Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“I didn’t say that.”
She shakes her head. “Fine. Do what you want. I’m not having male strippers at Skye’s bachelorette party.”
The way she phrased that makes me think it’s more about Tessa’s preferences than Skye’s, but given what she’s been through, I can’t blame her for being cautious when it comes to nearly naked men. I’m not sure how to respond, so I take a long drink of my bourbon and then change the subject. “Okay. So if we have the parties that Friday night, how do we get everybody together at the end?”
Tessa looks down at the bar. “Why would we do that?”
“Isn’t that what Skye and Braden asked for?”
“Oh.” She wrinkles her forehead. “Yeah, you’re right. At midnight, we’re supposed to bring the two parties together into one big party.”
“Yeah. So…any ideas?”
She draws in a breath, holds it for a few seconds, and then exhales slowly. “We really could’ve discussed this over the phone.”
She’s not wrong. And now I feel like a dick for setting this up.
A man clad in jeans and a T-shirt walks into the bar. He takes a seat next to Tessa.
In a flash, she hops up off her stool and moves closer to me.
“You okay?” I ask quietly.
She swallows. “Yeah. Fine.” She slides into the empty seat on my other side.
My God, she’s skittish. And of course I understand why.
I turn to her. “You want to get out of here?”
She frowns. “And go where? This was your idea.”
“We could go back to my place, or yours.”
Her eyes widen into circles.
That was the wrong thing to say.
“Or to…someplace where we can have our own table.” I glance around the bar. “I see an empty table in the back.”
She nods and hops off her stool again.
“Leanna, could you bring her sparkling water to that table in the corner?” I gesture toward it.
“I’ve got it right here.” She slides it across the bar to Tessa. “Sorry for the wait.”
Tessa thanks her, picks up her water, and I follow her to the table. She sits down, and then she glances over her shoulder and all around the bar, becoming aware of her surroundings.
I clench my jaw. That asshole did a real number on her.
I’d like to pound him into next week, and I don’t even know the shithead. He’s out on bail right now, I’ve heard, but he was let go from his architecture firm. Out on bail, out of work, facing trial for rape… He’d better stay the hell away from her.
I’m not one to talk to women about serious stuff. Hell, I’m not one to talk to anybody about anything serious. I’m usually the one who’s the life of the party, telling the jokes, getting the crowd excited.
But for some reason, I want Tessa to talk to me.
“You doing okay?” I ask.
“I’m fine.” She takes a sip of her sparkling water and wipes her lips with her cocktail napkin.
“Are you hungry? They make a good burger here.”
She doesn’t reply, simply shakes her head. Her lips tremble a bit. They’re full and dark pink.
So sexy.
I recently took a break from my alternative sexual lifestyle and ended my long-term friends-with-benefits relationship with Apple. Some things from my past have resurfaced, and the last thing I need is to be focused on a woman.
But Tessa Logan—Tessa Logan, with her sad eyes—has my groin reacting.
Easy, I say to myself. I am the last thing she needs right now.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had this intense of a reaction to a woman. Have I ever?
I don’t know much about her except that she’s an accountant. And, of course, what she went through with that asshole architect.
“You want to tell me anything about yourself?” I ask.
She blinks. “Why would I want to do that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe make yourself a little more comfortable.”
She draws in a breath again, holds it for a few moments. “You know all about me. You’re Braden’s brother. You know from him, and he knows from Skye. So you know what happened to me.”
I absently reach forward to lay my hand over hers, but she pulls her hand back quickly.
“I’m sorry,” I say. I’m fucking this all up.
“I don’t like to be touched.”
“I get that. I respect that. I was just trying to offer you some comfort.”
“I don’t want any comfort.”
“I won’t do it again.”
“Let’s just do what we came here to do, okay?” Then she sighs. “Look. I’m not trying to be rude. I’m not a rude person. I just… Just tell me what you have planned. I’ll work around it.”
“I need to know what you have planned as well.”
She gnaws on that gorgeous, full lower lip.
And I realize…
She doesn’t have anything planned.
“Nothing’s final yet,” she says. “I’m flexible.”
“Okay. I can work with that. The men and I will have a golf game in the afternoon. The private resort has an amazing golf course. We’re going to play nine holes. Then we’ll have dinner, catered by the resort. We’ll roast him. And boy, do I have a lot of stories.” I smile.