Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Alex smiles. “I didn’t think it was. Why do you think I didn’t sleep with you last night? It sure wasn’t because I didn’t want to.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“It would have been a mistake,” he continues. “I could see it on your face that you weren’t sure about what you were doing. I couldn’t take advantage of that.”
“But I asked you to...” I mutter, looking away.
“I know you did.” He moves closer again, gently turning my face back towards him with a finger under my chin. “But just because you ask doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for you.”
“How do you know what’s best for me?”
“I don’t,” he admits. “But I know that rushing into something while you’re confused isn’t generally the best idea.”
I stare at him in silence, digesting his words. He’s right. Of course, he’s right. In my desperation to fit in, to compete with the likes of June and Heather—heck, even Emily—I was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole
And Emily? She’s with River right now. The man I wanted to get to know...
But as I look at Alex—at his dark hair, hazel eyes, gorgeous body—I see him in a different light.
He sees me.
He respects me.
Brett refused to fuck me, but it was because he made a deal with himself.
Sebastian may have fucked me, but then he suggested a threesome with Heather. I had a great time for sure, but he’s not serious about me.
River has never given me a second glance.
But Alex?
Alex asked me what I wanted for dinner last night, and then he told the chef to prepare me a Southern feast.
Alex talked to me, got to know me. Picked me jasmine and kissed me with desire and passion.
And then, when I asked for sex, he said no.
He said no because he wasn’t sure it was what I wanted.
And he was right.
“I meant it last night when I said you were special,” he says. “That you astounded me. That I had an amazing time with you, which surprised me. I didn’t think you and I would have anything in common, but I was wrong.”
I don’t reply.
“I want to be honest with you about something.”
I swallow. “Okay.”
“I had sex with Sienna the first night.”
My heart drops. Beautiful Sienna, the corporate lawyer. I open my mouth to respond, but he stops me.
“Just wait. I thought she and I had something, and I went for it. But it was too soon, and she’s still hung up on her ex. But with you...” He shakes his head. “You’re so young, and I shouldn’t even be thinking this, but... You’re someone I could truly fall for, Ariel. And I don’t want to screw it up.”
EPISODE 139
STEAMY HAZE
Brett
Twenty Years Earlier...
“Who’s there?” Alex calls out into the darkness. His voice sounds surprisingly steady despite the tension etched into his face.
The rustling grows louder but then stops. I hold my breath, my heart pounding in my ears.
A moment later, a figure breaks through the trees. But it’s not a man.
It’s a black bear, its dark fur a dense shadow under the moon, eyes catching the light and shining briefly. My stomach drops. All the stories of wildlife encounters I’ve heard of from books and movies race through my mind, each more terrifying than the last.
I stand completely still, barely daring to breathe.
At least it’s not a grizzly. The black bear is smaller, but still... It’s a damned bear, and if the animal is hungry?
Fuck. I’m several feet behind Alex, and my legs are rooted to the ground.
Alex raises his arms but doesn’t shout. You’re supposed to appear big when you encounter a bear. Appear big and make loud noises. Why isn’t he shouting? Larson should be good and drugged, and who the hell else would hear us out here?
The bear sniffs the air, its large nose twitching. It takes a few steps forward, massive paws silent on the soft earth. I have to hand it to Alex. He stands his ground. We’re at the mercy of the bear, but Alex is nothing if not resourceful. He’ll figure it out.
I hope so, anyway.
The bear’s muscles move under its fur, powerful and ready. The wilderness of Montana, beautiful and majestic by day, can be unforgiving by night. Here, under the indifferent stars, the four of us are nothing more than intruders.
Alex still hasn’t budged.
I swallow as the seconds tick by, seeming like hours.
Finally, the bear turns and lopes away, and soon it’s lost in the brush.
Alex returns to me. “Jesus,” he says. “I almost pissed myself.”
“How the fuck did you keep from screaming?”
“I didn’t. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.”
We return to the hole where Seb and Jake are shivering.
“Damn,” Seb says. “That took a year off my life.”
Alex lets out a huff. “You’re telling me.”
Jake picks up Alex’s shovel. “You deserve a rest after that. Seb and I will take over. You two keep watch.”