Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“It doesn’t matter. There’s an architecture cruise on the Chicago river that I’ve always wanted to take. I know it’s kind of touristy, but who cares? So I booked it for next weekend. Hannah’s going to do it with me.”
“That’s great, Tee.” I loved seeing him excited about pursing his own interests. It was about time he looked out for himself.
“There’s a speedboat one on the lake that looks cool too. Maybe I’ll try that before the end of summer. Or there are probably tours on sailboats too.”
We talked for a while about all the things he wanted to do now that he was going to focus on himself a little more. Teo questioned me at length about my own plans which included the renovation at Millie’s, the runs with Chelsea, and the horseback riding lessons I’d signed up for after I’d had one too many glasses of wine with Rourke. It was appealing to share my plans with someone who was genuinely interested and seemed to hang on my every word.
“Oooh! Can I go too?”
I stared at Teo. “Go where?”
“Horseback riding.”
“I thought you were intimidated by large animals. I asked if you’d taken your niece to the zoo and you looked at me like I was nuts.”
“Well, yeah. But isn’t that the point? I want to get out of my comfort zone, try new things. I want to have a freaking life that’s more than just going to work and coming home to my two cats.” He reached out a hand to pet Socrates, who was curled into a ball between us. “No offense, baby.”
“I don’t see why not. I’m going with Rourke Wagner. It’s on his bucket list, and he talked me into going with him. He found a special place outside the city that can accommodate him.”
Teo’s face, which had been open and happy, suddenly morphed into an odd kind of fake smile.
“Oh. No, that’s okay. I can find someone else to go with.”
And suddenly things were awkward between us again.
27
Teo
Rourke. Beautiful, successful, rich as hell Rourke.
It wasn’t like I wanted to date Jack. Of course I didn’t. I was on a new path, the independent Teo path. I didn’t need a boyfriend to make me feel whole. I was out to embrace and celebrate my singleness.
Ahem.
I tried to sound cool and calm. As if the idea of Jack dating the gorgeous Rourke Wagner was A-Okay with me. None of my business. “I don’t want to be a third wheel.”
Jack looked at me with a twinkle of knowing in his eyes. “What makes you think you’d be a third wheel?”
I concentrated on the spot where Socrates’s white paw met the inky black fur of his leg. The fur there was smooth and silky, so I ran a fingertip across it. “It’s fine. I mean, maybe horseback riding is a bridge too far for me after all.” I pushed out a laugh. “Can you even imagine me, of all people, galloping across a field?”
“I think if a man who’s paralyzed from the hips down can do it, you certainly can.”
Fuck. He had a point. “Yeah, but he’s known for being brave. That’s like… his entire persona. He’s just one of those guys who’s a badass at everything he does.”
“Not true. Did you know that he got kicked off a wheelchair basketball team because he kept tipping over?”
“They have special chairs to help you not tip when you’re doing those kinds of sports,” I said. “Surely he can afford one. The guy owns his own plane.”
“He had one,” Jack said with a laugh. “But he still kept tipping over, and it was dangerous to the other players. You should hear him talk about it. I thought I was going to piss myself. He ended up admitting that in eight months of practicing with that group, he’d never made one basket.”
I chuckled. “Ah, the real reason they kicked him off.”
“Exactly.”
“I was jealous of a paralyzed man,” I admitted. “Someone who has to work ten times harder than I do just going about his normal day. I’m an ass.”
Jack cupped my cheek and shot me a smirk. “Jealous how?”
I flapped my hand dismissively. “I don’t want a boyfriend, and you don’t either, so it doesn’t matter.” I crawled over and straddled him, sliding my arms around his neck and bringing my face close to his. “Can we still have sex, even though we’re just friends and neither one of us wants more?”
“Oh hell yes,” Jack breathed on a sigh of relief. The sound hit me low in the belly, making my dick plump up. His hands moved down to cup my ass and pull me tighter into him until our dicks ground together. I groaned.
“Maybe the talking can be over for a little while.”
Jack leaned in and kissed me on the lips, taking his time tasting me and nipping first my top lip, then my bottom one. He tasted sweet and familiar. The faint scent of his cologne filled my nose. I wanted his body all over mine. I wanted him to roll that scent around in my bed until it was a permanent fixture.