Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 152(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Once we entered the house through the garage, Aunt Melanie ambushed us. “You girls shouldn’t have gone like that! Justine, you know your curfew is in effect all summer.”
“Mom, we were just at Kristi’s house.” My cousin rolled her eyes. “Besides, it’s not even that late. Eleven p.m. isn’t so horrible.”
“And what were you doing over there?”
I was starting to get the impression my cousin didn’t have the ironclad grip on her parents that she’d told me about.
“Oh, just a few friends were over. A nice little summer party.”
Aunt Melanie eyed the girl warily, as if she didn’t believe us. I was praying she wouldn’t ask me about our whereabouts because I’ve always been a bad liar. My aunt looked between the two of us as I kept my mouth shut, expression innocent. I stole a glance at Justine, who kept her face emotionless.
“Well, it’s getting pretty late. And you guys have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, so you two should get to bed.”
“Of course, Mom,” Justine said, kissing her mom on the cheek before making her way down the hall to her room. I did the same, wishing Aunt Melanie a good night and following Justine down the hallway to our room. My cousin talked for a bit while getting ready for bed, just some nonsense stuff about hair and make-up. She didn’t ask any more about Hunter and I didn’t offer any more information about our kiss.
I was glad that she didn’t inquire anymore.
I didn’t really want to talk about it, for fear that the more I talked about it, the more real it would get. It was okay that it was just in my head – like a sweet fantasy or a dream. Because what was I thinking? He was the most eligible bachelor this side of the Mississippi, whereas I was a chubby teenage girl. There was no way he’d be interested in someone like me. That was magical thinking.
But the more I tried to push Hunter out of my mind, the more he lodged himself there. It was crazy. Why was I so attracted to him? He was gorgeous and rich and much too old for someone like me.
But why had he kissed me? As I settled into my bed that night, I thought back to the wonderful moment. It had made me feel alive, nerves tingling, every part of me on fire.
I closed my eyes. And when I slept that night … I dreamed of Hunter Maddox, blue eyes flashing, big body pulling me close.
Chapter Six
Hunter
Oh shit. Why did I offer to give Kristi a ride? It was pure folly in the bright light of day.
Because my dreams had been filled with Dani. I couldn’t stop thinking about her generous curves, warm kisses, and beautiful brown eyes. What the hell? This was so wrong. She was twenty years younger than me, for crying out loud!
Slowly heaving myself out of bed, I dragged myself over to the shower. Fuck. The icy water hit my skin, making me wince and tingle. But it did its work, and my boner went down. Thank god.
By the time I was dressed, Kristi was waiting impatiently, tapping her foot in the marble foyer. “Let’s go,” she chirped excitedly. “It’s gonna be so fun today!”
I shrugged my shoulders and got into the car. “Where am I taking you?”
“Just to The Pavilion,” Kristi replied, blowing a bubble with the gum in her mouth. “We are going to walk around a bit. You don’t have to wait around if you don’t want to.”
I shrugged. “Would having me around make things weird?”
“You are being so strange!” Kristi said. “But no. It’s fine if you want.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s a public place, after all.”
“A little fresh air does sound nice.”
Kristi eyed me suspiciously. “Don’t you have a lot of work to do, Uncle Hunter?”
In truth, I did have a lot of work. I was swamped with proposals and contracts to review, but I knew my head wasn’t in it. Early this morning, I’d flipped through some emails on my phone, but my mind had started to drift.
And it was all because of Dani. I knew I needed to see her again. Shit. Maybe if I did, I could get the curvy brunette out of my system, once and for all, although deep down, I knew that getting an angel like her out of my system would be damn near impossible.
“Hmm,” Kristi said, looking out the window. Her blonde hair was tied in a bun, and she was wearing a loose shirt and shorts. Suddenly, her eyes snapped towards me, sparkling with humor. “So I heard through the grapevine that you had a fun time last night.”
I eyed Kristi cautiously. “And what makes you say that?”
“I have my sources,” she said, smiling mischievously. “I also heard a certain new girl left the party rather flustered. I wonder how she got that way?”