Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“What I know is I’d like to spend more time with him.” My voice was low, and when Carter smiled slowly and thoroughly, like I’d just given him exactly what he wanted, I exhaled as my entire body tingled.
“Well,” my father said, breaking me out of my daze. I blinked a few times and glanced at him. “I guess that settles it then. Any man who defends my daughter the way you did has my blessing.” My dad smiled. “Not that either of you needed it, but it’s there regardless.”
He gave me a smile, nodded in approval to Carter, and then left us alone.
My heart felt like it was beating again. Before I could face Carter, he had his hands on my shoulders and turned me around. There was this strange expression on his face, a soft one I’d never seen before.
I parted my lips, not sure what to say. But his mouth was descending on mine, and he was kissing me as if he’d been missing me for far too long.
I felt those sentiments, and that should have scared the hell out of me.
But it didn’t.
There was an audible gasp from the entryway, and we all turned to see Amber standing there.
Eyes wide, jaw slack, and focus trained on where her father touched me, she looked like someone had sucker-punched her.
And when she turned her now pinched expression my way and our gazes locked, I felt that fire inside me that had burned brightly after she insulted me rise high and hot once again.
Maybe it was immature, catty, or low, but I didn’t give a shit at that moment.
I slid my hand around the back of Carter’s neck, smirked at her, and thought, That’s right, Amber. Take my Daddy, and I’ll take yours.
Chapter
Eleven
MINA
It was four days later when I got the phone call from Amber asking me if I could meet her for lunch.
My first instinct was to tell her to go fuck herself, but I was curious about what she wanted, although I had a pretty good inkling it had to do with how everything had gone down.
So I agreed, and here I sat in a little Italian bistro in town, drinking my too-sweet lemonade and already regretting my decision-making skills.
Although Carter and I were exploring whatever this was between us, we hadn’t seen each other since my father’s house.
He told me he had to go on a business trip, but we made plans for dinner at his place the night he’d return. Or should I say, he demanded the dinner date.
It seemed my independence and feminism went right out the damn door where that man was concerned.
I didn’t know why I was so nervous about talking to him. Maybe it had something to do with how things were shifting gears, and we were moving down uncharted territories. New doors were opening.
And I wanted those new avenues with Carter, or at least, to explore them. Because this felt… real.
And it scared the hell out of me.
The front door to the bistro opened, and in walked Amber, Jackie O sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose, her designer clothing perfect, and not a hair out of place.
She stopped right at the entrance and glanced around. When she saw me sitting at one of the back tables, she slipped her sunglasses off and walked over. I was a little shocked to see there was no hatred or annoyance on her face. Not like how she usually looked at me.
Like she’d just sucked on a lemon.
I was pretty sure I wore the same expression in the past when I’d see her.
When she sat across from me, a waitress came over, took her drink order, then left us to sit in awkward silence for a solid minute. I was about to break the ice, so to speak, when she exhaled and looked me in the eye.
I saw something crack across her face, something that actually took me aback a little.
I leaned against the chair, sensing she was about to speak, curious what she had to say. Did my father put her up to this? Carter?
“Listen,” she said in an almost defeated tone and glanced down, her eyebrows pulling low as she moved her fingers along the edge of the linen napkin.
The waitress came by and dropped off her drink, and after we declined food, she left us alone again. It took Amber a minute before she spoke again.
“First, I want to apologize about the other night at dinner.” She lifted her gaze, and for the first time since I’d known her, genuine emotion covered her face and laced her words toward me.
“Wow.” That lone word came out of me before I could stop it, and she laughed softly.
“I know, right?” She exhaled, took a drink, and leaned back in her chair as she stared at her hands.