Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 107453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
She shudders, then I gently let go of her foot.
“What’s it for? Your ink.”
“My dad.”
“Oh shit,” I say, coughing immediately over my faux pas. “I’m sorry I called it sexy then.”
“It’s okay,” she reassures me. “It was for him. But for me too. If that makes sense.”
Not entirely, but I go with it. “Sure.”
“And yours?” she asks, moving on as she nods to my wrist and the arrow wrapping around it, then the vines and leaves snaking over my shoulder. “I can figure out the vines and leaves, Plant Daddy.”
I hide my smile over how much I like her nicknames, from Stern Brunch Daddy to Plant Daddy.
“But the arrow?” she continues.
“Got that when I signed with my first team. Just to remind myself that even if I didn’t know where I was going, I wanted to keep going.”
“It’s a good reminder.”
Yeah, it is. And tonight I want to stay in the here and now and keep going with this. Drinking to hikes and to women who know what they want.
I lift my glass in that toast at last. She clinks her glass to mine and then Dev’s. Her gloss leaves a faint trace on the rim of the delicate glass as she sips.
I’d like to do other things with those lips than talk. I finish the wine in my own glass and then set it down on the edge of the tub. “We should set some rules,” I say finally.
I brace myself for her reaction. A lot of people don’t like to set rules.
“Rules?” she asks, like she’s confused or maybe surprised. Shit. I don’t want to ruin this night or this trip.
“I just think they’re a good idea,” I say diplomatically.
Aubrey gives me a skeptical look, her red hair curling in little damp tendrils by her face. “First you wanted to break the rules. Now you want to set them?”
This is why I’ve avoided relationships post-Marla. They’re fuck-all confusing. But I try to stay cool as I answer. “I think it’s a good idea.”
“You mean rules for the hot tub. Like we should be really careful when I get out of it?”
I release a huge breath. “I thought you were pissed.”
She tilts her head, smiling. “I get it, Ledger. But this is fun. I know it isn’t the start of a relationship.”
Even though it seems she’s on the same page we are, it’s better to lay out the expectations clearly. Learned that with Zahra. Everything was clear from the start. No one got hurt. Everyone had fun. “Maybe we can just do this for the honeymoon,” I add.
“I was going to say the same thing…but also, guys?”
Dev sits up straighter. “Yes?”
“This is between us,” she adds, firm. “We don’t need to tell Garrett. Yes, he’s your friend and your agent. But this isn’t a situation where my brother is overprotective of me. Or where he thinks you’re jerks and not good enough for me. He trusts both of you completely. I trust both of you too.”
“That’s what’s really important,” I add.
“It sure is,” Dev says, meeting her gaze. “We want you to trust us.”
Trust is vital in bed. It’s even more vital the more people that share the bed.
“This is a situation…” She pauses, perhaps to collect her thoughts, “Where there’s a start and an end date. That’s why my brother doesn’t need to know.” Her voice pitches up at the end, like she wants to make sure we’re on board.
I can only speak for myself, but I get Aubrey’s point completely given everything going on in her life. “That all sounds smart. You just got out of a terrible situation and deserve a good trip.”
“We can definitely give you a good trip,” Dev adds.
Besides, we’ve all got too much going on when the trip ends to continue anything. That’s no secret.
Dev’s focused on having the best season of his life starting next week. When we return, Aubrey will need to deal with the fallout of her failed wedding. And I’ve got all sorts of what-ifs weighing me down.
This can only be a fling.
“It’s a honeymoon deal,” she says, then smacks a quick kiss on my cheek, then his, before her gaze turns contemplative. “You know…I was just thinking about the waiter. How he kind of did a double take when he saw you two.”
I flash back to dinner, remembering that. “Right.”
She shrugs but not in resignation—more acceptance. “I suppose no PDA would be a wise rule too. You guys are kind of famous.”
Dev scoffs, then pokes his chest. “Kind of, woman? I was the star of the Hockey Hotties calendar.”
I laugh so hard. “So that’s like…D-level celeb?”
“Fuck you. I have a sponsorship with Ding and Dine, and my videos on healthy eats for them fucking rock. Another with Peak Fitness. And—”
I hold up a hand. “—Let me just stop you right there before you turn off Aubrey.”