Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91497 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91497 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“Nice,” I tell her.
My remark seems casual enough, but it’s not. Looking away was absolutely necessary. The tight tug that man elicited in my low belly was way too intense. A warning, loud and clear. Knowing absolutely nothing about him beyond how he looks, I’m certain he would not fulfill my list of requirements for a boyfriend. He’d be nothing but trouble. He would wreak havoc on my carefully laid plans.
Daphne hasn’t looked away from him yet, even as she puts in her order for a gin and tonic.
“Daph,” I hiss. “Don’t be obvious.”
“I’m not.” She says this while waving coquettishly in his direction.
My eyes bulge and I reach out to take her hand and yank it down out of the air.
“Are you insane?” I snap despite knowing the answer.
Certifiably.
Against my better judgment, I glance back shyly over my shoulder to find the guy is looking at Daphne with an uncertain expression, like he’s trying to figure out if he knows her. Then his gaze shifts to me and—the skyscraper is falling. Or at least it feels like it. I’m plummeting toward my death as his eyes lock with mine. He doesn’t look away when he should. In fact, his eyes narrow and his jaw tightens as our gazes hold steady.
Butterflies take flight in my stomach as Daphne releases a long, steady exhale.
“Hot damn. That man wants you.”
TWO
TATE
Daphne’s outlandish assessment pulls me back to reality. I blink and look away from the stranger, refocusing my attention on my best friend. She’s grinning ear to ear, staring at me with a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes. She’s gorgeous tonight, but then again, she’s always gorgeous. Like her sister, she has bright red hair that’s impossible not to notice and fair, almost porcelain skin. But where Sophia can be slightly guarded, Daphne has these expressive eyes that seem to telegraph every single thought, always. And right now, I know she’s up to no good.
I hold up my hand to stop her before she can even start. “I don’t want to hear it.”
She steamrolls right past my rejection. “Him. That’s your guy.”
“I don’t even know him!”
“That’s the point!”
Once we have our drinks, we start to weave through the crowd again. I trail behind Sophia, leaving Daphne to chase after me. She’s going on loudly enough that soon, I’m sure the entire party will know about the dare she’s issued.
“I bet that’s the tech guy. This is his house. I have a gut feeling about it.”
She’s relentless.
“Good. Trust your gut, stroll right on over, and introduce yourself.”
I keep walking, but she’s hot on my heels. “I would, don’t get me wrong. I mean, he is all kinds of sexy. He has to be Latin or something. That tan. That dark hair. That dreamy bone structure. Mamma mia.”
I can’t help but laugh at her flamboyance. “So what’s stopping you?”
“I’d be standing in the way of fate,” she says with a little wink.
Now she’s really lost it.
Fortunately, Sophia finally spots our group of guys. They’re sitting around a coffee table, sipping beers. Josh looks up to find her in the crowd and he immediately pushes to stand, cutting through anyone and everyone to get to her. Blind to the rest of the world, he wraps his arms around her waist and scoops her up for a soul-searing kiss.
No one even says anything about it. There’s no taunting, no oohs and ahhs. The guys know there’s no point in yanking Josh’s chain about his infatuation with Sophia. He readily admits it himself. The two of them are sweetly, passionately, a-little-nauseatingly in love.
The kiss lingers long enough that I turn and look at Daphne. She rocks back on her heels and rolls her eyes like we might be here a while.
Josh finally releases her, and he laughs. “I’ve missed you.”
They haven’t seen each other in two weeks because he’s been down in Florida with the team for spring training. Sophia visited him in mid-March, when the elementary school where she works was on spring break. Even still, two weeks without each other was apparently too long.
They kiss again, and Daphne tosses up a hand.
“Okay, just go around them, Tate. We’ll be standing here all night.”
We weave past the lovebirds to get to the guys. The gang’s all here. Josh—the one currently suction-cupped to Sophia—is lanky and tall with short blond hair and a big smile, Nick has a dad bod he proudly rocks and is the most fun-loving person I’ve ever met, and then there’s Dustin. Oh Dustin…
He stands up to greet us, ruffling my hair so I’m forced to punch his shoulder hard enough that he pretends to wince. Then he nods his chin toward Daphne.
“Sup, Price?” he asks, using her last name because he knows it annoys her.
Daphne rolls her eyes, ignores him, and cuts past us to join Nick.