Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 84952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“Don’t you have someone who you wouldn’t mind spending a few hours with?” she asks after a few minutes. “Instead of thinking of it as a prison sentence, couldn’t you look at it as taking a friend out for the night?”
Instantly, Hollis materializes up in my head.
“What are you grinning about?” Siggy asks.
I didn’t realize I was.
I try to tame the bolt of energy firing through my veins, but it’s impossible. A chuckle sneaks by my lips. I shake my head—both at the thought of Hollis teasing me about sending him fictional dirty texts and my inability to stop being amused by him.
“The funniest thing happened last night,” I tell her.
“And …”
I squirm in my seat. “I was at Paddy’s downtown for a birthday party, and Sebastian was there. He made these comments to me early in the evening that basically inferred I was pathetic because I was alone. He’s such an ass.”
“I’ve met him. He is.”
I laugh. “I knew he was going to come up and say hi. I could feel it. And I didn’t want to be standing there alone because that would just stroke his ego.”
Her face wrinkles in disgust.
“So I took matters into my own hands.” I laugh as I remember Hollis’s face when I propositioned him. “I found a boyfriend for a few minutes.”
Siggy plays with the charm on her necklace and watches me closely, her eyes sparkling. “He was cute, I take it?”
My stomach flip-flops over itself.
“Yeah. He was cute,” I say with a wide smile. “Ridiculously good-looking, actually. Built like a god. He had the sweetest smile but also the orneriest smirk that just … went right through me.”
“Ooh, the smirk. I’m such a sucker for a good smirk.”
“Me too.” I laugh. “So, Hollis, the guy I knew for two seconds, was my fake boyfriend last night. In retrospect, I can’t believe I asked him, and I can’t believe he went through with it, but he did. He jumped right in and hugged me and sweet-talked me and put Sebastian in his place. He was just …”
My cheeks heat. My embarrassment at blushing only makes it worse.
Siggy leans against the table. Mischief fills her eyes. “So get him to be your date tomorrow.”
I hold her gaze and feel her words sink into my brain. With each inch they settle, the more my stomach squirms inside my body.
He was fun. He did smell amazing. And the way those giant arms felt around me kept me from sleeping all night—mostly because I wasn’t in them anymore.
But what would be the point? He’s only in town for a few days.
I sit back in my chair.
In fact, isn’t that the actual point?
I only need him for tomorrow night, and he did say to call him if I … needed him for anything. Maybe I’d enjoy more than one moment with his arms around me.
Or more …
No. Don’t go there, Riss. He’s too gorgeous not to want for more than one night.
I nibble on my lip. He is leaving town. And he’s not on my stay-away-from list. But I don’t even know anything about him.
Which is why you should stay away from him.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I say, refusing to look Siggy in the eye.
Siggy shrugs, a knowing grin on her face. “Then don’t ask him. Go alone. But in the meantime, let’s discuss snowflakes or icicles …”
Five
Hollis
Forty-eight. Forty-nine. Fifty.
I hop to my feet and stretch my arms out to the sides. The short burst of adrenaline from the quick workout provides me with both a distraction and a blast of endorphins—two things that I crave.
My body is rested. The wounds from the season are starting to heal. I can bend without groaning, and my shoulder only needs popped back into place every other morning now.
Despite the physical benefits of the season being over, I already hate it. The fact that I’ll never have another season to look forward to is something I try not to think about.
Grabbing a water bottle off the dresser, I walk to the window and yank the curtains apart. The room floods with early afternoon sunlight, and I gaze down the street. Remnants of Christmas hang oddly in the trees and on the lampposts lining the sidewalks. They look as out of place as I feel.
“I’m out of place everywhere. So what does it matter?”
Taking a long drink of water and letting my heartbeat settle, I let my gaze slide up the street until it lands on Paddy’s. A grin tickles my lips.
Larissa.
I’ve never known a Larissa before, but the name somehow fits her. It matches her sweet, kind smile and the vibe she put off that made me want to tease and joke around with her. But it also coincides perfectly with the sexy curve of her hips and the sparkle in her eye that made me want to do nasty, delicious things to her.