Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
A small, petty part of me would’ve loved to send her a picture of Kai, Landon, and Asher, just to blow her mind.
After that, I couldn’t get the conversation out of my head. As I took a shift at the front desk, it struck me how both Mia and Peyton had a man in their life now. Sometimes it felt like everybody did except me. I’d been telling myself for four years that was fine—once I graduated and got the job of my dreams, then I could think about dating. But maybe… maybe my views on that were starting to change. And though that scared me, part of me thought that that might be a horrible thing.
I was hanging out with several handsome single men every day and entertaining the kind of thoughts I didn’t usually have. I’d seen Asher practically naked, and that had had an alarming effect on me. My nipples had hardened. My thighs had clenched. I was fairly certain that had I been wearing panties, they would have been wet.
And then last night, sitting between the twins, their warm, firm bodies on either side of me, calling Landon my hubby and listening to Kai’s wild sex stories—it almost made me wonder what would happen if I didn’t wait until after graduation to date.
It was so frustrating, I thought as I picked my way through the plants to the window of the solarium after my shift. I’d been doing everything right. I’d spent the last four years learning skills I’d need for my career. But graduating from college wasn’t just about starting a career—it marked the real start of adulthood. And adults needed to know how to do more things than just run a hotel.
I’d reacted badly when Kai kissed me and called me baby girl—not just badly, but like a scared virgin, which technically I was. Was I really considering entering the adult world without knowing what it was like to be with a man? I’d perfected my business skills but never thought about bedroom skills. Kai’s stories last night had been eye-opening. And a turn-on.
I stared out the window, not really seeing the gorgeous scenery. The more I thought about it, the more this seemed like a unique opportunity. I was here for a few more weeks, spending my nights in front of a warm fire with hot men. Maybe I should just get it over with, find out what all the fuss was about, and build up a few skills in that area too. This was knowledge I didn’t yet possess, and they sure as hell did.
Kai would probably laugh if I asked him, though I doubted he’d turn me down. Hadn’t he already invited me back to his room the other day? Asher would probably use it as another reason to act aloof and superior. But Landon—him, I could trust. He wouldn’t laugh at me. And if he touched me, it wouldn’t be fast and frantic like his brother. He’d let me go at my pace. He’d be sweet and gentle.
“Zoe.”
I almost jumped out of my skin as Landon’s voice said my name, as if I’d conjured him up with my thoughts.
My heart banged painfully inside my chest as he came to stand next to me. Should I share what I’d been thinking? Or just tell him that I’d never been with a man? Or maybe I could just ask him out on a date—though where would we even go?
I was prepared to throw caution to the wind and tell him what was on my mind, but when I looked up at him, his blue eyes were on the horizon. He looked serious. Somber. And so damn sad.
All at once, I remembered that this was a man who was grieving for his friend, his partner. And if Asher was to be believed, Landon felt guilty about it. Probably sex was the last thing on his mind.
When the back of his hand brushed against mine, I impulsively took it, squeezing gently. He didn’t look at me, but he moved a half step closer, and I leaned against him as we looked at the view. His closeness was about comfort, not attraction.
And I hadn’t had a lot of that either. So I’d be content with what I did have with him, with them, and not risk messing that up by pushing for something more.
At least that’s what I told myself.
But the disappointment that settled in my chest felt heavier than I wanted to admit.
16
ZOE
“And then I need you to go and check with—” Mrs. Greer was mid-sentence when her phone rang.
She picked up the phone, and I took a step back, half-relieved. I’d been worried she was about to tell me to check something with Asher. And while we’d been getting along a tiny bit better, that was still my least favorite task.