Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 20927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
It’s late when the guests have finally started to retire. Gray’s spent the day on his feet, making food for the whole town of Courage County. He’s also handled so many staff questions and prevented more than one catastrophe. He looks nearly dead on his feet and now he’s cleaning up the grounds, carefully picking up trash.
When we’re done, he walks me up to my room. The lodge is different tonight. With more people in it, I can hear the quiet hum of conversations, footsteps on the hardwood floors and children squealing in laughter. Tonight, the lodge is alive and cozy.
We’re alone and in front of my door so if this goes terribly wrong, I can retreat in there and pretend I didn’t make this offer. I figure that makes it as good a time as any to shoot my shot. “Hey, Gray?”
“Yeah, sunshine?”
The way he says the nickname fills me with warmth. He makes me feel so safe and protected. That’s how I find the courage to blurt out, “Maybe we could watch a movie tonight?”
6
PIPER
“Are you sure?” His voice is deep, but I don’t let myself glance at his face.
Goosebumps skitter along my skin and it has nothing to do with the cool night air and everything to do with this sexy man. “I want you.”
He puts a finger under my chin, tipping up my face. His gaze searches mine for a long moment. But whatever he sees there must reassure him because he gives me a soft smile. “I want you too.”
My mouth goes dry at the way he’s staring at me. OK, wow, this is really happening. Suddenly, I think of a million things I should have done. I mean my legs are shaved. But I definitely have some landscaping to handle and I bet I smell sweaty from being outside all afternoon.
He slides his hands around my hips, pulling me close. I love the way I can feel him against me, his big chest and his even bigger…oh. Oh.
Backup. A girl definitely needs backup.
“I need a girly minute,” I say softly. I’m probably ruining the moment. I’d planned to be this cool, calm seductress. Instead, I’m still me, the geeky girl that doesn’t know what to do with a hot guy.
“Girly minute?” He repeats, a frown creasing his face.
“Yeah, just five minutes,” I murmur before I step backwards. I bump into my door and reach for the handle fumbling with it.
He reaches around me and opens it. “Piper—”
“Just five minutes.” I hold up my hand to indicate the five minutes before disappearing into the room. As soon as I shut the door, I let out a breath. It’s official. I’m a disaster when it comes to this stuff.
With shaky hands, I reach for my phone. I dial Zoey but she’s not there. I try Cleary, my friend from the police station, and still no dice. What does a girl have to do to reach her squad?
“It’s OK,” I tell myself. “We’ll start with the shower anyway.”
But twenty minutes later, the shower water is running and I’m just standing in the bathroom fully clothed. I’m staring off into space and wondering if I wait long enough if Gray will forget about what I said.
A knock on the door startles me but before I can say anything, Gray is coming in. He sees me standing here and I offer a pathetic shrug. I have to swallow around a lump in my throat. He’s figured it out.
When I risk a glance at his face, his expression is soft. “Why are you hiding from me, sweet girl?”
The quiet stretches between us, the only sound is the rush of the shower water. The white noise fades and finally I admit in a whisper, “I’ve never…I mean, I’m on birth control. But I don’t know how to do this.”
I’m twenty-two years old, and I’ve never slept with a man. Why didn’t I just get it over with and lose my virginity in high school? Then maybe I wouldn’t be standing here in front of the hottest guy I know and thinking that I’m going to mess this up.
He crosses from the doorway to stand in front of me. He wraps his arms around me, pulling my body close. For a long moment, he just holds me before saying, “That’s OK. We’ll learn together.”
I lean back to search his face. “Learn together? Does that mean…?”
“That I’m a thirty-year-old virgin about to have sex for the first time? Yeah, it does.” Amusement crosses his features. Our society applauds men who have multiple sexual partners, viewing it as a sign of their prowess. Yet he’s owning this so casually, like it’s not a big deal at all.
I relax at his confession. He’s new at this, just like me. Somehow, that knowledge eases the knot in my stomach.