Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“That’s too bad.” Behind the peninsula, I ask, “Water? Soda? Something stiff?”
A heavy exhale leaves her chest as she turns and starts tracking me. “I’ll pass. Where’s your son?”
“Napping. We were on the road early. After spending time in the sun, he’s wiped.”
“I love napping on sunny days. Rainy days even more, though. The sound of the raindrops hitting the house, tapping against my window, or lying on a hammock on the front porch as a rainstorm rolls through.” Her eyes have softened, giving up whatever internal fight she was having. “I don’t know, it’s relaxing like nature is forcing us to take some time to slow down.”
Summer is adorable when flustered, but right now, with her armor down and revealing a part of herself that feels almost intimate, she’s beautiful.
“I don’t remember what it’s like to nap, much less on a rainy day,” I say.
Her smile is softer this time. “You should try it while you’re here. We get storms rolling in out of nowhere, and then it’s bright and sunny again an hour later.”
“I’ll have to do that.”
She looks so at ease here that it’s hard to imagine it’s not where she lives. That same smile falters as she shifts her weight to the other side of her body. Our gazes are still locked together as if we’d lost the key. She clears her throat, breaking our gaze and glancing at the floor. “I think it’s best if I take care of what I came here for and let you get on with your vacation.”
“I take it you know your way around.”
She quirks a smile like the words themselves are ludicrous. “I do.”
In the span of three minutes, I’ve watched this woman go from looking like a bunny with a crush to flustered and ready to be done with me, but that peek into the real side of her . . . that was the best yet. Can’t wait to see what comes next. “Since we’re not drinking, what can I do?”
The smirk that splits those sexy lips is captivating. “You’re already doing it. Stay out of the way and look pretty.” She raises her finger in the air, “Oh, and watch and learn. You’re going to need to do this on your own.” The initial punch to my ego was swift enough to catch me off guard. But it was the follow-up I should have seen coming.
Chuckling, I reply, “You mean you’re not going to come over and do this for us every day, sometimes twice a day or even three times?” I follow her into the bathroom, stopping in the doorway to give her room to work and to watch this magic that’s apparently about to happen.
She steps into the shower but leans to look back at me. “Three showers a day? Lordy, that’s a lot. Why in the world would you need to take three showers a day?” I don’t have a chance to say anything before she adds, “Don’t tell me. I have a feeling I don’t want to know.”
I like that she takes the swing and hits it out of the ballpark. “Funny.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I add, “I work out a lot.”
“I just bet you do.” I can’t see her in the tub due to the wall, but her tone tells me all I need to know. She’s on to me.
I move to the side where she’s standing under the showerhead with her hand on the faucet. “Tell me something—”
“Raccoons have the dexterity of humans and can open jars. Ask me how I know . . .”
“What the—” Laughter bellows from my gut. “How do you know?” I lean back, resting my palms on the bathroom counter.
She’s messing with the faucet, but stops to glance at me. “It was a mess of a honey story and better suited for another time.”
“Sounds like we’ll have more time together.”
“Only if you’re lucky,” she replies with her eyes back on the job at hand and a smile set on her face.
From what I’ve seen, I’m not sure she’s doing anything special other than fucking with the faucet. “Is this the trick to making it work?”
“No. This is,” she starts. “Okay, here’s what you do—”
“Wait.”
Her eyes widen as she turns to look at me again. “What?”
“Since my job is to look good, how am I doing?” Tightening my abs, I prepare for her to ogle.
After a quick swipe of her tongue against her bottom lip, she laughs. “I’ll leave you a full review later.”
I release the muscles and blow out a breath. “I look forward to reading it.”
She yanks the faucet that should only turn left or right away from the pipe. “Pull hard.” And when she jams it back in, she adds, “Then slam it back again.” Does she hear herself? Because I sure the fuck do, and need to rearrange for more room in these trunks. With a satisfactory smile firmly in place, she steps to the back of the tub and motions me in. “Now you try it.” I’d be happy to . . . with her. “The faucet,” she adds as if I needed the reminder.