Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
The harshness of his words shocks me and I notice two things at once as I glance around the room. Van’s anger is lost on Lucas, who doesn’t react at all, and Simone’s eyes heat up with mischief as she looks back to Van, who is truly pissed off.
Now that’s very interesting.
“Sorry,” Simone coos innocently, but she doesn’t offer anything more.
Van mutters something under his breath and stalks off down the hallway, presumably to his room. I catch a hint of an amused smile on Simone’s face before she turns away, but then Lucas has his hand behind my head and he’s pulling me in for a kiss.
For a moment I hesitate, because Simone is standing two feet away, but the minute his lips touch mine there’s no more thinking for me.
It’s only about feeling, and I let myself just fucking feel.
Just…no words at all to describe it.
Lucas pulls back only slightly so he can skim his mouth over my cheek on the way to my ear, where he whispers, “Can’t tell you how much I really like seeing you in my home.”
I shiver over the combined warmth and desire in his words, even as I feel uneasy that my being in his home is important to him.
Pushing it aside, though, I change the subject as he pulls his head back to look at me. “You played an amazing game.”
His voice is still low, soft and meant only for me to hear. “Glad you think so. I feel like I struggled the entire time not to look at you because I knew you’d distract me.”
Oh wow. Not just a shiver. A full-body shudder.
And a sweeping sensation of belonging overtakes me, at first feeling amazing and then overwhelming that I can affect someone that way. I step back from him and give a tremulous smile. “Don’t say things like that. You know it freaks me out.”
He’s not chastised at all, and this is a bolder Lucas Fournier I’m dealing with when he says, “You’ll get used to it. Don’t worry.”
My mouth drops open and he turns to Simone, swiftly hooking an arm around her neck and pulling her into him. His other hand curls into a fist and he rubs it quickly over the top of her head, giving her a furiously fast noogie. She shrieks, sloshes her wine, and tries to pinch him on the inside of his leg to get him off of her.
I just watch, fascinated as two siblings wrestle playfully with each other, and it makes my heart hurt and feel good at the same time.
“You asshole,” Simone grunts as more wine spills from her glass and she tries to get loose.
“Come on, Simone. What’s the problem? You used to be good at getting out of these holds,” Lucas taunts her.
“I’m holding a glass of wine, for fuck’s sake,” she yells.
Movement behind me catches my attention, and I see Van come back into the room. We haven’t been officially introduced and I start to do so, but I notice his eyes are locked on to Simone, and whoa boy, I don’t like that look. It’s dark and filled with intense dislike from what I can read.
Lucas abruptly lets Simone go and Van’s face smooths out into bland impassiveness. He cuts his eyes to me and gives a lift of his chin. “I’m Van.”
“Stephanie,” I reply, and then he pushes past me to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
“I’m not staying,” he says to Lucas. “Going to head out for a while.”
“You sure, man?” Lucas asks. “I got a steak with your name written on it.”
My eyes cut to Simone and I see she’s disappointed but watching Van closely. He doesn’t look her way at all but just shakes his head. “Nah…got hot and dirty plans tonight.”
“All the more for me.” Lucas shrugs, and my chest tightens a little as I see the hurt look on Simone’s face.
Van’s gaze comes back to me and he gives me a quick smile. “Nice to meet you, Stephanie.”
“Yeah, sure,” I say softly to his retreating back as he nimbly sidesteps Simone’s purse still in the middle of the living room floor and walks out the door.
Now there’s a story there between them and I wonder if Lucas knows anything about it.
—
“I think it’s fair to say I’ve never been this nervous in bed with you,” Lucas says as we lie on our sides staring at each other. His cellphone sits between us and his gaze drops to it.
We’re both still fully dressed, having spent a really nice few hours eating dinner on the back deck and talking to Simone. I heard story upon story about the Fournier family, and I reveled in learning what a normal childhood would actually look like. I actually memorized details and committed things to memory, intent on using them for my own knowledge on how to raise a child with love, patience, and absolute presence of body and soul.