Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“Well, nobody knows pink better than you, cuz.” Brock gives Ava a light punch on her upper arm.
I don’t know why, but Ava Steel just became even more attractive to me. How does something taste pink? Damn. I’d like to taste that little pink pussy of hers. I’ll bet that tastes pink. Nice and sweet and pink.
“Have you been talking to Ashley?” Brock asks.
“No, but we should call her. She should come over and tell me if this really does taste pink.”
Ashley Steel is Dale Steel’s wife, and it’s well known around town that she has synesthesia. But as I understand it, to her, sounds have colors and colors have sounds. Is her taste affected too?
Next time I see her I’ll ask.
A few townies walk into the bar, so I excuse myself. I’ll take the drink orders quickly so I can get back to Ava.
One of them—an attractive brunette wearing a black tank top—points at Ava’s drink. “What’s that?”
“It’s a pink squirrel,” I say.
“What is it exactly?”
“It’s crème de noyaux, which taste like almonds, and crème de cacao—which tastes kind of chocolatey—and vanilla ice cream.”
“That sounds fabulous. I’ll have that.” She peeks down the bar. “Hi, Brock. Remember me?”
Brock turns toward her. “Oh…sure. It’s Sadie?”
“That’s right, Sadie McCall. Who’s that with you? Is it Rory?”
Brock lets out a guffaw. Like anyone could mistake Ava for Rory.
Rory Pike is a beautiful woman. In fact, people say she’s the most beautiful woman in Snow Creek. And her hair is not pink.
Ava Steel is an individual. Her beauty is internal and external. Both of these qualities collide to create something absolutely unique. And spectacular.
“No, this is my cousin Ava. Ava, this is Sadie McCall.”
Ava pokes her head around Brock. “Hi there,” she says.
“Ava!” The platinum blond woman who came in with Sadie looks down the bar. “It’s so great to see you. We met at your bakery, remember? You told me about all your hot cousins?”
Ava’s cheeks turn the color of her drink. “Hi, Nora.”
“Oh wow, I love your hair,” Sadie gushes.
“Thank you.”
“Does the new hairstylist do that for you?”
“Yeah, I just had it touched up a few days ago.”
“It’s really fabulous.”
“Thank you.” Ava goes back to her drink.
Nora and the guy who came in with Sadie order beers.
I grab those first and then prepare Sadie’s pink squirrel. I place it on top of a cocktail napkin and shove it toward her.
“You’ll have to let me know what you think,” I say.
“I already think it’s fabulous.” She takes a sip. She ends up with the same pink mustache that Ava did, but daintily wipes it away. “It’s…certainly different. I think I like it.”
“Good. I’m glad.” I smile. “Does it taste pink?”
Sadie furrows her brow. “Pink? How could it taste pink?”
I chuckle softly. Ava Steel is one of a kind.
“Just wondering.” I move back toward Brock and Ava. “So what are you up to tonight?”
“I’ve been helping Aunt Marjorie plan my parents’ twenty-fifth anniversary party. You’ll be there, won’t you?”
“Absolutely,” I say. “I never miss a Steel party.”
“Oh, good.”
Is that a bit more of a blush on Ava’s cheeks? It’s hard to tell because she’s so naturally pretty and rosy.
My heart flops around inside my chest. What is it about this woman that makes me feel like I’m back in freaking high school?
My cheeks warm. Jesus Christ. I’m fair-skinned—a natural redhead—so anything that happens on my face is more than obvious.
But Ava has turned back to her cousin, and they’re chatting about something else.
So I make my getaway. I do my rounds in the bar again, helping Laney out, taking drink orders, and then mixing drinks.
But I’m so hyperaware.
So hyperaware of the woman sitting at the bar, nursing her pink squirrel.
She’s too young for you, Brendan.
Too fucking young.
But already I know.
She’s the one I want, and no one else will suffice.
“So, Brendan,” Sadie says.
I jerk toward her voice. “Hey, you need something?”
“Yes,” she says. “I was wondering…if you’d like to go out on a date with me sometime.”
I stop my jaw from hitting the bar. I know women ask men out these days, but I’m a small-town guy. It’s not the norm here.
“Oh?”
Sadie’s quite beautiful, with dark hair and a very slim body. In fact, she’s usually the type I’d go for. I’m not sure when I began pining over Ava Steel.
I guess I started noticing her when she opened her bakery a couple of years ago. She’s the one Steel who actually lives in town, so I see her a lot. She’s always so friendly, and I like the way she dresses—despite the fact that her clothes often hide her luscious curves. She definitely has her own style, and as a baker, she’s mega talented. I love her chocolate croissants and her baguettes.
And that stainless-steel lip ring…
For some reason, I can’t get the thought of sucking on it when I kiss her out of my head.