Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“Hey.” He picked up the plunger. “We needed one of these. Ben’s been really trying to clog every toilet in the house.”
I glared. “You’re not even a little bit embarrassed, are you?”
“Nope.” His smile was gorgeous. “I mean, necessity is necessity. Thanks for thinking of the kids. Are you embarrassed?”
“No,” I lied, holding my head up high. “This was supposed to be about having fun and letting go!”
“That’s what I thought.” He laughed, which made my competitive side want to crawl out, and then I realized we were together. Laughing. At the grocery store. And it wasn’t awkward—I mean, apart from the items. And he wasn’t scowling at me.
I wasn’t plotting his death.
I was having fun with him.
A first.
And I found that I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to cry party foul and play all over again if only he’d laugh like that, smile at me like that, make me feel like I was the only woman in the world.
He smiled and held out his hand toward the conveyor belt. “Shall we?”
I sighed. “I can’t believe I’m buying condoms, hemorrhoid cream, wart remover, and baby oil. Never took you for the sexually adventurous type,” I joked.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me against his chest, shocking me so much that it was suddenly hard to breathe. What had gotten into him?
“That’s because you don’t really know me… do you?” he whispered, confirming that he at least felt something too and that I wasn’t wrong about the almost-kiss or any other moment.
His fingers danced along my skin before he pulled away. I turned around to face him, and our eyes locked as my lips parted. My breath caught in my chest as he took a step forward.
And I literally had a daydream of him tossing me onto the conveyor belt next to the gum and pulling my shirt off over my head.
Baby oil?
Hell yes, I’ll use that oil, please and thank you.
His hand lifted like he was going to touch my face.
“Hey, you gonna pay or what?” Some high school boy with black-rimmed glasses interrupted whatever the hell was just about to happen.
“Y-yes.” I somehow managed to get my debit card out of my purse. It took me three times to get the stupid chip in the chip reader.
“Hey, you OK?” the kid at checkout asked. “Your cheeks just got bright red.”
“Yup. Good. Awesome. We should go.” I quickly purchased the items and ignored the odd look from the high school–age cashier as he bagged my order, then quickly did Rip’s.
Rip grinned as he checked out his items and said, “Thanks for your help.”
Ugh.
When we got back to the car, we were both silent, and then he laughed. “That was fun.”
“What’s the baby oil for?” I blurted out. “Sorry, my imagination is the devil.”
His eyes flashed as he leaned in and whispered, “Trade secret, can’t tell.”
I gasped. “Do you have a kinky side I don’t know about? Tell me everything! Leave out no details!”
He burst out laughing. “Nope, no details, just know, oil can be… fun.”
“Like slip-and-slide fun?” I had to ask.
His eyes darkened. “There is sliding involved.”
A shiver ran through my entire body as he put the car in drive, and for the rest of the night, even through dinner with two kids, all I could think about was sliding.
Sliding with Rip.
And our bodies sliding against each other.
And I could have sworn he knew it too, because before I went to bed, he left a bottle of oil outside my door with a note that said, “Sweet dreams.”
If that was how he wanted to play it.
Game. On.
I wasn’t surprised when I brushed my teeth before bed and saw my reflection in the mirror.
Flushed.
Excited.
Yeah, that plan had definitely backfired. There I’d been, arrogantly thinking I was going to help him get outside his crabby shell—and he’d thrown my world off its axis and made it so all I thought about was him—and the sides he’d never shown me.
Until tonight.
SIXTEEN
Rip
Monday it was my turn to go to work, and although there was a lot of chaos at the house, something pinched in my chest at the breakfast table.
The night before with Colby had been fun. More than fun. I hadn’t been able to stop smiling like a lunatic the rest of the night, even when Colby busted out Candy Land for everyone to play before bed and teased me relentlessly about losing a kids’ game.
I still smiled.
The kids thought it was hilarious that Uncle Rip didn’t know how to effectively get through the Lollipop Woods.
“Uncle Rip,” Ben laughed. “That’s not how you do it!”
“OK, Candy Land master.” I glared. “Then show me how.”
“Easy.” He laughed.
Colby joined in and winked at me as Ben did just that. He won twice before I was ready to look up game hacks online.
“OK, no more teasing Uncle Rip about losing,” Colby scolded. “Kids, go brush your teeth while we put the game away.”