Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ABIGAIL
I hear him walk outside into the darkness, and I think about turning around and hightailing it back inside, but like an idiot, all I can do is stand here and watch him. He walks to the railing, putting his hands on it. I can picture what he’s wearing since I’ve spent the majority of the night looking at him. He is wearing pink shorts with a baby-blue linen button-down shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The shirt made his eyes pop even more. I escaped the beach early so I didn’t get dragged into going out with the gang. I just wanted to go back to my room and relax. I hold my breath as I see him turning his head and looking at me. I don’t know if he’s shocked or surprised to see me. “Want to have a drink with me?”
I want to have more than a drink with you, my head says. “Sure.” I push off my own railing, my head screaming, this is a bad idea, as my vagina screams, go and get me some. I think about jumping onto his patio, but the linen skirt I’m wearing is tight on top with a long slit.
“I’ll open the door,” he says, turning and walking back inside his house. I walk into my own house and out the front door. When I walk over to his villa, he is waiting for me at the front door.
“Hi,” I whisper when I see it’s dark inside, afraid I’m going to wake Penelope. His musky smell fills the whole doorway
“Penelope is sleeping at Cooper’s,” he informs me, and I stop in front of him, my heart speeding up to the point I feel like it’s going to come out of my chest. “What do you want to drink?”
“Whatever you are having is good,” I reply, omitting the fact that I’ve never really drank anything. I’ve had some wine a time or two at the games, but I was just not drawn to it. Plus, it’s not like I had time to party in college. I left that all to Gabriella, who did enough for both of us to last a lifetime.
“Go sit outside,” he says, and just being in his space gives my whole body tingles. I nod at him as I walk out to the deck.
“You can do this.” I try to give myself a pep talk. “It’s going to be fine.” I sit on the couch, and before I think about it, I see that it’s the only seat up here. The couch seats two people. I’m about to get up when I see him walking out with two glasses in his hand.
It’s also at this moment I realize there isn’t that much light here. A soft glow from the front makes its way into the back. He stops next to me, handing me the crystal glass with a ball ice cube inside. It clinks against the side of the glass as I reach up and grab it. Our fingers graze each other, and he looks at me for a second longer than I think he should, or I should. He sits next to me, and his leg brushes mine. I don’t even wait before I take a gulp of the amber liquid. I try not to grimace when it burns all the way down to my stomach. “Smooth,” I say, hissing a bit, making him laugh. My knees knock together with nerves. My palms are so sweaty that I’m praying I don’t drop the glass onto the floor and make a fool of myself. I look down into my lap because I’m afraid he’s going to see how nervous I am.
“It’s whiskey,” he says, holding his glass up. “To the end of the vacation.”
“I already took a sip.” I laugh nervously, looking at him. “Does it show I don’t do this often?” I make a joke, and I hold up my own glass, clinking it with his.
He chuckles at me. “This is, hands down, one of my top vacations,” he admits softly as he brings the glass to his lips. I don’t bother answering him that I don’t think I’ll have another vacation quite like this one. Instead, I take another sip of the whiskey, and this time, it doesn’t hurt as much when it goes down. I say a sip, but it’s more like a gulp. I guess this is what they call liquid courage. I look into the glass, turning it in my hand nervously, watching the ball go round and round. “It’s going to be a rough day two days from now when I have to get up and make my own breakfast,” he states, making me laugh. “Today, I didn’t even know she ordered room service until I heard a knock.”