Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
She hops up. “Sign me up. Do I have time to shower first?”
I nod, still covering the phone. “Yes. Twenty minutes?”
She hustles toward the bathroom. “I’ll be ready.”
“Twenty minutes. Thank you, Ray.” When she closes the door, I lower my voice and add, “Make sure everything is charged to my card. She’ll try to pay. Don’t let her.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you again.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Sutton. Have a good evening.”
“You, too.” He more than earns a holiday bonus every year because he never lets me down. With everything set up, I pour a glass of bourbon. I don’t like events that require a tux, but since I’m not driving and have no clue what the plan is tonight, I need a drink.
Summer pads down the hall with bare legs and feet, a “fresh from the sea” tee that I have no fucking idea what that means, and looking fucking gorgeous. I don’t see the woman I’ve been falling for from a small town where I found myself spending the summer. I see my tonight, my tomorrow when I wake up, and my future.
My chest tightens as she comes to me and climbs onto my lap. “Thank you for setting this up for me.” The image of my future wrapped up in this woman still has me in a chokehold, and I struggle to speak. She bends and kisses my cheek. A burst of excitement bubbles up, sending her to her feet. “I’ve got to run, but I’m so excited about tonight.”
“So am I.” I follow her back to the bedroom as she pulls on a pair of shorts. “I’ll pick you up from the store.”
She slips on her sneakers. Looking up at me, she nods. “I don’t know what time I’ll be ready.”
“Don’t worry. It’s handled.” I walk with her to the door. “You just enjoy yourself.”
Turning suddenly, she takes my hand. “I will.” Lifting to kiss me again, she says, “Miss me, okay?”
“I already do.”
Holding hands, we walk to the elevator. I push the button. “Select the lobby button. Ray will help from there.” The door opens since it waits where it was left. I grab her and kiss her like it’s the last time, but when our tongues mingle, it still feels exciting and new.
She pulls away, leaving me breathless as I watch her back into the elevator. She pushes the button and looks back at me. I shove my hands in my pockets, the emptiness of my arms reminding me how I was lucky enough to hold her. “See you later, Sunshine.”
Lifting her hand, she waves. “I’ll see you later, Sutton.”
The door closes, cutting between us, and leaving me staring at a silver door instead of her beautiful face.
I turn around, the air shifting in her absence in an apartment she has only inhabited for less than an hour. Or is that me who’s shifted? I retrieve my drink and finish the small pour when my phone buzzes with a message from Ray, letting me know Summer is on her way and confirming the pickup time.
It doesn’t take me long to get ready: a shower and shave, getting dressed, and then time to hang out, waiting until I can see her again.
When the car finally pulls up to the curb outside the shop, I get out, straighten my jacket, button the front, and wait outside the door. Those earlier nerves are back. I stare at my shoes, seeing a spot that was missed when shining. The door opens, and I look up.
“Oh shit,” I whisper.
The black dress fits like a custom-tailored glove around her torso and chest. The skirt flares out from her hips, with the fabric longer in the back than in the front. Her shoes give her a good four inches from her usual height. The red lips are showstoppers, but it’s her eyes I can’t stop staring at. Brighter than I’ve ever seen. She slightly leans on her ankle, her face scrunching. “Do I look okay?”
“Breathtaking.” I close the gap, wanting to kiss her so badly but not wanting to ruin her makeup. Her neck is bare, so I kiss her there and then her exposed shoulder. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Sunshine.”
“Really?”
I don’t know how a woman as gorgeous as she is could question any man’s attraction to her. “You’re stunning, baby.” With her hair pulled up and fastened at the back, I’m given the full view to admire the way her cheeks blush for me. Holding my arm out, I ask, “You ready to be seen on the arm of the baddest boy in hockey?”
Hooking her arm around mine, we return to the car. “You’re no boy, baby. You’re allll man.”
“God, I love you for that.” The words come out before I can think twice. Her feet stop just short of climbing into the car. I see her chest rise and her lips part to release a breath. Will ignoring it make it better or worse? The woman makes me laugh more than anyone. It was said in jest. She understands that. Fuck.