Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68594 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
I bit into the chicken, suddenly famished. “Wow. That is incredible.” I took another bite, savoring the flavor. “Best fried chicken I’ve ever had.”
“We have it at the Dill on Wednesdays.”
“I’ll make a note of that.”
“Your other place of residence cooling off?” Quinn asked with a grin as she took a bite of her chicken.
“Permanent iceberg.”
She looked pleased. “Ah.”
“Farmer John?” Abby asked.
“Yeah?”
“Can I swim after lunch?”
“Sure. If it’s okay with your mom.”
Quinn ruffled Abby’s hair. “Good thing I have your suit in the back.”
“Will you swim, Momma?”
“I don’t have a suit.”
“You’re wearing a T-shirt,” I pointed out. Grinning, I leaned close. “You got underwear on under those overalls, darlin’, or are you commando?”
She pursed her lips, trying to look affronted but failing. “Of course I do.”
“Probably covers you more than a bikini. I can give you another shirt to wear after.”
“Are you sure?”
The thought of her wearing my clothes did something to me. It made me want to beat my chest and roar out in victory. I glanced up at the sun, wondering if I was suffering from heatstroke.
Roar out in victory?
But her grin made it all better. “Okay, then.”
Game on.
Abby swam like a little fish, splashing and going underwater as if she’d been doing it all her life. Quinn watched her from the side, her wet T-shirt glued to her skin. I tried not to notice the shadow of her taut nipples under the thin material when she would stand to watch Abby. Unfortunately, my cock did, and I was grateful for the coolness of the water and the fact that it hid my arousal. She had long legs, and the image of them wrapped around me as I drove into her kept filtering through my brain, even as I tried to stop it. I didn’t understand how, in such a short time, I had gone from disliking Quinn to wanting to be close to her. To get to know her.
Internally, I shook my head. I had been attracted to her the first night at the fair. Even during our tumultuous meetings, I found her appealing. I had been too much of a jerk to admit exactly how tempting.
Abby called for us to watch as she dove under the water, splashing us as she kicked. I laughed as I wiped my face. “She loves the water,” I observed.
“Yes. I put her in swimming lessons when she was a baby. She has always loved it. We spent a lot of time at the public pool.”
“My dad taught me to swim. My mom wasn’t a huge fan of water.”
“My ex wasn’t a fan of anything,” she murmured. “Especially us.”
“Sounds like an idiot.”
She sighed. “I was the idiot for staying and hoping.”
I glanced at her. She was staring at Abby, her shoulders hunched as if in pain.
“Maybe you were the one with the heart,” I said gently. “The brave one.”
She shrugged, but I noticed her shoulders straightened a little.
“Anyway, she loves to swim, and she loves a bath. Hates the rain.”
“Really?”
“Storms bother her. The wind and thunder.”
“We get some bad ones here.”
“I already made a place in my closet. We hide together. I’m not a big fan either, so we camp out. I read to her, and we use a portable light and a radio for music. I try to make it fun. Distract her. The worst is when the power goes out and everything is dark and the lantern runs out of power and I’ve forgotten to buy more batteries.”
“What do you do then?”
“Sing to her.”
“Who sings to you?”
She turned her head and met my eyes. “No one. I have to be strong for her.”
In that moment, I realized how close we were sitting. Our thighs were pressed together, our shoulders touching. All it would take was the tilt of my head, and I could kiss her. The draw was strong, her closeness weaving a spell around us. I began to lower my head when I heard my sister’s voice behind us.
“John!”
I backed away from Quinn, creating some distance. Laura, Bob, and Cody appeared, towels in hand. “I figured I’d find you here. It’s hot and we—” Laura stopped midsentence. “Oh, you have company.” Her eyes grew wide when she realized who it was.
“Come join us,” I invited her.
Cody rushed forward, but Laura stood where she was. “Are we interrupting?”
“No,” I said easily, not wanting to upset Quinn. “We had a picnic, and we’re cooling off. Lots of room.”
“Hi, Laura,” Quinn greeted her.
“Hi, yourself. You know Bob.”
He waved, shucking off his shirt and following Cody into the swimming hole. Cody was chatting with Abby, no shyness between the two kids. Laura eyed me, then set down her bags, coming over to the spot we were sitting. Abby called to her mom, who went over to see what she wanted, and Laura slid into the water, giving me the once-over.