Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
I was about to leave, when he reached out and touched my arm. The feel of his hand on my bare skin gave my heart a little zip. “Wait here a second.”
I nodded, wondering what he was doing, when he went back inside the rec room before reemerging with a bottle of water. “Here, take this. There’s a mini-fridge in there.”
His fingers briefly skimmed mine as he handed me the water, their warmth a contrast to the icy cold bottle. Again, I felt that small zip of awareness.
“A mini-fridge. Fancy. How the other half lives, eh,” I said then grimaced because he probably came from a rich family, too, if he went to school with Tristan and Derek.
The barest hint of a smile touched his lips. “Mini-fridges are pretty extravagant, I guess.”
“Right?” I laughed.
“So, your family isn’t, uh …” he trailed off, so I finished for him.
“Loaded like the Balfes? Not at all. My mom is Padraig’s sister, but she’s a school teacher. We’re not rich by any stretch of the imagination. All this is pretty crazy to me,” I said, motioning around the vast hallway with its glossy marble floors.
Rhys rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it? But you get used to it.”
“You don’t live in one of the other giant houses on this street, then?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, far from it.”
“Well, it’s good to know there’s a fellow commoner about. We should stick together.”
At this, his cheeks seemed to colour. Again, he rubbed his neck. Was that a nervous tick? “Sure, yeah,” he paused then, looking me over. He started to frown, taking what appeared to be an instinctive step forward, his hand reaching out, before he stopped himself and rocked back on his feet. He shoved his hands in his pockets, a faint look of concern crossing his features. “What happened to your forehead?”
I frowned, unsure what he meant at first, then remembered the bruise. I touched it softly. “Ah, right. A little mishap on the plane. The person in front of me let their seat back when I was leaning forward, and I banged my head.”
Rhys winced. “Is it sore?”
“Only a little.”
He pressed his lips together, still staring at me, though he did seem strangely relieved the bruise wasn’t anything to be concerned about. Finally, he tore his gaze away. “I better get back.”
“Of course, thanks for the water,” I said, watching him leave before returning to my room.
2.
Rhys
She was gorgeous.
When Tristan and Derek told me their American cousin was coming to stay for the summer, I certainly hadn’t been expecting her. Or her accent, all low and sultry. I had a hard time keeping my blood from flowing a certain direction.
“What are you doing skulking in and out?” Aidan asked when I returned to the pool room.
“Uh, the girl, Charli. She was out there looking for water, so I got her some from the mini-fridge.”
Aidan shared a look with Derek and grinned. “Uh oh. I think Rhys has the hots for your cousin.”
“I was being helpful,” I muttered and went to sit down. Aidan could be an annoying prick at times.
“Leave him alone,” Derek said. “Though, I will warn you all to keep your paws off her this summer. She didn’t come here to have you lot slobbering all over her.”
“I’ll have you know I never slobber,” Aidan retorted. “Though, saying that, she does have a very nice pair of—”
Derek lifted his pool cue like he might knock Aidan on the head with it. “Don’t finish that sentence, lad.”
“What? I was just going to say she has a lovely pair of eyes. Besides, you have nothing to worry about. She’s a little on the chunky side for my taste.”
As soon as he said it, I wanted to defend her because Charli wasn’t chunky. She was curvy in a way that made my blood heat. Besides, I knew how it felt to be judged for your weight. Ever since I hit puberty, I’d piled on the pounds and hadn’t been able to shift them since, so I knew what it was like to be called fat by the likes of Aidan.
“Hey, fuck you, Aidan,” Tristan spoke up for his cousin, and I was glad he did because that meant I didn’t have to. “You’re only calling her chunky because she barely spared you a second glance. If she had, you’d be writing sonnets about her curves.”
Aidan scoffed. “If I’d wanted a second glance, I could’ve gotten one.”
Theo chuckled. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Listen, you can all stop talking about Charli right now,” Derek said. “My parents brought her here so Nuala could have a friend for the summer. You know she’s been struggling lately.”
“Are those girls from her school still being arseholes?” Theo asked, concerned. We all knew he had a thing for Nuala though he’d never admit it.