Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 242(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 242(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
“Thanks, but that should be my job.”
“Are you forgetting? You don’t have any connections here, rich boy,” she says teasingly, snagging my hand and pulling me through the staring throng of people. I only have eyes for Vida, though, and she’s clearly in her element here. A lot more comfortable than she looked walking through the gym this morning with an armful of towels. That contrast tells me she’s definitely not comfortable at the resort. I don’t like knowing that. “Here.”
She slides into a booth all the way in the back corner, and I join her, memorizing the way she gathers her dark hair to one side and leans down to study the menu.
God, she’s so beautiful, it hurts to breathe.
“You know, mussels are an aphrodisiac. They build testosterone and that’s about the last thing I need more of right now. Are you trying to kill me?”
She gives me a prim side glance. “Maybe I just like mussels.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I guess you could order the burger if you don’t think you can handle the extra zinc.”
“I can handle anything, angel.”
“Mmm.” That blush on her bare shoulders makes me wonder what she’s feeling on the inside. If she’s reacting to me the way I’m reacting to her. Like something serious is shifting inside me. Something unexpected and real. “What are your friends doing back at the resort tonight?”
“I couldn’t care less.”
“Do they know you’re with me?”
Slowly, I nod, not sure how she’s going to feel about it. “Yeah. They know.”
Her throat shifts with a swallow. “Oh.”
“Oh?”
She shrugs those graceful shoulders. “I guess I thought you’d keep it a secret.”
I’ve made it as long as I can without touching her. Sliding closer, I put my arm around her, tugging until her hip is locked against mine. And fuck, she smells so good. Like summer.
“Why would I want to keep you a secret, Vida? I’m proud to be out with you.” She looks up at me with searching eyes, and I swim in them, helplessly. Jesus, I’ve never, ever been this disarmed by anyone. “Even if I did want to date you in secret, there aren’t really any secrets among my friends. It’s kind of toxic, actually, the way everyone is in each other’s business. But we’ve all been raised together. Vacationing together our whole lives. There’s no turning back now.”
“You’re stuck with each other.”
“Pretty much.”
“What do they think about you being out with me?”
I consider her question. I want to answer as honestly as I can, because I don’t relish the idea of lying to this girl. But I can’t exactly tell her the whole truth, can I? “It’s complicated.”
She tilts her head. “I don’t live in your world, but I observe a lot working at Reserve. I know people like you stick to a strict dating pool. I’m the furthest thing from that pool.”
“’People like me’?”
Her elbow digs into my ribs gently. “That’s what I said, Mr. Sterling.”
This teasing mood of hers is working me up.
If we weren’t in a packed restaurant, I’d have her on my lap by now.
“I can tell by the way you said Sterling that you’ve figured out who my family is.”
Slowly, she nods.
Something about the way Vida won’t let me spoil her only makes me want to do it more. A lot more. “There’s a Sterling’s in Boston. I can call a car to pick us up.” I lean down and plant a kiss on her smooth, sun-kissed shoulder. “We could be there in an hour and you could pick out any fucking thing you want. Ten things. Twenty.”
Her eyes widen, like she can’t believe what I’m offering her—and it’s nothing. It’s only the tip of a very deep iceberg.
“We haven’t even ordered yet,” she whispers, shaking her head. “Anyway, I don’t need a shopping spree at Sterling’s. I need…”
“Me?” I prompt, holding my breath.
She bites her lip. “I think so. I don’t really…know what need feels like.”
I’m pretty sure that being so drawn to her inexperience makes me a bastard, but I can’t help it. I love that she’s learning about her body with me. Once again, I bring my open mouth to her shoulder, but this time I skate it up the side of her neck and feel her pulse go triple time against my lips.
“When you think about my cock inside you, what happens to your body?”
I hear her swift intake of breath over the loud music. “It gets hot. Everywhere.”
It’s a struggle not to reach down and shift the ache in my khakis. “And wet, isn’t that right, Vida? Your cunt gets wet for me.”
Blushing furiously, she nods.
I groan, deep in my throat. “That’s need, angel. I’ve got it for you, too.”
She lifts her head, her glazed eyes centered on my lips, and I have no choice but to plunder her ripe mouth right there at the table. Within seconds of playing with her tongue, I’m so stiff, it’s taking all my restraint not to throw her on the table and eat her out.