Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 121310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121310 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
His thumb freezes on the screen. His eyes lift, darkening with that familiar heat.
Aha. There he is. My lusty monster.
I bite the inside of my cheek, looking around for a store with a public restroom stall, but before I can act on my absolutely genius idea, he's back to thumbing through his phone like I'm nothing but background noise.
"What are you even doing?" I demand, crossing my arms. "Your hot fiancée is standing right in front of you offering up hot sex, and you're answering a work email?"
He clicks something, then tucks his phone away, finally meeting my gaze. "No, I was getting us tickets. Like you said, you never get to come out and play in the city."
I blink. "Tickets?"
He nods. "So I thought I'd get us seats to a show."
A delighted gasp leaves me before I throw my arms around him. "Oh, thank you!" I pull back just enough to press an enthusiastic kiss to his mouth. I didn't think he was going to play along. Usually, he's such a sourpuss about always wanting her around.
"Are we flying off to see Broadway?" I wiggle my eyebrows.
"No."
"Paris?"
"No. We aren't flying anywhere."
"Fine. I guess that's best. We don't know how long I have before I switch again." I grin, leaning into his chest and going up on my toes. "So, the symphony?"
"No. Oh, look—our car."
He points, and sure enough, his driver is pulling up to the curb. I glance down at my outfit, wrinkling my nose at the khaki pants and blue cardigan Anna dressed us in this morning. I shudder. "Should we go home so I can change first?"
"Nope. You're perfect." He opens the door for me, eyes twinkling. "Hop on in, love."
I narrow my eyes. "Is where we're going actually fun?"
He smirks. "I have heard fun is on the menu today."
My heart leaps. He's actually playing along.
"M'lady," he says, bowing with a flourish.
I let out an excited noise and practically bounce into the car, already chattering away about all the things I want to do while I'm awake, most of them involving sexy times.
When Domhnall slides in beside me and presses the privacy button for the partition between us and the driver, my pulse kicks up. Finally, he's giving in to my public sex idea. But when I reach for his belt, he stops me with a firm hand.
"I haven't fully explained your situation to Charles," he says, tilting his head toward the driver. "He's used to the way Anna speaks and acts."
Oh.
Oh, I see how it is.
"She's not a whore like me, you mean." I cross my arms over my chest, huffing.
"Mads," he sighs. "Don't."
I glare at him. "We wouldn't even have come back here if it weren't for me. She thought we needed to stay in Chicago to 'keep healing.'" I roll my eyes, making dramatic air quotes. "I'm the one who stopped fucking around and got us back where we belong."
He takes my hand, his grip warm and steady. "I don't want to fight with you. But I don't want to have to placate you either."
I drop his hand, my voice turning sharp. "That's not what I want."
"Then don't pout." He exhales slowly. "I'm glad you're here."
I go flinty. "Liar. You just want her."
His mouth tightens. "Do you have to turn everything into a fight? You wanted time in the daylight with me, and you've got it. At some point, you're going to have to admit the fight is over. Give in and just have some fun in your fucking life."
"Fun?" I ask suspiciously.
"Fun."
I huff, feeling cross again. "Fun is for children. Adults have pleasure."
"You never got to be a child," he says quietly. "Time to make up for it."
I stare at him. "Where exactly are you taking me?"
I cross my arms and slump back into the car seat as the sign for Six Flags Arlington looms into view. What. The. Actual. Fuck.
"You're kidding," I say flatly, turning to Domhnall.
But he's grinning like he just pulled off the heist of the century. "Nope."
"You brought me to a damn theme park?" I gesture out the window at the hordes of sticky-faced children clutching oversized stuffed animals and balloons. Someone's already screaming in the distance, the high-pitched shriek of either a toddler tantrum or an overenthusiastic roller coaster victim. "For fun? What is this, some kind of punishment kink I wasn't aware of?"
Domhnall just laughs, hopping out of the car like we're about to embark on the greatest adventure of our lives. "This is the most fun place on Earth, love. I come here whenever I can get away from work."
I blink at him. "Are you serious?"
"Deadly." He tosses me a wink before striding around to open my door. "Now, come on. We've got rides to conquer."
I climb out begrudgingly, already bracing myself for the sensory assault. The air is thick with the mingling scents of fried dough, buttered popcorn, and something sickeningly sweet that has to be cotton candy. Music blasts from speakers overhead, some aggressively cheerful carnival tune that grates against my nerves.