Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
He shook his head. “No, but I’ll at least tell you why I can’t tell you.” He glanced around. “Just not here.”
I looked around and noticed a few people watching us. “See you around, Marian.”
Once I made it back home, I texted him.
Can I make you dinner tonight or do you have to work?
Firebug
I probably can’t leave till nine.
I’ll make dessert then.
Firebug
Thank you again for helping Tavo. I owe you one.
I took a chance and fired back.
Maybe I’ll use that favor to get you to agree to a proper date one of these days.
It seemed like forever before his reply came through.
Firebug
In what universe would you have to use a favor to get me to agree to that? The answer is yes. Name the time and place and I’ll be there, Chief.
As I spent the rest of the afternoon on boring shit like laundry and cleaning my bathroom, I couldn’t help my anticipation.
Finally, after years of avoiding emotional entanglements, I had found someone I wanted to be tangled up with in the very best way.
21
ALEX
DrunkenPoet: I get the feeling you’re bossy in bed.
IndexEcho: I get the feeling you’re going to find out.
_____________________
As I stared down at Kincaid’s text for the hundredth time, I still couldn’t believe it.
A date. A real date.
He’d told me he was still hung up on an ex, some guy who’d ghosted him. So what the hell had caused him to change his mind?
Clearly, it wasn’t the sex. I was a green newbie, awkward and fumbling. Gagging wasn’t as sexy as porn made it seem, and I was a grade A gagger during oral sex.
Then there was the fact that I’d ejaculated the moment Judd put his fingers inside me. Again, green newbie shit. All I had to do was think about the fact he was fingering my ass and thar she blows. Gone.
I made my way out to the front of the restaurant to help our bartender catch up on drink orders. The night of the final farmer’s market tended to bring a lot of visitors to Legacy, which meant Timber was busier than normal.
Unfortunately, people were asking for the Slingshot Flame, and I had to tell them it was temporarily off the menu. I made a mental note to bring it up to Kincaid. The least he could do was give me an update on the timeline for getting the permit back.
After I helped complete the drink orders, I moved back toward the kitchen to check the men’s room in case it needed attention. In the back hallway, I saw Karim coming out of the men’s room, smiling down at his phone screen. When he noticed me, he jumped.
“Sorry, boss. Had to take a leak.”
“Since when do you need to explain a bathroom break?” I asked in surprise.
He shook his head and smiled. “I might have taken an extra minute to send some personal texts on Timber time. That’s my guilt talking.”
I rolled my eyes and thumbed over my shoulder toward the kitchen. “Christ. We’re all human. Get back in there.”
He shoved his phone into his back pocket and whistled his way to the kitchen.
Karim was acting like I felt these days. And I felt giddy with a new love interest. Was it possible he and Kinsey Pope—
“Your sister is looking for you,” one of my servers said as she hustled past with a large pizza and a stack of plates.
I moved back out to the restaurant and looked around. There was no sign of Ella, so I pulled out my phone to text her. There was a wall of notifications from my other sister, and they all sounded a little like this.
Mattie
Wedding postponed. Dress is fucked.
There were also texts from my dads.
Papa
Mattie’s dress doesn’t fit. It’s fine. It’s not like hundreds of people will be looking at the bride or anything.
Dad
If you get any messages about the wedding dress, ignore them. Your father is a drama queen.
I moved out back into the crisp night and called Mattie.
“My life is over. I might as well go to the thrift store and grab any old white dress.”
“Hey to you, too. I hear you’re having a crisis, even though half your friends are literally seamstresses and tailors.”
She moaned pathetically. “You shouldn’t have to work on the bride’s dress when you’re a guest.”
“They’re not a guest for two more weeks. Ask Lisette to do you a favor. Doesn’t she owe you one from that time you hooked her up with pointe shoes?”
“It’s my job to hook her up with pointe shoes.”
I wrapped my free arm around myself and rubbed my hand up and down my other arm. It was freezing out here. “You know what I mean. You got the specialty ones from… wherever. She basically thinks you’re Jesus now. If you don’t want to ask her to do the work, ask her for a recommendation, and we both know she’ll beg to be the one to help you herself.”