Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“I’m enjoying the lumberjack vibes. My only regret is that I didn’t grab my phone.”
“It’s not too late.” I lift a brow, then swing the handle over my shoulder and smash the blade on the wood. It cracks and splits.
Oakley runs inside, and then returns with her phone. She smirks as she takes pictures and videos while making me laugh at her vocal antics. It brings me joy knowing she’ll look at them later. Once I have plenty of logs and rounded up some kindling, I carry them over to the firepit.
I move the two patio chairs close to one another. It’s already in the lower forties, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we got our first snowfall soon.
“This view…” She sighs happily, and I turn and look over my shoulder at the rolling hills. The sun hangs lazily in the distance, and everything that surrounds us is splashed in burnt yellow.
“It’s the best time of the day to take pictures. Golden hour—when everything is covered in a warm tint. I’d consider it one of my favorite times of day, especially during fall.”
Her eyes meet mine. “This time, I was talking about you.”
I smirk and move closer. “Really? Maybe I can be the subject of your next painting? You do portraits?”
Oakley laughs. “I’ve not done many. But I’d consider it if you’d be willing to pose for hours…while naked.” She barely gets the words out before she bursts with laughter.
“Sure, but I doubt you’d be able to focus.” I flash her a smug grin.
“You’re right. I’d get no painting done. Just a lot of dicking down.”
I snort.
The timer on the oven blares so we go inside to eat. The hearty aromas waft through the air. I pull out the pan and place it on top of the oven. While the lasagna slightly cools, I pop in some garlic bread.
As I do this, Oakley grabs some plates, and I love how she moves around my place like it’s her own. It basically has been.
“Want to eat outside?” I ask.
“Yeah, I’d like that if we can start the fire first.”
I grab a lighter as she carries our plates. Once it’s lit, we sit and eat.
“This is amazing.” She moans around a mouthful. “Good food and company. Can’t tell you the last time I’ve done anything like this.”
“When I was remodeling this place, installing this pit was one of the first things I did before moving in. Levi and I have spent many nights shooting the shit out here. But I’ve also just enjoyed it plenty of times alone. It’s quiet and peaceful.”
She wipes her mouth with her napkin. “I think pure silence is one of the things I’ll miss the most. I’d never get that living in my apartment. If sirens aren’t blaring, it’s my loud-ass neighbors.”
“I couldn’t handle that. However, it’s not always like this, though. In the summer, the crickets are loud as hell.”
After we finish eating, I put up our plates, then join Oakley with a box of graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows.
“S’mores?” Her eyes light up with excitement as she scoots to the edge of her chair.
“Hope you saved room.” I hand her a retractable roasting stick that automatically spins when a button is pushed.
“This is cheating.” She watches the two prongs at the end twirl in a circle.
I make a face, and she giggles. “Then don’t press the button and do it the old-fashioned way. I prefer mine to be roasted evenly.”
“A s’more connoisseur. Honestly, that’s a good thing. Burning it to a crisp creates carcinogens, which aren’t healthy.”
I burst into laughter. “You and your random facts.”
“Everyone knows that, right?”
“No.”
She shrugs. “I was in Girl Scouts for like two weeks when I was seven, and my mom quickly realized outdoorsy things weren’t for me. Same with sports. Basically, if you needed a smart kid who could draw and paint, I was your girl. Everything else, forget it. Funny enough, as an adult, not much has changed.”
“At least she knew your strengths and encouraged that. Otherwise, we might’ve never met.” I shoot her a wink.
“That’s very true. I’ll have to thank her for that the next time we chat,” Oakley says as she carefully places a marshmallow on the end of the stick.
“You have to prepare your cracker and chocolate before you start roasting. Otherwise, it’s a sticky disaster.”
She chuckles. “I’m following your lead, Country Boy. Show me how it’s done.”
I hand her all of the supplies and do the same for myself. We place our sticks in the fire and let them do the work.
“If there was a contest for marshmallow roasting, you’d win.” She states it as a fact.
“You pull it out when it’s lightly toasted like this.” I show her and then walk her through the process of building the perfect s’more.
I use the top of the graham cracker to smoosh the gooey marshmallow onto the chocolate and pull out the stick, then set it to the side. She follows my lead, then takes her first bite. When she moans, my cock springs to life.