Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
My gaze swung as I turned toward the stairs, and then I froze. Silver eyes shot up to meet mine. Then … she smiled. Shit. I liked that.
“Hey,” she said just above a whisper.
My gaze did its own thing and lowered to slowly check out the rest of her, only to find myself almost swallowing my goddamn tongue. She was wearing some sheer white cover-up thing that hit mid-thigh, but underneath was a bikini. A black one that barely contained her tits.
Holy fucking hell. Had Winslet not bought her one that fit?!
“Where are you going?” I asked in a raspy tone.
She blinked when my eyes shot back up to her face. “Uh, to the pool,” she replied.
Yeah, of course. She was in a bikini. That had been a dumb question. But she had me rattled. I had an excuse for my stupidity.
The silence that followed reminded me that it was my turn to speak. I cleared my throat.
“Uh, yeah,” I agreed. “I was bringing you this.” I held out the envelope.
Her eyes dropped to the envelope before she reached to take it. “Thank you.”
“Are you swimming alone?” I asked.
Her gaze was back on me and not that damn envelope. “Yes. But Winslet is joining me later. She wasn’t feeling great at breakfast and went to lie down for a bit.”
I lifted my chin in the direction of the stairs. “I’ll join you. I could use a little sunshine. Just need to go change.”
Her cheeks instantly flushed, giving away that I wasn’t the only one affected. Good. Because damn if she needed Calvin for anything. He’d left her here. He hadn’t stayed. She needed a better friend, and I was gonna be a fucking excellent one.
Twenty-Two
Elsie
After giving myself an hour-long peptalk this morning about not thinking about Forge and miss being around him, he was now blowing my good intentions to smithereens. It was very hard not to feel all fluttery and tingly when the swim trunks he wore hung low on his hips and he was shirtless. When I looked at him, it was hard to breathe. Whew. Good Lord, I had almost forgotten what his bare chest looked like. My memory hadn’t given it justice.
The image now had its own personal room in my brain. A showcase of sorts. To replay over and over.
I’d yet to follow him into the water.
“It’s not cold,” he told me with a crooked grin. “Heated, remember?”
I wasn’t worried about the temperature of the water. I’d just been distracted by the sight of him since he’d emerged from the house, wearing nothing but shorts. I’d read books that described a guy’s walk as a swagger, but I’d never witnessed one until today. If anyone had a swagger, it would be Forge Savelle.
I nodded and took the hem of my cover-up to pull it over my head and drop it on the lounge chair, where I had been spreading out a fluffy, large towel before he arrived and scrambled my brain. Deciding not to make eye contact with him as I walked over to the zero-entry end of the pool, for fear I’d stumble and embarrass myself, I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
The first lap of water that covered my feet was nice. It wasn’t hot, but it was like he’d said, warm. I wondered what the temperature had to be outside before they turned off the heat to the pool. As enjoyable as this was now, it wouldn’t be when you needed to cool down.
“You bite that bottom lip any harder, and it’s gonna bleed,” Forge drawled, causing my head to snap up and look at him.
His hair was wet now and slicked back. Droplets of water clung to his eyelashes, making them spiky. Here I had thought, he couldn’t be more gorgeous, and he proved me wrong.
I released my lip from my teeth’s grip. I hadn’t even realized I had been doing it.
“I think I was prepping for colder water,” I explained, although that wasn’t it at all.
“We need to work on your trust with me,” he said. “I’m the most fucking honest guy you’ll ever meet.”
I grinned. Sure he was. That cocky smile he was flashing me told me he was lying now.
“I bet,” I replied as I eased down deeper into the water.
“What? You don’t believe me?” He sounded insulted. “All right, fine. Let’s play a game. You ask me anything you want, and I will tell you the honest truth. No matter how brutal and possibly embarrassing it might be.”
I paused and cocked my head to the side as I studied him. He looked completely sincere. What the heck? This might be fun.
“Anything?” I asked to clarify, not sure what I was going to ask him.
He nodded, holding out both his arms wide. “I am an open book. Go for it. Try me.”