldn’t want you to live like this. She’d have wanted you to have a good life, a fulfilling life, and she’d want you to find someone to enjoy the rest of your life with.” I don’t bother waiting around for him to respond. What he does with the advice is his. Maybe one day he’ll figure it out, maybe he won’t. All I know is I’ve got a woman to get back home to, and I’m going to wake her up with my head buried between her thighs. That's how we’ll start our day, then we'll eat some breakfast, and if there’s a decent amount of waves, well, I’m going to get my woman out in the water.
12 Drena
“Kade,” I moan when I feel the slow and steady swipe of his tongue through my folds. In the early morning hours, he left me in his bed, sound asleep. Until I heard the beeping of his home alarm disengaging and then re-engaging. My eyes peeled opened, and I was ready to jump out of bed and see where he was going. I spent a few moments blinking my eyelids, controlling my racing heart while trying not to think the absolute worst, before I spotted the letter he left on the bed for me. I calmed down, read the note three more times before I slid it on the nightstand and rolled over. Clearly, sleep overcame me, and now I’m being woken up in the best possible way.
I push the sheets out of the way, wanting to watch the entire process of Kade getting me off. Clothes are never an option to fall asleep in when I’m spending the night with him. I’ve yet to spend a single day without seeing him, and I’m enjoying every single moment. I prop myself up on one elbow, my hand sliding down the middle of my chest, ready to delve into his dark tresses.