Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
“Ha. Ha. Very funny,” I say, shoving one side of the sheet over my shoulder so it creates an impromptu toga.
Viola smiles at me. “Finally up then? And there’s nothing funny about my protective instincts. Everyone knows you’re a softie, Nate. Might as well embrace it.”
It’s hard to focus on an answer when Tristan is standing by the kitchen island shirtless. At least the shadowy eels are no longer moving. Maybe that was a figment of my imagination after all? His long red hair is damp, so he must have taken a shower, and the leather pants fit him so snugly I’m not sure they’re appropriate to wear outside of a nightclub.
When our eyes meet, he smiles so warmly my heart melts. “Nate! I didn’t have the heart to wake you up, but Viola took good care of me.”
He seems genuinely excited to see me.
This shouldn’t make me so happy. Haven’t I just broken up with a man I thought I was in love with? It’s too early to reinvest my feelings into someone else, especially a man so handsome he will likely drop me for someone better within the fortnight.
Nobody likes a clingy guy. I’ve learned this many, many times, and when I think back to last night, I’m afraid that getting my heart broken by him might be something I would never recover from.
“And she is talking too much. I have nothing against hookups.”
I said this many times and meant it never.
“‘Hook… ups’…?” Tristan repeats, and behind him, Viola winks at me.
“You need to explain words like that to Prince Tristan. He’s from the Nightmare Realm after all.”
I roll my eyes at her, but Tristan leans forward, cocking his head with interest. Wow.
“Just… an adventure that lasts a single night,” I mutter, watching Viola slide an omelette onto a plate.
“Well, ours will last much longer,” Tristan says with unshakable confidence. “Viola told me you love these with your breakfast?” He picks up an avocado from a basket of vegetables and to my horror, bites into it as if it’s an apple.
Viola gasps, covering her mouth.
“Hm. N-not great,” he mumbles with his mouth full. “Like Fool’s Apple.”
“Because that’s not how you eat it,” I yelp and take the fruit out of his hand. At least this way I don’t have to address what he said about our hookup lasting much longer. Because he must be fucking with me.
If love at first sight is a thing at all, it does not happen to guys like me.
I grab a paper towel and put it under his mouth like he’s a puppy that ate what he shouldn’t. “Go on, spit it out, it’s okay.”
Tristan hesitates for a moment but then takes the paper towel from me and turns around to dispose of the half-chewed avocado. “Thanks, I… it’s not intuitive.”
Viola bites back a laugh as she halves the big omelette and shoves one part onto a separate plate. I grab a small chopping board and cut the avocado into slices while Tristan watches the process over my shoulder. Next, in goes a tomato, and a small chunk of red pepper, and by the time I put the plate in front of him, I’m quite proud of myself.
“Now, try it with the vegetables and egg.”
He slides his hand to my waist and strokes me with a pleased expression that sends shivers up my thighs. “You’re spoiling me,” he says as he packs the omelette into his mouth. He approaches the avocado with understandable mistrust but eventually eats it too. The satisfied murmur he lets out is all the prize I need. “Very creamy,” Tristan adds once he swallows.
Viola glances at me and I only realize what she’s doing when there’s a jar in Tristan’s hands.
And not just any jar, it’s the jar. Pickles she got from her mom when she first moved in. It’s sealed so tightly no one’s been able to open it so far. We could have just used a tool, but that would have been too easy. Instead, we’ve agreed to hand it to any man who comes through our doors for a secret test only we understand. The one who manages to unscrew the lid is superior marriage material.
“Hey, Tristan, do you think you can open this for me?” she asks innocently as my heart stops beating altogether.
He smiles while still chewing his food, then twists off the lid as easily as if it hadn’t been sealed in the first place. The loud click of metal makes me stiffen in mild arousal.
Surely, that is not a normal reaction, but what can I do?
I’m only human.
“Wow, you are so strong,” Viola says, grinning at me from behind Tristan. “Maybe you could move our washing machine too? We’ve had some problems with it, and I need to reach to the pipe in the back…”