Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
It’s like living in a dream with him, and I never want to wake up.
I stand close to Trey while he knocks on the door, which swings open almost immediately to reveal a tall, tanned man who yanks Trey into a one-armed hug. I giggle at the shocked look on Trey’s face, patting his friend on the back before pulling away and yanking me inside with him.
“Good to see you, buddy,” Trey’s friend greets with a big grin.
“Nice to see you too, Graham.” Trey chuckles as Graham leads us to his kitchen.
“And who’s this beauty?” Graham asks.
We pause by the counter full of snacks and drinks where Trey sets down the treats we brought, immediately stealing one for himself.
“I’m Talia,” I introduce, holding my hand out to shake Graham’s. Instead, he raises my hand to his mouth and kisses my knuckles, making Trey growl a warning around his bite of cupcake. I giggle but pull my hand away and slip it into Trey’s instead, showing him I’m still his.
Graham looks thoroughly amused, a bright glint in his dark eyes as he looks between us. “How did you get a girl as pretty as this one, huh, old man?” he jokes to Trey, who rolls his eyes.
“I’m two years older than you,” Trey grumbles. “But I can’t deny that I’m one lucky fucker to have her at my side.”
I blush at the compliments, gazing up at Trey. “I’m lucky, too,” I tell him with a smile, pushing up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
Graham chuckles. “Never thought I’d see Trey so domesticated,” he teases, making me laugh and Trey grumble again, narrowing his stormy eyes at his friend.
“Where’s Lisa? I need to tell her to get her husband in line,” Trey says, only making Graham laugh harder.
“She’s out by the pool. Come on, she’ll be so excited to meet Trey’s girl,” Graham says to me.
I decide I immediately like him. He seems warm and kind, and for all Trey’s grumpiness, it’s obvious he values Graham as a friend, or else he would’ve done way more than roll his eyes at his teasing.
We grab a drink and head out to the pool, Graham snatching up two cookies from the tray we brought to take out with him.
He hands one to his wife, Lisa, and we all get introduced, both of them insisting those are the best cookies they’ve ever eaten. Graham goes back for another immediately, despite Lisa and Trey telling him to leave some for everyone else. The party is in full swing, people lounging in sun chairs around the pool, others already splashing and making waves in the water.
I sip my drink, and Trey wraps his arms around my waist, tugging me down to sit on his lap as we chat to more of his friends, some he knows from the Navy, others Graham introduces us to as Lisa’s friends. They’re all lovely, and in minutes, I’m laughing and in deep conversation about the best kind of cookies or crackers to use for S’mores.
“You’re all wrong,” Lisa pipes up while we argue about the merits of Graham crackers. She holds up the last bite of her cookie, pointing it at me. “These works of art would beat out every other option immediately. Talia, you need to tell me how to get more of these from you because they’re heavenly.”
I grin, and Trey ducks his head to whisper told you so in my ear. I promise Lisa to drop off another batch of cookies so she can test her S’mores theory fully.
Someone turns up the music, and the group we’ve been chatting to decides it’s time to get back in the pool. I leap up to rush inside and get changed, laughing as Trey chases after me. I snatch my bikini from our bag and lock myself in the bathroom, Trey promising to make me pay for being a brat. I hope he does, but not till later. If I let him help me get changed, we’d never actually get in the pool at all, and we both know it.
When I come back out, I find Trey waiting in the kitchen, gloriously shirtless in his swim shorts. I pause to drool over him, and he presses the advantage, snatching me up into his arms. I shriek with laughter, his strong arms keeping me trapped against him as he strides back out to the garden.
I have about two seconds to remember to hold my breath before he throws me into the pool, to the sound of whoops and cheers from everyone around us. The cool water feels great against my warm skin, and when I resurface, my hair is plastered to my face and shoulders, and I’m laughing so hard my chest hurts. When I manage to pull my hair out of my face, I find Trey standing at the edge of the pool with a grin on his face, and I smile up at him from the water.