Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“It ended, and they went their separate ways. June swears she doesn’t regret the actual deed, but she’s always wondered if Misty drugged her.”
“Why would she think it was Misty? It’s more likely it was the guy.”
“That’s what I said.” Heather shakes her head. “But now…after what happened to Rachel today… I mean, she was just snorkeling, minding her own business, and she stops breathing? Misty has made it clear she’s into River. She told Sienna, who told me. And Rachel was the first woman River took a liking to.”
What can I say? The thought already occurred to me. Misty told Evie she wanted Rachel and June out of the running, and now Rachel is gone.
Is June next? Does Misty think River is into June? Or is it some twisted payback for the basketball player preferring June? Or both? Or neither? Is Misty just a sociopath?
Fuck.
I squeeze Heather’s hand once more. “Rachel is going to be fine, thank God. She’s safe at the hospital, and then she and Ginger are going home.”
Bart returns with our dinners, but my appetite has gone on hiatus. My appetizer sits in front of me, hardly touched. Heather took a few bites of hers when Bart first served them but hasn’t touched it since she talked to June.
“Braised swordfish with a port wine reduction,” Bart says, “with purée of parsnip and spinach and steamed broccolini.”
“Thank you, Bart,” I say.
“You’re quite welcome.” He refills our waters and then leaves.
“You feel like eating?” I ask Heather.
She sighs. “It looks amazing. I love food as art. But no, I seem to have lost my appetite.”
“I have too.” I rise, remove my flip-flops, and cuff my jeans over my ankles. “Let’s take a walk. Maybe we’ll be hungry later.”
What I’d really like to do is warn River, but he’s a big boy. He can take care of himself. Misty may well be dangerous, though.
Heather stands, kicks off her flip-flops, and puts her hand in mine. We walk toward the ocean, the breeze drifting over us.
This date had promise. Things were going well until Heather decided to check in with June. Still, I like this woman. She’s uniquely beautiful, and she’s a fan. And her viper tattoo is hot as hell.
Plus…she’s a good soul. A good heart. She’s concerned about her friend.
We meander closer to the tide, and the wet sand squishes between our toes. I stop and turn to Heather. “What would you like to do?”
“Would you kiss me, Sebastian? I want to get my mind back where it needs to be.”
I pull her to me, brush my lips over hers, and slide my tongue between. She kisses me back, but it’s timid. Not at all what I expected from Heather.
She and Alex had a romp on the boat. I didn’t get a chance to ask him how it went, and Heather hasn’t volunteered any information. Of course, that all happened before we nearly lost Rachel.
She pulls back, her blue eyes wide.
Then—
“Oh, screw it.” She grabs me, pulls my head down, and crushes our mouths together.
Now this is a kiss. She devours me with her tongue, and I kiss her back, grabbing the back of her head and yanking on her hair. She groans into my mouth. As our lips collide, she reaches up and tangles her fingers in my hair, wrenching the band out and letting it float around my shoulders. A hint of desperation surrounds us as a symphony of ragged gasps floats off on the ocean breeze.
Emily may be a not-so-proper English rose, but Heather’s a siren. A vamp. Already I can tell she’ll be a tomcat in the sack.
I break the kiss with a loud smack and look into her wide blue eyes. “You want to get the hell out of here?”
“Sebastian,” she says, her voice a sexy rasp, “you read my fucking mind.”
EPISODE 40
ALEX AND ARIEL'S DATE PART TWO
Ariel
I’m kissing him.
I’m kissing Alex Maxwell.
I took off his black-framed glasses and softly touched my lips to his, like the brush of a feather.
He parts his lips, and I touch my tongue to his. A soft groan vibrates from his chest, and he pulls me out of my chair and onto his lap without breaking the kiss.
So different from Brett. Our lips and tongues tangle, but it’s unhurried, as if time is suspended and this kiss is all that matters. We explore each other’s mouths slowly without urgency. There doesn’t seem to be any need to rush, yet the kiss is full of passion. Our mouths seem to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, and I sigh into him.
His erection, though… He hardens beneath me as I straddle him. I grind on him gently, and the friction against my clit makes my nipples pucker, my insides ache.
Then time is no longer suspended. The kiss becomes more desperate, more essential. Alex groans into my mouth as our lips slide together. I melt into my desire and, as if he’s reading my mind, he deepens the kiss. Something inside me is unleashed, and I dive into him, trying to know everything about him in this embrace.