Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“We could always play chess.” Laughing, I nudged him with my elbow.
“Ha. I know exactly what you need.”
“Excellent.” Didn’t matter what it was, I was game, especially if it kept me from thinking.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Derrick
“I knew this tub was good for something.” Arthur stretched like a happy puppy, his damp head falling back against my shoulder. We were wedged in the tub, him sitting in front of me, sudsy water surrounding us. I’d found a candle under the sink, and we’d lit it, keeping the room lights low so we could admire the moon over the lake through the window. “This was an excellent idea. Thanks.”
“You sure hinted enough all week.” I trailed my fingers down his ribs. The water smelled like the herbal bubble bath Arthur had dumped in. Years from now, I’d likely smell rosemary and be overcome with nostalgia, and I was okay with that as I wanted to do whatever I could to preserve this moment.
“I did, didn’t I?”
“You did.” I laughed because despite having fooled around in the shower earlier in the week, he had continued to remark how we’d both fit in the tub. He wasn’t exactly subtle about what he wanted, but I loved that about him. Giving him what he wanted was easy and made me feel like a lotto winner.
“And look at us. We made it the whole week and no one needed to sleep in the tub.”
“We did good.” I hugged him tighter against me. He wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to sleep. I wasn’t ready for morning at all.
“We did.” Arthur gave a contented sigh. “Never thought I’d say this, but I wish the week didn’t have to end.”
“Me either.” I took a deep breath. I wasn’t getting a better opening than that for all the thoughts that had been plaguing me all day. “Maybe it doesn’t...”
“Derrick.” Twisting in my arms, Arthur glared at me. I was violating the rules of this fling, but ever since that song about trying, I kept coming back to the idea that we owed it to ourselves to give this thing between us a real chance.
“Hear me out. There’s no real deadline for us to break up, right?”
He exhaled hard. “Other than the fact that my brother is probably chomping at the bit for that to happen.”
“I’ll handle him,” I promised, saying the words I should have said sooner. Calder was amazing and I wouldn’t trade our friendship for anything, but Arthur was Arthur, and I wasn’t going to let loyalty to Calder be the stumbling block to one of the best things I’d ever found.
“Handling sounds ominous.” He barked out a laugh.
“I decided to stop caring so much about his reaction.” Had I reached that conclusion sooner, we might have had one more night, and right then, every hour felt precious. “You and I already slept together. And like you pointed out numerous times, you’re a fully consenting adult. If he wants to deck me over us hooking up, that’s on him.”
“Yup. It is. But I also don’t want to tank your decade-plus of friendship.” Arthur rubbed my knee. “If we end it now, you can both pretend whatever happened was simply part of the ruse, maybe avoid a fight over this.”
“Perhaps it would be worth the fight.” Voice solemn, I put my hand over his on my leg. I didn’t say that lightly, but I also couldn’t shake the feeling that for the rest of my life I’d regret not fighting for more time with Arthur.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I don’t want to end it now,” I said firmly.
“Thought you were dead set against a rebound relationship—or any relationship for that matter?”
It was true that I really didn’t want another messy breakup like Steve, but a week of pretending to be Arthur’s boyfriend had left me convinced that what I did want was an Arthur. “But here I am having one anyway.”
“Here we are.” Arthur sounded so sad that I wasn’t sure what I could do other than try to gather him closer.
“You don’t have to sound so miserable.”
“I’m not.” He flicked a stray bubble off his chest. “More like I’m pouting because I don’t want to end it either, but I know it has to.”
“Does it though? Is there some rule that says we can’t simply keep it going? I’m likely to be stateside for a while. We can—”
“Keep hooking up?” He was a little too fast at answering for me. Frowning, I brushed the soap off his neck.
“I was going to say date, but sure.” Hooking up or friends with benefits was way more casual than I felt about Arthur, but I’d take him however he wanted it to be. “Whichever you’d be most comfortable with. I’m not looking for a label. I just want more time with you, whatever you want to call it.”