Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
My dad smirks. “And how’d things go around here today?”
Myles clears his throat. “Uneventful.”
“Maeve? How was your day, honey?”
Myles’ eyes widen slightly and his cheeks flush. When my father looks down at his plate to take a bite of his food, I flash a sultry little smile at him. He hides his face behind his glass and nearly chokes as he takes a drink.
“Yeah. Pretty uneventful,” I say.
Myles was adamant about us not being able to be together. He was forceful. His mouth is telling me one thing, but his eyes are telling me something completely different. I know he felt exactly what I felt in the pool earlier today. I felt it in his kiss. In the way he looked at me I felt it in the way he moved inside of me. He didn’t just have sex with me. It wasn’t just fucking. I know it because I felt it.
I also know it because I know Myles well enough to know he’s not the kind of guy who fucks just to fuck. He’s not a one-night stand sort of man. He treats women with respect. He values them. He doesn’t just use them and move on. I know it’s been years since I last saw him, but I’ve always known the kind of man he is. I know his heart. And I know he wouldn’t have slept with me if he didn’t feel something for me.
“What did you guys do today?” my dad asks.
“Nothing much. We both spent some time in the pool,” I say.
Myles almost chokes on his water, coughing and sputtering. My dad pounds him on the back and laughs. He glances at me, and I give him a slow, sultry smile.
“You all right?” my dad asks.
“Fine,” Myles replies. “Just swallowed the wrong way.”
“Well, be careful, man.”
“Working on it.”
Under the table, I slide my foot up his leg. Myles stiffens. Thankfully, he’s not drinking again. Choking twice might be harder to explain. But he does shoot me a dark look when my father isn’t looking. It’s all I can do to keep from laughing. He may think it’s wrong for us to be together, but I don’t. There is nothing wrong with it. We’re two consenting adults. I am free to make my choices about who I sleep with. About whom I want to be with. And I’ve wanted to both sleep with and be with Myles for a long time.
So, I’ve decided that I’m not going to make this easy on him. I’m not going to let him walk away from this because he’s scared. My dad is a lot easier going than Myles thinks and I know that he ultimately wants me to be happy. Yeah, I guess, he might think it’s a little weird at first. But as long as Myles treated me right and made me happy, I know my dad would be cool with it. He just wants me to be with somebody who treats me like a princess. And I know Myles would.
I have never wanted somebody the way I want him. Being with him in the pool today ignited a fire inside of me I didn’t even know existed. But now it’s been lit and it’s burning out of control inside of me.
“So, did you guys figure out the menu for Thanksgiving?” my dad asks.
“We’re still talking about it,” I reply. “I spent a little time today trying to dig up Mom’s old recipe book. If we’re going to honor her, we should do it right. Right?”
My father’s smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and I can still see the pain in his face. But he nods gamely, seeming to be doing his best for me.
“Absolutely,” he says. “We should absolutely do it up right. The way she used to.”
“She’ll be happy that we’re doing this,” I say.
“I know. I know she will,” he replies with a small nod. “And I know it’s been five years, but it still feels like it was only yesterday.”
I reach across the table and take his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I feel that way too. But I still feel like she’s with us. And I feel like she wants us to live. She wants you to live. It would break her heart to know you’ve shut yourself away—”
“I haven’t.”
“You haven’t been on a date in five years, Dad,” I say. “You’re still a great catch. There are women out there who’d fall all over themselves to go out with you.”
His lips tighten and he looks down, and I can tell he doesn’t want to have that discussion right now and I don’t want to pressure him. I keep telling myself he’ll date again when he’s ready. But sometimes I worry he’ll never be ready.
“Anyway,” I say. “I’ll find the recipe book and put together a grocery list.”