Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
With those reminders firmly in place, I felt ready to go out there and give Chase the only thing that made sense between us: a hot night and a firm good-bye.
“YOU’RE done for the year, right? That’s what that girl Tracy said,” Chase said while we were eating the delicious dinner he’d prepared.
“Yeah, I’m done with classes for the summer. I’m clerking at the district court, though, so I’ll still be busy.” I dragged my fork across my plate to scoop up the last bit of tomato sauce, cheese, and what I assumed was eggplant. It didn’t taste like a vegetable or eggs, more like a lasagna or something.
“Here,” he said as he pushed his plate over to me. “I’m done if you want some more.”
I darted my gaze down to his plate and then looked at him as I lifted my fork, ready to dig in. “Are you sure? This is your first serving, and I ate the whole pan.”
“Go ahead,” he said. That was all the approval I needed to shovel a forkful into my mouth. “I don’t usually eat a heavy dinner, which is why I made a small serving. Besides, I like salad better, and you were gracious enough to save all of that for me.”
I paused midchew and looked at him appraisingly, trying to decide if he was making fun of me. The twinkle in his eyes and the slight curl of his lip told me the answer was yes.
“Next time I cook for you, I’ll use a bigger pan. And I can make garlic bread too, if you don’t mind the carbs.”
I moaned in approval and forgot to be offended. Again.
Chase laughed. “Okay, that’s a yes on the garlic bread. Got it. I can’t do it tonight, though, because I don’t have any bread, but I can make it up to you with dessert.”
I paused with the last forkful a couple of inches from my lips and gulped down the food in my mouth. “Dessert?”
“Yes, dessert. Do you like chocolate?”
“I like sweet things in all their forms,” I answered. And I included his sweet smile on that list, but I didn’t say it out loud because then I’d have to kick my own ass.
“Good to know,” he said with a chuckle. “How about we let dinner settle and then I’ll get dessert going.”
“Okay.” I wiped my mouth off and tried to refocus on my seduction plan.
Finding that focus was surprisingly difficult. Not because I didn’t want him; my still swollen shaft proved how much I wanted him. The issue was that I was enjoying spending time with him—chatting about school and work, sharing funny stories, getting to know each other—and I wasn’t ready for that to end. But once I fucked him out of my system, I wouldn’t have any reason to stick around.
Of course, if I fucked him, then I’d get to fuck him. Not a particularly insightful or brilliant deduction, but one that made me groan.
“So,” I said, my voice sounding huskier to my own ears. “What do you want to do?”
He pursed his lips in thought for a few seconds and then said, “Do you like to play cards? Dice?”
I wasn’t a big gambler, my frugal nature wouldn’t allow it, but I figured I could hold my own against Chase. Plus, he had unwittingly given me the perfect setup to get him naked.
“You’re on,” I said as I pushed my empty plate away. “How about strip craps?”
“Incorrigible.” He shook his head. “My pants are staying on, hotshot. But, yeah, we can play craps.”
Damn it. I wasn’t going down without a fight. “Look, I’m in school and you have a… career in the arts, so neither of us is flush with cash right now. What’s the point of playing if we can’t gamble for something?”
“I’m doing just fine with my career in the arts,” he said. “We can play for fun or bragging rights.” I snorted derisively. He rolled his eyes and said, “All right, so how about the loser of each round has to take a drink.”
Hold on, now, that had potential. “A drinking game?” I asked.
“Yup.” He winked. “And you’ve already got a three-beer lead on me. Scared?”
“Please.” I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked. “I’m going to kick your round little butt. And I’m warning you now, while you’re good and sober, that my plan is to get your pants off. So when you wake up tomorrow with a sore ass, I don’t want to hear any bullshit about how you were too drunk to know what you were doing.”
Chase gaped at me in wide-eyed horror. “Okay, first, you’re the lawyer, but I’m pretty sure that kind of philosophy could land you in jail. It definitely won’t land you in my bed. And second, if you want any repeat customers, you need to work on your technique because unless you’re packing a nightstick, there is no reason for anybody to wake up in the morning with a sore ass.”