Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“You’re so fucking cute,” Lorenzo says, leaning over and giving me a quick kiss, which causes butterflies to attack my chest.
He’s started to kiss me on a regular basis since our date night, and every single time, no matter how quick or deep the kiss is, it lights my body up.
At night, when we’re lying in bed—since he now sleeps with me every night—he holds me while we talk and kiss until we fall asleep. But despite the underlying sexual tension—which is so thick that I feel like we could choke on it—we never take it any further.
“Why wouldn’t you just use the pool upstairs?”
His comment snaps me from my thoughts.
“Pool? What pool?”
He looks at me like I’ve grown two heads and then curses under his breath. “I never gave you the full tour …”
“Tour of what?”
“Oh, Wild Card.” He chuckles, grabbing Leo’s towel and lifting him out of the plastic pool. “Come with me. I have something to show you.”
“Are you freaking serious?” I say in awe as I take in the plunge pool and hot tub that’s on the second floor of Lorenzo’s condo. I didn’t even know he had a second floor!
My gaze tracks across the spacious area. There are several lounge chairs, a six-person table and chairs, and a small, covered outdoor kitchen. Immediately, images of Leo and me spending Sundays out here, playing in the pool, while Lorenzo barbecues us lunch flits through my mind.
“We should throw a pool party,” I tell him. “Invite your friends and our sisters over. They could bring the kids. I bet Leo would love playing with them. You could barbecue something delicious, and I’d bake a dessert, or maybe we could do, like, a potluck, where everyone brought a dish …”
Lorenzo’s eyes meet mine, his brows furrowed, and I quickly backtrack, afraid I overstepped.
“I mean, only if you want to. It’s your place and your friends. And I didn’t mean to—”
“Stop,” he says. “That’s not why I made that face. Hillary hated my friends, and when I mentioned inviting them over once, she threw a fit, saying she didn’t want to deal with having company over and if I insisted on having people over, I’d better hire a catering company.”
“Wow,” I breathe. “She sounds like a blast.”
Lorenzo barks out a laugh. “I didn’t see it at the time, but we weren’t really compatible.”
“And we are?” I ask, flinching when I realize how that sounded—like I’m fishing for compliments.
“Yeah,” Lorenzo says, stepping over to me and palming the side of my face. “I think we are.”
He leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips, but the kiss is interrupted when Leo squeals, wanting to be let down.
“You realize that now that I know about this place, I’m never going to want to leave,” I joke, taking Leo from Lorenzo and throwing the towel to the side so I can bring him into the water with me.
I step into the pool and glare at Lorenzo. “And it’s heated,” I moan, making him chuckle. “I can’t believe you kept this oasis a secret.”
I descend the steps, and Lorenzo drops a floatie for Leo into the pool that must’ve been stored out of sight. I place him in it, and he splashes happily, almost knocking his hat off his head.
“Tonight, after Leo goes to bed, don’t be surprised if you find me lounging in this pool or hot tub.”
I waggle my brows, and Lorenzo’s gaze turns heated.
“Don’t be surprised to find me joining you.” His lips curve into a mischievous smirk, and my lady parts tingle. “But for now, how about I throw on my swim shorts to join you both, and then later, I’ll grill some steak and veggies for dinner?”
“That sounds like the best plan you’ve ever had.”
Unfortunately, after our pool date and dinner, Lorenzo excused himself to his office to deal with a work emergency.
He usually doesn’t miss Leo’s bedtime routine, so I was shocked when he didn’t come out after his bath or when I gave him his bottle and then put him to bed.
I waited for a good thirty minutes to see if he would emerge, but when he didn’t, I decided to head up to the hot tub without him.
With the baby monitor where I can see and hear it, I take off my cover-up and hit the button for the bubbles. Then I click play on my playlist on my phone and glide down the couple of steps, finding a curved bench seat with a massaging jet to relax on.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this at peace. Even with everything going on with my piece-of-shit stepfather, for the first time, I feel content. And I know that’s because of Lorenzo and Leo.
I spend my days with the sweetest boy, and when I’m not working my shifts at the casino—I only work three a week since I make good money during those three shifts—I spend my evenings with Lorenzo. I’m passing all my classes. I finished Bri’s dress, which she loved, and I’ve started to sew baby pieces with Leo and Alba, Dani’s daughter—who I spent the day with when Dani had an appointment, and her nannies had the day off—as inspiration. I’ve submitted a few pieces to my professor to be considered as part of my final project, and she’s given it the green light.