Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 97994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
“Do not mention that loser…”
I giggle at her disgusted tone.
“And if he does text you? What do I win?”
Garrett’s face pops into my mind. “I’ll set you up on a date with one of Aaron’s teammates.”
She sits up straight, glaring into the phone. “You could have done that at any point these last two years. What the hell!”
I laugh. “I know, but I’ll be more confident about it now—I won’t just be Declan’s annoying younger sister.”
“You’re not annoying,” she corrects, then sighs dramatically. “All this time I could have been a WAG, getting spray tans and veneers and wearing blinged out jerseys in the box suites? You’ve been holding out…”
“I have been. I don’t need you to become more unbearable.”
Blaire flutters her lashes. “Aww, you do love me!”
I open my mouth to argue with her when my phone buzzes in my hand.
Once.
Twice.
My soul leaves my body.
Blaire’s eyes go enormous. “Was that…?”
I tap the screen so my friend momentarily disappears and stare:
UNKNOWN NUMBER
A text preview lights up:
You make it home okay?
I stop breathing. “Oh shit.”
“I knew it! I freaking knew it!” Blaire hisses triumphantly. “It’s him, isn’t it? Dang girl, now you owe me…”
My thumbs hover over the keypad, shaking. “I can’t look.”
“Juliette,” Blaire demands. “You’ve already broken your human resources policy. Don’t waste an opportunity by being chicken shit about it.”
“But I could get fired,” I whisper.
“Or. He could fall madly in love with you, and you’ll have babies that look like you, and you’ll raise hockey players of your own, and be like Mama Kelce.”
I chew on my bottom lip.
She’s right, I have already broken the rules—there is no going back, is there? Doesn’t mean I can’t feel guilty about it, though. A girl can have doubts, especially when it comes to a man like him; one who’s larger than life and twice as sexy.
I ordered ice cream on our date, for God’s sake.
And not to drip down my naked body so he could lick it off—to eat. Who does that?
The least I could have done was order it after our meal, right?
“Juliette, you better be looking at that text message,” Blaire scolds through the phone.
“I am.”
“What does it say?”
“He’s asking if I made it home okay.”
She leans back against her pillows, grinning. “That’s such a classic.” Then her face and tone get serious. “You respond to that man right now or we are done, do you hear me? I’m breaking up with you.”
Slowly, I nod, fingers tapping out the most mundane response I can muster. But hey, at least it’s something?
Juliette: I did make it home okay, thank you for asking. Still slightly embarrassed by all the ice cream I ate…
Hold my breath as three dots appear.
Disappear.
Reappear.
“God, this is painful,” Blaire whines. “I wish I was there. I’d steal your phone and sext him for you to kick this love affair up a notch.”
And on that note…
“I’m hanging up on you. You’re stressing me out.” She is so distracting.
“Fine, hang up on me—but promise you’ll text screenshots of the good stuff later,” she requests. “And if you have the lady balls while you’re still undressed, send him a picture of your ti—”
I end the video chat.
Aaron: The ice cream was the best part. It’s been a while.
Juliette: Since you had ice cream??
Aaron: Yes. I’m usually a pie guy, and only after dinner. A sweet treat, as it were.
Juliette: Well thank you for dinner. It was unexpected and nice.
Aaron: Nice… That’s one way to put it.
Aaron: Honestly, still thinking about that kiss on my neck.
Juliette: Oh gosh…
Aaron: Oh gosh? See that right there…
Juliette: That right there… what?
Aaron: Just when I think I’ve brought you out of your shell, you go and get embarrassed on me.
Juliette: Force of habit. I’m working on it
Aaron: No.
Aaron: Don’t change a thing. It’s charming.
Juliette: Charming… I don’t think anyone has ever called me that before.
Aaron: It’s a night of firsts then, eh?
Juliette: This whole month has been full of firsts for me, lol
Aaron: Are you referring to me going down on you? Asking for a friend.
My mouth literally gapes open.
He’s bringing up oral sex in the middle of a text conversation, and I have no idea how to respond, and now I regret hanging up on Blaire. Do I need her?!
I’m out of my element!
Preston and I were flirty, but he wasn’t the most… sexual guy I’ve dated. He blamed the low sex drive on his high stress finance job, his late office hours. All our intimacy had been dry banter and light petting.
So, no.
I’m not well versed in phone sex or… whatever this is.
This is not that.
Juliette: You cannot casually drop that into a conversation like we’re discussing weather.
Aaron: I can’t? Why not?
Shit. I need him to stop being so casual about this, it’s making me want to clutch my pearls—figuratively speaking, that is.