Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Tristan and I exchange a look.
Connor arches a brow, staring down at his wife. “I’ll go first.”
“Villain,” Dred warns.
“Dredful Menace.” He winks and kisses her cheek. “Never have I ever—” He pauses for dramatic effect. “Gone skinny-dipping.”
“That is not what I thought you were going to lead with.” Everyone takes a sip of their drink, including Tally.
“When?” I ask.
She widens her eyes. “Dance camp.”
“You know, it might be time for me and Lexi to go.” Roman pushes back his chair and extends a hand to his wife.
“Seriously, Dad?” Hammer rolls her eyes.
“Callie is babysitting Ariel, and we said we’d only be gone a couple of hours. Plus, there are things I just don’t want to know,” he says.
“Let’s be real, Roman. There are also things you don’t want your daughter to know.” Lexi winks at the table.
That gets a chorus of laughter.
Roman gives Lexi a look, but his ears turn red as he guides her to the door, bending to whisper something to her on the way.
“I bet they’re freaky in the bedroom,” Dred muses.
“Probably,” Hollis says.
Hammer slaps his chest.
“What? There’s a good chance. Roman can’t be super dad all the time.”
“Never have I ever fallen asleep while making out,” Dred tosses out, then sips her drink.
“Not with me, you haven’t!” Connor says defensively. Then frowns. “Who was this idiot?”
“Dallas actually fell asleep with his face between my thighs,” Hemi says gleefully.
“Honey, why you outing me like this?” He holds up a hand. “In all fairness, it was after her brothers came to visit.”
“You mean the time they took you on a twenty-kilometer hike?”
“It was a different time, and it was just as fucking awful. I felt like I deserved a real reward for not dying, and I maybe was more exhausted than I realized.”
“Half an hour, just sawing logs on top of my pussy.”
“You could have moved me at any time.”
“You were so peaceful, though.”
Kellan almost falls out of his chair he’s laughing so hard.
Tally smiles, but she’s wringing her hands in her lap.
I try to put myself in her shoes and see it through her eyes. And I get it. Finally. Of course she propositioned me. We have horny friends and we’re all open about sex. She’s been hanging around with these women for years, and we’re a bunch of professional athletes. We do everything at full tilt.
She might not have all of these experiences yet, but I’ll be the one to fill every need and fantasy.
“Never have I ever made out with my significant other in an inappropriately public place.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder.
“You two need to down the rest of your drinks.” Dallas points at Rix and Tristan.
Everyone laughs.
I touch my finger to Tally’s chin.
She looks up at me, questions in her pretty, sea-blue eyes. “You don’t think my car counts?” I brush my lips over hers. When she doesn’t pull away, I suck her bottom lip. Then I move my hand to conceal our faces and stroke inside her mouth.
Someone whistles. Connor starts clapping. Someone throws a balled-up napkin at us, but I don’t take my eyes off Tally as I pull back. Her cheeks are red, but she’s smiling.
I clink my glass against hers. “Drink up, kitten.”
CHAPTER 25
TALLY
Iknock, but I doubt anyone can hear me over the whirr of the skill saw. After a few seconds, I poke my head in the studio. I’m holding a tray of coffees and a box of pastries. I don’t believe these treats will magically make the studio useable, but Flip suggested it yesterday, so maybe I can at least get an idea of when it will be.
A man in his mid-twenties puts the saw down and approaches. “Hey, how can I help you?”
“I just wanted to stop by with some coffees.” I hold out the tray and the bakery box. “And snacks.”
“Are you the dance instructor?” he asks skeptically.
I laugh. “No. I’m a student who regularly uses this studio.”
“Oh.” Understanding dawns. “A lot of you have stopped by to ask when it’ll be finished. You’re the first to bring snacks, though.”
“I’m sorry for the interruption.” I look down at the bare plywood floor. “I guess you’ll be a while yet?”
He transfers the coffee and snacks to one hand and thumbs over his shoulder with the other. “The prep work is almost done, but the flooring is special order, and it hasn’t been delivered yet.”
“Ah, okay. So at least a couple more weeks?” I hedge.
“Once the flooring arrives, it should only take a few days to lay, but then it needs to be sealed, so a couple of weeks is optimistic,” he explains. “That’s probably not what you want to hear, eh?”
I shake my head. “No, but it’s easier to plan this way. Thanks for taking the time to explain.”
“No problem. Thanks for being understanding.”
I can only imagine what other people’s reactions have been. A couple of students in my class have broken down in tears over studio time. I’ve felt the pressure building lately, too.