Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
“It’s fine. It’s not my best one.” She fans her face. “My best one? You’d think that thing had the engine of a Mack truck. And my massage gun? That’s on the kids, don’t try this at home level. I come so…” She stops, bites her lip and glances up at me. “Sorry.”
“You were saying you come so…”
“I come so hard with that one.” She laughs. “This is a weird conversation.”
“Tell me more about this menagerie of vibrators you have.” I sit on the bed and pull her down beside me. “I think anything that makes you come hard is something I should know about.”
“You’re serious?” she asks, assessing me with narrowed eyes.
“Yeah. Tell me.”
Her gaze goes from disbelieving to speculative to defiant.
“Okay. I love vibrators. They don’t cheat on you. They don’t insult you when you gain five pounds or complain when your period is on. They don’t gaslight you. You come every time and never have to fake it.” She holds up one finger and inclines her head. “And…they don’t snore.”
“I hope I don’t do those things either. I mean, I do snore a little.”
She looks at me knowingly, lips twisted and arms crossed.
“Okay, I snore a lot.” I lean into her, pushing her softness down on the bed and bracketing my arms on either side of her face. “But don’t ever fake it with me.”
“Oh, don’t worry.” A husky laugh slips past her lips, and she reaches up to trace my eyebrows with one finger. “I haven’t had to.”
“I don’t just mean sex, Kira. No faking between us on anything.”
“I thought this was supposed to be just sex.” A faint smile curls the edges of her mouth as she looks down, away from my eyes trained on her. “After these two weeks, we could walk away.”
“I never said that.” I tip up her chin, and a feeling of rightness warms me inside as soon as our eyes meet again. “It’s too late for that.”
She draws a shaky breath, closes her eyes, and nods. “I know.”
Cliff and his troubles hover at the edge of this paradise. I’m not afraid of confronting it all when we get back to the States, but I know it’s not as easy for Takira. I’m giving her space to make peace with the fact that it will have to be done. Because me not with her—that’s no longer an option. Cupping her face, I drop a kiss on her forehead and push away.
“We gotta go.” Standing, I grab her bag and nod to the drawer where she banished the vibrator. “Why don’t you bring it?”
“Seriously?” She lifts her brows and looks from me to the drawer. “Some guys aren’t down for that.”
Grabbing her bag, I walk to the door and open it to the hallway. “Anything that makes you come that hard is coming with us.”
Chapter Seventeen
Takira
“That was delicious.” I pat my full belly and reach for my third Bellini. “I could get used to this.”
“I am used to this now,” Yari says, swirling the last of her angel hair pasta around a fork. “I need a raise, Lo, so I can afford an Italian chef.”
“Done!” Lotus toasts with her wine glass filled with water. “If this new line sells like I hope it does, we’ll all get raises.”
“It’ll be fantastic, like everything you do,” Kenan says. He frowns at her plate with its remnants of pasta and bread. “You barely ate. You feeling okay?”
“This was my second plate.” Lotus cups his face in one small hand. “I’m fine. The baby’s fine. We’re in a gorgeous Italian villa.”
The villa, nestled into the Amalfi Coast, overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea, has nine bedrooms, two private terraces, a swimming pool with outdoor showers, ancient fireplaces, antiques intermixed with the most modern accoutrements, and a gourmet kitchen our temporary Italian chef made impeccable use of.
“Yeah, nice hook-up, Jared,” August says. “This place is fantastic.”
“He’s been offering it to us for…” He looks to Banner. “How long?”
“Like two years, but we aren’t exactly the best about taking vacations,” she says wryly. “If I’d known how beautiful it was, we would have come sooner.”
“We’ll come back.” Jared leans over to kiss her hair. “And next time, we’ll bring the girls.”
She serves a grin to everyone at the table. “Jared’s convinced we’ll have all girls.”
“All?” Yari asks, brows lifted. “How many kids y’all trying to have?”
“Three,” Jared says.
“Four,” Banner says at the same time, laughing and leaning her head on her husband’s shoulder. “We’re negotiating.”
“I think we’re done,” Iris says. “I thought I wanted more, but I’m hitting a stride in my career. Getting my own accounts and making an impact. Firing on all cylinders. Sarai and David feel like enough.”
“What do you think, August?” Yari asks, grinning.
August holds his hands up and laughs. “I don’t have a uterus. I don’t produce milk. My job has me on the road away from my wife and kids half the year, so I say…yes, dear. Whatever you want, dear. I’m satisfied.” He kisses Iris’s hand. “But I’d be satisfied if all I had was you, baby.”