Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 53034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Lucien’s been sleeping in lightweight blue cotton pants, and I enjoy the last few seconds of his bare chest as he pulls on a white T-shirt.
“Are you answering it?” I panic, pulling the covers up to my neck.
We have a suite, so whoever’s at the front door won’t be able to see me in bed unless Lucien lets them in.
“It might be important,” he says. “Maybe the wedding got called off because Kyle’s been cheating.”
I choke out a note of laughter and unscrew the cap from the bottle of water on my bedside table. Whoever’s at the door, I don’t feel like seeing them. Since I can get there without being seen from the doorway to our room, I hurry into the bathroom and turn on the shower.
It’s almost seven thirty a.m. That means this will all be over in twelve hours. Lucien and I can make a quick appearance at the reception, get sloppy on top-shelf shit at the open bar Kyle’s paying for, and then move on.
As I massage coconut-scented shampoo into my scalp, I think about the closure today should bring. I’ve been wallowing in self-pity for too long. Their marriage is the last chapter in this saga. It means I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and get a job. Save enough money to move out of my dad’s.
It’s time for me to make a new life for myself. I don’t know where or what that will look like. Since I’m adamant about my job requirements, I may have to move far to find the right fit. I only want to work with disabled people. And it has to include body movement and the ability to build a program I’m passionate about.
I’m not moving back to California. I’ll cede the entire state to Kyle and Audra. But I’m open to anywhere else.
When I met Lucien Beaumont that night at Lucky’s, I had no idea how important he’d become to me. I’m used to seeing him and his teammates almost every day. I’ve truly loved helping out with my dad’s team. It can’t last forever, though.
I finish my shower, brush my teeth and look at myself in the mirror for a few seconds.
I can do this. Lucien will be with me. I’ll find a way to get one of those photos of Kyle after he got stung by the jellyfish and he was throwing a tantrum, and I’ll have it made into a giant canvas to hang in my next home.
Even though I’ve moved on, I’m human. My group text with Suki, Mara and Lainey has reminded me that it’s okay to call out the shittiness of this situation. Even if I seem petty. Even if I am petty. Having friends who get it and defend me as fiercely as I do has made me stand up a little straighter. No matter where I end up, they’ll always be my friends.
I grab my pink terry cloth robe from a hook in the bathroom and put it on, my mind wandering to what eye makeup I’m going to wear today.
When I step back into the bedroom, I inhale deeply, taking in the scent of coffee. And vinegar. This room may smell like vinegar for a long time after the amount we went through yesterday washing Lucien’s stings.
He’s lying in bed, looking at his phone.
“Who was it?” I ask.
“Your sister.”
“What did she want?”
He sighs softly. “She wanted to drop off a bridesmaid dress in case you changed your mind.”
“What the fuck? I’m never changing my mind.”
“I know. I argued with her for a solid five minutes.”
“I don’t see the dress, so you must’ve won.”
He arches his brows. “It’s sitting on the floor in the hallway.”
“The dress?”
“Yeah. She threw it into the room, so I threw it back.”
“Nice.”
I reach up to unwrap the towel from my hair, my robe opening a little in front as I do. Lucien’s eyes are locked onto me, his expression longing. I’ve never felt a look like I do this one. I feel it in my pounding heart. In my swirling stomach. Between my thighs.
“What does that look mean?”
I want to hear him say it. He makes me feel more desirable than any man ever has without even saying a word. But when he does use words, it lights me up from the inside out.
“You know what it means.” He gestures at his tented erection. “It means I want you.”
I laugh lightly. “Well, I’m the only available woman, so ...”
He gets out of bed, pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes. I’m taken aback. Is he...angry?
I can hardly breathe as he paces toward me, commanding every last shred of my focus. When he reaches me, his hands deftly untie the knot in my robe’s belt, and then he opens it, a shiver passing through my entire body.