Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 101736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
I didn’t know if he’d ever have a relationship with them again, but I hoped that would never be the case with us.
I loved Colin, no matter what.
And while sometimes I didn’t love what kind of work he was doing, I respected him for living his life free from our parents’ control. He was an adult, who could make his own decisions and go after what he wanted without shame or worrying about other people’s judgement.
It was easier to think about my brother like that, in vague terms, but sometimes, it wasn’t possible. Thanks to Facebook, a lot of people knew about his career, and last week my friend Hailey drunkenly confessed she’d watched some of his videos.
I’d threatened her with death if she ever brought up the size of my brother’s dick again, complimentary or not.
Gah. I blew out a breath, forcing the thought out with it, and strode toward the French doors, balling my cupcake wrapper and napkin together in my fist.
The trash can was just inside, and after I tossed my garbage, I turned to find a large figure blocking the doorway. Breath tightened in my lungs. Maybe I’d been wrong about him being oblivious to me a few moments ago because Preston’s sudden appearance gave me the impression he’d followed me into the house.
“Hey. You sure you don’t want to play another game?” His smile was infectious, and sexy, making me want to say yes—
But I couldn’t.
I hadn’t really told my parents where I was going tonight, and if I was gone much longer, they might use the location services on my phone. Good god, they’d lose their minds if they saw I was over at Preston’s house.
Could he hear the hint of reluctance in my voice? “I think I’m going to head out.”
“It’s early,” he scoffed. Then he glanced around the basement, making sure it was empty so no one, and especially Steve, would overhear. “We’re meeting up at Murphy’s as soon as the party’s over.”
I pressed my lips together. “I, uh, don’t have a fake ID.”
“Oh.” He crossed his thick arms over his chest and leaned against the side of the doorframe, ignoring the fact he was letting bugs in. “Well . . . it was nice seeing you again, Sydney.”
His brown eyes focused on my face, his attention sliding down from my eyes and onto my lips. He peered at them like he was considering what I might taste like. It made my heart skip faster, and the air around us went thin, leaving me breathless.
“Yeah, you too,” I said in a rush.
Abruptly, he straightened as if a thought had just occurred to him. “You know what? Let me walk you to your car.”
He lived in the nicest neighborhood in town, and my car was parked only a few houses down the street, so this was unnecessary, but if he was giving me the opportunity to be alone with him, even for a few short minutes, I wasn’t going to say no.
I gave a bashful smile. “Sure.”
He lingered beside me as I said goodbye to Colin and Madison, and my brother barely kept the unease from his expression, giving Preston all the side-eye possible. He didn’t like his friend’s proximity to me, which again, I found weird.
Wasn’t Preston his best friend?
We went out through the gate and followed the stone path up the embankment around the house, and the sounds of the party faded into the distance. Or maybe I couldn’t hear them anymore because a voice inside my head grew louder, drowning everything out.
Now’s your chance, it chanted.
We were silent as we strolled down the driveway and into the quiet street, but my heart beat like a war drum. It was trying to pump me up, and blood rushed loudly in my ears.
Every step we took brought us closer to my mother’s car I’d borrowed and closer to my window of opportunity closing.
I’d never asked a guy out before.
It was because I was shy to a fault, and if a guy didn’t make a move, no matter how much I wanted him to, things never went anywhere. That couldn’t happen tonight. I wasn’t going to carry regret about not shooting my shot with him.
My racing heart climbed into my throat, but I was able to push the words past it. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Preston’s leisurely pace slowed to a stop, and he turned to face me with interest lighting his eyes. “Sure.”
Oh, god. There was no turning back now. My voice dropped to a whisper. “I had a crush on you when I was in high school.”
He blinked back his surprise, and then a pleased smile curled across his lips. “You did?”
A single, subtle step was all it took for him to invade my space. I stared up, struggling to keep it together, and nodded quickly. He wasn’t insanely tall or broad, but he was impressive nonetheless. He’d been on the swim team in high school, and in college he’d grown and filled out his frame.