Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
When I finally pulled my clothes back on, around four in the morning, she was lying on her stomach sideways across the bed. Arms thrown above her head. Cheek on the mattress. “You don’t have to go,” she said, her voice drowsy.
“I have things I have to do in the morning,” I said, buttoning my shirt.
“Okay.” Her eyes drifted shut.
When I was fully dressed, I paused and looked at her, asleep on the bed, her dark hair splayed across the white sheet. The rest of her bedding and all the pillows were on the floor—we’d gotten a little rough.
Crouching down, I put a hand on her head. “I had a really good time.”
“Me too.” Her eyes didn’t even open.
Downstairs, I pulled the door shut behind me and made sure it was locked. As I drove away, exhausted but content, I wondered again about her last name. And where she taught school. And why work was so stressful for her. At least I’d been able to help her with one problem. I chuckled as I recalled her door analogy. I’d successfully opened that door for her at least four times in the last six hours. If I lived around here, I wouldn’t mind being her doorman on a more frequent basis.
In fact, I wasn’t flying back to Boston until Tuesday night. I hadn’t gotten her number, but I knew where she lived. I could swing by before I left.
But just as quickly, I decided I better not. A night like this was really all I could offer.
She’d already gotten the best of me.
THREE
lexi
My alarm went off at seven.
Sitting up, I switched off the noise and pulled the sheet around my naked body, somewhat confused. Where was my comforter? And all my pillows? Why was I naked?
As my eyes focused, I noticed the pillows strewn about my room like boats tossed upon the beach after a storm. I smiled as memories from last night began to filter through the clouds in my brain. Things had gotten a little rough in here—I had the sore muscles and smell of sex on my skin to prove it.
But God, I’d had fun. The most fun I’d had in a long, long time. Maybe ever. I’d never had a one-night stand before—I’d always thought sex was better when it involved emotions. But there had been something so freeing about it. I hadn’t felt any pressure or judgment or worries about what this meant. I just let go.
Dragging myself from the bed, I showered and dressed for work, moving a little slower than usual. Not so much because I was tired—although I was exhausted after so few hours of sleep—but because I kept zoning out, thinking about Devlin and last night. I ran out of time to blow out my hair, so I threw it up into a damp, messy bun. No amount of makeup was going to cover the dark circles under my eyes, but I did the best I could. And actually, I thought, scanning my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my skin did have a bit of a glow to it this morning—which caused my mind to drift away again.
By the time I left, I was running so late I didn’t have time to stop for coffee. I’d have to make it at work.
On the ten-minute drive along the service road to Snowberry’s main lodge, I decided to give Winnie a quick call. Even though it wasn’t quite eight, she was usually up early with Michael.
“Hello?”
“Are you awake?”
“I have a two-year-old, of course I’m awake.”
“Good, because I have big news.”
She gasped. “What?”
“The runaway O has returned.” I grinned all over again.
“Told you it would!” She laughed. “So was the dentist good with his drill or did she come back all on her own?”
“Neither. The dentist went home early, and I met someone else at the bar.”
“What?” she squealed. “Tell me everything!”
“The short version is that he found her in the back of his Chevy Suburban in the parking lot of The Broken Spoke. Classy, right?”
“So classy.” Winnie laughed. “Good for you!”
“It was good for me.” I experienced a full-body shiver.
“So what’d he do that made the difference?”
“I don’t know exactly. I mean, he definitely had some skills, but I think more than anything, he just really cared. He was all about consent too. And he was crazy hot and seemed super into me. It made me feel good.”
“Of course he was into you,” she said fiercely. “You’re a total babe. Ten out of ten.”
I laughed. “Thanks. He definitely helped restore some confidence. I know it sounds sort of nuts, but I just felt this instant connection with him.”
“So who is he?”
“His name is Devlin,” I told her as I turned into Snowberry’s nearly empty employee lot. “He grew up in Cherry Tree Harbor, lives on the East Coast now, has eyes so blue you could make jewelry out of them, and he’s really good with his hands.”