Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“So, you’re saying you’re tired of women?”
“Tired of a certain kind of interaction.”
She purses her lips, nodding, even while the rest of her body language screams disbelief. If I were a more manipulative man, this could be a great way of getting a girl to feel special. I remember an episode of Friends where a character was duped by a guy who used the same sob story about an ex over and over. I hate that shit, but it’s not uncommon where men are concerned.
“So, how come we’re here?”
“Well, I like swimming, and I like you…” I flash her my cheesiest Drayton grin.
Her response is a shake of her head, which dislodges a curing tendril from behind her ear. “Stop making eyes at me, Shawn.”
“I’m not in control of my eyes,” I say, holding a hand to block my vision. “They go where they want when they want. They’re kind of perverted. I really should gouge them out.”
“I think that might be taking it a little too far.” When I drop my hand, Riley’s sliding back into the water. I follow, grateful for the warmth, and we tread water, staring at each other.
“Looking at you now… it’s like going back to high school as a college student. The place looks the same, but it’s different in a way you can’t quite put your finger on.”
She hooks her arm over the side of the pool, resting her back in the corner. I anchor myself next to her and move close enough that our knees brush beneath the surface.
“Maybe you’re different,” she says softly.
“You were always pretty.”
She scoffs and shakes her head like I’m the world’s biggest bullshitter.
“You were,” I insist. “You had these deep brown eyes that seemed to hold a lifetime of hurt.”
“Poetry isn’t your strength.”
“And this skin with a dusting of freckles.” I slide my wet index finger down the bridge of her nose, watching her eyelids lower. She still has freckles, like a sprinkle of stardust across the center of her face.
“And…”
“You can stop now,” she interrupts. “The charm… that thing you do that gets all those other girls into bed. It’s not going to work on me.”
“No?”
Riley rolls her eyes, focusing on a point over my shoulder. Despite her objections, I move even closer, bracketing her between my outstretched arms.
The air between us is charged, all the playful tension giving way to heavier, more tangible intentions. When her gaze drops briefly to my lips, my heart picks up, and my dick thickens. It could happen. I could kiss Riley. I could taste her sassy mouth and get the length of me pressed up against the length of her. My hands could slide over unexplored territory.
The water ripples as I move even closer, crowding her. She doesn’t retreat; she just watches me, her breath hitching slightly as I reach out, my fingertips tracing the curve of her collarbone.
“Shawn,” she murmurs, quieter now, almost unsure.
“Yeah?” I say, my voice low. My finger dips just beneath the strap of her swimsuit, skimming the damp fabric.
She exhales sharply, tilting her head slightly as if weighing whether to let this moment go further. Then, just as I think she’s about to lean into me, her expression hardens, and she pushes lightly against my chest, creating a few inches of space between us.
“Let me ask you something,” she says, her tone suddenly sharper. “Did you and your brothers make some kind of pact? Like, an agreement to play games with me?”
I blink, her question throwing me completely off balance. “What do you mean?”
“You know,” she snaps, her frustration chilling the moment. “First Jacob, with his arrogant attempt to seduce me. Then Hayes last night... and now you.” She shakes her head, her voice rising slightly. “I don’t like games, Shawn. I’m not here to be a trophy in whatever weird competition you three are running.”
Her words hit me like a slap, but it’s the name she drops that really lands. Hayes? Last night?
“Wait,” I say, holding up a hand. “What does Hayes have to do with this?”
She lets out a disbelieving laugh, brushing a hand over her face like she can’t believe I don’t know. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
I lower my chin, tipping my head to the side. “I promise you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She stares as her gaze searches my expression for truth or lies. “He didn’t tell you?”
“I saw my brother this morning, and he looked like somebody had eaten his birthday cake before he blew out the candles. Did something happen between you two?”
The prospect of Hayes and Riley fills me with a rush of jealousy that I struggle to contain. My hands tighten around the pool edge, and I brace my feet against the wall, holding myself immovable.
“He took me out last night, but it was all just a game. He was trying to win some contest with you and Jacob. Scoring points. Marking territory, but I’m not fucking Everest, Shawn, and this… this pretense that you’re not doing exactly the same thing…”