Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I was more excited than I probably should be to see Nave after such a short time apart.
Nave was outside, moving around the car to open both the back and front doors.
“She got accessorized,” he said, looking at Edith.
“Gracie got a handkerchief embroidered for her.”
It was a crown with the words Queen Edith underneath.
“It suits her,” he said as he secured her in the backseat. After closing the door, he turned his attention to me, grabbing my chin and giving me a long, lingering kiss that I swear I felt down to my toes. I even swayed, for goodness’ sakes.
“Hi,” he said, giving me a soft smile.
“Hi.”
“Did you have fun?”
“So much fun.”
“Glad to hear it. Ready to head back to the clubhouse?” he asked.
“I could use a nap,” I admitted. “I’m tiring out easily lately.”
“I’m probably not helping with that,” he said, shooting me a sexy smirk.
“That’s a good kind of tired.”
“Want a nap buddy?”
“Definitely. It was nice to share the bed last night. I’ve, uh, never done that before.”
“Ever?”
“No. I mean, Ben would never. And before him, I’d been young, so there was never really a chance for that kind of thing.”
“Never intentionally spent the night with anyone before either,” he admitted. “Do I snore?”
“No. You did grumble each time you heard a door slam, though.”
“Even over the music?”
“Yep.”
“Interesting. I stayed at one of those awful sleep-and-fuck motels for a few weeks while I was on the road. Had this obnoxious-as-fuck neighbor who was a low-level dealer. He had people coming and going all night long. The door never stopped slamming. I guess I still have some feelings about that to this day.”
“I’ve never stayed in a motel or hotel.”
“Ever?”
“My parents wouldn’t spend perfectly good drug money on a hotel room.” Was my tone a little bitter? Sure. My soul still was.
“What about after you left Ben?”
“There was no money for that even if I wanted to. But I didn’t because, you know, cameras.”
“You slept in the car every night?”
“You assume I slept. I napped here and there. But that was it. I was running on pure adrenaline until I found you.”
“Glad I was somewhat easy to find.”
“We can thank your mom and dad for giving you such a unique name.”
“I’m named after the town,” he admitted.
“I suspected as much. I like it. It’s completely unique but not super out-there.”
“Got baby names on the mind, huh?” he asked.
“I’ve been looking at baby names books from the library. A very… memorable librarian suggested I would be better looking at old-timey birth and death records instead.”
“You met Aunt Peyton.”
“Having an aunt like that growing up must have been something else.”
“Her sister runs a sex store. We all got a very uncomfortably thorough sex education.”
“Well,” I said, letting out an airy laugh. “I’m certainly thankful for that education.”
“I will let her know that.”
“Oh, God. Please don’t,” I said, thinking of running into her again.
We climbed out of the car, walked Edith, then made our way inside.
When we’d left, the clubhouse had been a disaster. Garbage cans had been overflowing. Red drink cups and empty beer cans were strewn all about. And every single surface felt sticky with dried liquor.
In just a few hours, the whole place had been transformed. The garbage and recycling were handled. Every surface was wiped down, floors swept and mopped. The whole space smelled like amber.
“Wow.”
“The power of prospects.”
“Spike and Cain?”
“Plus Perish and the twins. They’re all technically still prospects. So they do all the grunt work around here.”
“All of you have to do that?”
“For a few months or years, depending on the situation.”
“Was it awful?”
“Nah. It’s a rite of passage. Makes you very aware of how we are each cogs in the wheel here.”
“And I guess it makes you very aware of the kinds of messes you’re making.”
“Exactly,” he agreed as we made our way into his room, kicking off our shoes as Edith—exhausted from socializing—made a beeline for her bed.
I pulled off my pants and bra before getting into the bed. Nave slipped out of everything but his underwear and joined me under the covers.
He slid an arm under me and curled me up and onto his chest, where I rested, listening to the sound of his heartbeat for a long moment as his fingers drifted through my hair.
“This is nice.”
“We should nap every day,” he agreed.
“We’re not really napping.”
“I’m not really tired. I just want to be here with you.” Despite myself, a yawn escaped me. “You should sleep, though. You’re growing a whole human in there.”
“Well, that’s a really weird visual.”
“Yeah, I take that back,” he agreed. “Take your nap. Then I’m gonna whip you up something nice for dinner.”
With the promise of a home-cooked meal, and the comforting sensation of his arms around me, I drifted off quickly and slept deeply.
When I woke up, I was still in Nave’s arms, but Edith had somehow joined us and was curled up just a few inches from my face.