Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 111732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111732 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 559(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
“Arrive whenever you can, and I’ll feed you then.”
“Awesome. I’m guessing around eight.”
“Perfect.”
“Thanks so much, Marnie.”
“Meh. I’m getting some good stuff out of this, too.”
“Yeah, but I’m getting the long end of the stick. This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for—my chance to finally make my professional dreams a reality.”
“I’m glad I can help. I’ll see you tonight.”
“See you then. Thank you again. I truly can’t thank you enough.”
17
MAX
I knock at Marnie’s front door. When she opens it, my traitorous body involuntarily jolts at the sight of her. She’s wearing pajama bottoms and a thin tank top with no bra underneath, which means I can easily make out the shape of her tits and nipples underneath the flimsy fabric. Which therefore means my brain is suddenly barraging me with a slew of uninvited images and memories, all of them involving me voraciously groping and/or devouring Marnie’s naked tits.
I raise my eyes to hers and tell myself to look unimpressed and disinterested. You know, like a guy who’s not imagining himself lurching through the doorway, pinning Marnie against the nearest wall, and doing exactly what we did at Grayson’s party.
“Hey,” I say flatly.
“Hey,” Marnie echoes, matching my tone. She widens the door, and I walk past her into the house. As I stride into the living room, I catch the scent of Marnie’s shampoo—the same one I buried my nose in the other day while fucking her senseless. And that’s all it takes for my brain to supply yet another rapid-fire slide show, this one culminating in memories of Marnie coming with my cock buried deep inside her.
“Ripley is fast asleep,” Marnie says softly, closing the gap between us. “Apparently, showing off her shiny new toy at school today tuckered her out.”
I look around for any sign of her father. “And your dad?”
“He’s staying at your mom’s place tonight. He was able to change their reservation at the winery for tomorrow. There are lots of hiking trails over there, so they’re getting an early start in the morning.”
Damn. Knowing we’re alone here tonight, other than Ripley being fast asleep on the other side of the house, makes Marnie’s no-sex rule an even bigger bummer. I get why she doesn’t want to play with fire when we’re sleeping under the same roof for a week, but I’d posit, if asked, it’d be a good thing for us to smash it one last time tonight as a last hurrah—you know, simply to get each other out of our systems.
“Are you hungry?” she asks.
“I am. I was so busy pawning off my workload today, I barely ate a thing.”
“You’re in for a treat. What I made today is one of my top specialties.” Marnie heads toward the kitchen, so I follow behind and try not to ogle her backside as she moves. It’s a tall order, though. She’s grace in motion. Sensual, even when simply moving from Point A to B.
In the kitchen, I ask if I can help, and Marnie suggests I open a bottle of red.
“I can do that.”
I open a bottle, find some glasses, and pour, while Marnie gets to work pulling containers out of the fridge. When she heads to the counter next to the stove, I place a wine goblet next to her with a wink. “Here you go, my darling fiancée.”
“Thanks, babe. You’re always so good to me.”
Chuckling, I take a seat at a small table with my wine and watch Marnie working like the pro she is at the stove. In short order, she places a beautifully presented meal in front of me. “Bon appetit, my darling fiancé.”
At the sight of the plate before me, I can’t remain in character. The food looks and smells too damned good. “This looks incredible,” I say. “I didn’t expect something so elaborate.”
“I’m a professional chef, babe. I don’t fuck around.”
I laugh. “Clearly not. What is this?”
Marnie tells me a string of words, most of which I don’t recognize. But the gist of it is that I’m about to feast on braised short ribs, truffle-infused mashed potatoes, and a medley of roasted vegetables.
Marnie takes a seat next to me at the table and watches with bated breath as I take my first bite. “Oh my god,” I mumble as the incredible flavors envelop my taste buds. “This is fucking delicious.”
Marnie looks genuinely excited. “I’m so glad you like it.”
“No, I love it. It’s the best meal I’ve had in a very long time.” I take another bite and savor it, before murmuring, “No wonder I proposed to you.”
Marnie giggles. “I hate to tell you but hiring me as a private chef to make this for you would have been a lot cheaper than proposing marriage to me.”
I look up from my plate. “Oh, fuck. You need a ring for next week, don’t you? A convincing one.”