Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
I stare at him, tempted to ask him to stop talking. I don’t want to hear compassion in his voice or see it in his expression. I don’t want him to be an amazing lover and a kind man.
“Everything is good,” I manage to say with a small smile. “You didn’t hurt me.”
Relief softens his shoulders. They fall slightly. “Good. That’s the last thing I’d ever want to do.”
The last thing I want to do is walk out of here and never see him again, but I need to. For the safety of my heart, I have to. I’m starting to feel things for him, so we can never repeat what happened tonight.
“I should go.” I gesture beyond the open doorway to the hallway.
He nods. “I can’t let you leave without kissing you goodnight.”
I keep my gaze trained on him as he walks toward where I’m standing. Once he’s in front of me, he reaches for my face with both hands. Cupping my cheeks, he looks into my eyes before he presses his lips against mine in a kiss that will stay with me until I take my last breath.
“You’re walking funny,” Aunt Hildy says from where she’s perched on a stool in front of the bar of Turquoise Crown.
I almost spit out a laugh because I am a little uncomfortable after spending most of last night with William. The man is a beast in bed.
His size and stamina are not to blame for the current state of my gait, though. The shoes I’m wearing are. I slipped my feet into them as I rushed out of my apartment less than an hour ago. I took my time showering and drying my hair. I thought I’d have more than enough time to put on a little makeup, make myself a cup of coffee, and scrounge through my cupboards to find a granola bar or a forgotten package of instant oatmeal for breakfast.
Those plans all came to a screeching halt when the contractor called to remind me that I had agreed to meet him at my bar at precisely nine a.m. so he could tackle a few details that still need to be done in one of the bar’s two public washrooms.
On my way here, I stopped at the café around the corner to grab a large coffee. To my surprise, Aunt Hildy was there indulging in a decadent caffeine-laced beverage she insisted I try. She ordered me one, and after it was made, we set off toward Turquoise Crown together.
“I told you that my shoes are too tight,” I remind her. “I mentioned that on the walk here.”
“Right.” She grins. “That’s all it is.”
I spin to face her. “Yes. That’s all it is.”
“Take off the shoes and prove it.”
I bark out a laugh. “What? No.”
“I know you keep a pair of sneakers in the back office.” She gestures in that direction by pointing a finger over her head. “Put those on, and let’s see if you’re still walking like you had big fun last night.”
“Big fun?” I ask, hoping the question makes me sound naïve.
She holds up both hands in the air and slides them apart until there’s at least a foot between them. “Big fun.”
My cheeks instantly blush pink. “Aunt Hildy!”
“What?” she asks, shaking her head. “There’s no shame in having good sex, Opal. The kind that makes it hard to walk is the best kind. I know. I had that years ago. I’ve never forgotten it.”
I bow my head to try and compose myself. “I’m happy for you.”
“Not as happy as I was for me,” she quips.
I finally glance at her again. “Now feels like a good time for a change of subject. Let’s talk about the weather.”
She winks. “I get it. You don’t want that contractor you hired to overhear us.”
Since he’s currently on the phone in the back office, that’s not a fear of mine, but I go with it. “I don’t want that.”
“I’ll stop talking about it if you admit you’re happy.”
Even though I know it’s her roundabout way of asking if I’m getting any, I nod to hopefully end this discussion now.
“Good.” She claps her hands together. “A woman like you deserves all good things in life.”
“Thank you.” I move to kiss her cheek.
“Big things, too,” she whispers into my ear. “You deserve only big things.”
38
William
I move my left arm slightly and instantly feel a bite of pain when the fabric of my button-down shirt brushes against my shoulder. I smile because it’s a good kind of pain. I consider it the very best kind since it’s the result of Opal’s teeth latching onto my skin when she came last night.
I want more of that, and I want it soon. That’s the reason I’m headed in the direction of Turquoise Crown. She left my apartment in Brooklyn just after midnight, but I need to see her again.