Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 104657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 523(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
I know it.
She should know it.
Still, I kiss her and snake my hand up the back of her shirt to unhook her bra. We’re not having sex, but as long as she’s this close, I might as well check out her new boobs. Only she’s not wearing a bra, and as I make that discovery, an unrecognizable groan vibrates my chest.
Is it just this easy? All I have to do is move my hands under her arms, and I can have her fantastic new tits in my palms?
Don’t do it!
My common sense pleads with the jumbled mess of thoughts swirling around in my head. Can I stop at second base?
I’m about to find out as I palm her designer breasts. She pulls back just enough to take a hard inhale when I pinch her nipples. On a heavy blink, she drags the pad of her thumb across my lower lip before sucking it into her mouth and teasing it with her teeth.
We’re breaking the rules. My rules.
We should stop. I should stop.
“Good night,” she whispers over my lips before crawling off my lap.
My hands attempt to stop her by squeezing her breasts. That makes her grin bloom into something victorious, like this is a game, and she just scored points.
I adjust my erection with one hand while my other rakes through my hair. “Jesus, we have to stop doing this,” I say more to myself than to her.
“Why?” Everleigh asks, righting her shirt. “Are you not a fan of my new breasts?”
“Don’t play stupid,” I say, reaching for the controller.
“Just to be clear.” She folds her hands behind her. “You don’t like it when I shrink you. But you also don’t like it when I play stupid. William, I’m trying my best to find middle ground with you, but I think you might be stuck in a cycle of self-sabotage.” Her lips twist.
I find a new game to focus on until she gives up and leaves me alone.
“If I recall correctly (and full disclosure, I have an excellent memory), you told me to make some fucking mistakes. Get a speeding ticket. Stop worrying about what other people think. Drop my panties for a stranger in the bathroom of a bar. And stop trying to live up to anyone else’s expectations. What if you took your own advice?”
“As you have so kindly pointed out, Everleigh,” I grit through my teeth, “I’m older than you, so while you were popping your zits, I was making all the fucking mistakes. Speaking of recalling things, my excellent memory hasn’t forgotten the time I fucked a seventeen-year-old.”
When she doesn’t respond, I risk a quick glance at her. She swallows. Did I go too far?
“Are you going to cry?” I refocus on the game.
“No. Are you?”
I scoff. “Why would I cry?”
“Because you’re a sensitive man, William Landry. Maren told me you like chick flicks.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“She said you’ve watched Titanic at least a dozen times.”
“I have not watched any movie a dozen times. And Titanic is not a chick flick. It’s about a ship hitting an iceberg and sinking. It’s . . . historical.”
“Jerry Maguire?”
“Football movie,” I mumble, thumbs tapping the controller’s buttons. “This is ridiculous. If two people fuck in a movie, it’s suddenly a chick flick?”
“I don’t know. I was an infant or a mere twinkle in my mother’s eye when those movies were made.”
“Stop calling me old.”
She chuckles. “I’m not.”
“You’re implying it.”
Everleigh saunters toward the back door. “William, you’re the sexiest old man I’ve ever met.”
Her words make my dick twitch despite the “old man” part, and my avatar dies.
“Fuck.” I fling the controller across the room after the door closes behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Everleigh
“You’re up early,” I say to Will the next morning, surprised to see him in the kitchen at six on his day off.
“I’m heading up to Somers,” he mumbles, pouring coffee into a stainless steel thermos.
I button my white blouse’s cuffs and lean against the counter next to him. He inspects me as if I’m too close, and I am.
“Did something happen to your dad?”
“He was having chest pain and labored breathing. They’re running tests. My mom isn’t handling it well. I’ll be back Thursday evening for my Friday shift.” He tightens the lid and then sticks two pieces of bread into the toaster.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?”
“Yes. You can unplug your curling iron and not burn my house down or destroy it while I’m gone.”
I gnaw on the corner of my lower lip for a few seconds. “Seems like a tall order, but I’ll do my best.”
Will’s eyes narrow, and he purses his lips to hide his grin. “I’ll have Maren and Ozzy check in on you.”
“Fantastic.” I frown when I tip the coffeepot over my mug and find that it’s empty. “What about Jamie and Calvin? Do you not trust them to babysit me?” I return my mug to the cabinet. Looks like I’ll be stopping for coffee on my way to work.