Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“I wouldn’t mind the cameras and crew, as long as I had a say in how the show was produced. Lick My Plate was fun, but it wasn’t really about cooking or food.”
She snickered. “And will your new, serious food show be called Gianni Lupo: Too Hot To Handle?”
Sitting up, I reached over and pulled her hair. “Hey. We called a truce, remember?”
“That’s right. So I want to stay put and you want to roam the planet. I guess that means our moms’ dream that we walk down the aisle together is dead.”
“Pretty sure that dream died a long time ago, probably around the time I smashed your umbrella.”
“Agreed. Do you even want to get married?”
“Maybe when I’m, like, seventy and out of good ideas.”
“Because you’d get bored?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. I hate the thought of settling down, being tied to one place or one person. I like being free to make my own decisions, to pack up and leave when I feel like it.”
“Then you should definitely not get married.”
“I take it you want to get hitched?”
“Yes. I’d like a family.” She stared into her wine. “But the thing is, I’ve never even come close to feeling that thing I’d want to feel if I was going to spend the rest of my life with someone.”
“You mean you’ve never been in love?”
“I don’t think so.” She looked up at me. “Have you?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve been in a few relationships, but they were pretty casual. I move around a lot, and working in restaurants, it’s hard to date. You don’t have many nights free.”
“Yeah.” She played with her empty glass. “I don’t know, it just seems like such a gamble, falling in love. Winnie was always losing her heart to some guy who didn’t deserve it—I’ve dried her tears enough times to be more careful. And I’ve never had a boyfriend that—never mind.”
“What? Tell me.”
“No. You’ll think it’s dumb, and you’ll make fun of me.”
“Try me.”
She sighed. “I want someone to look at me the way my dad looks at my mom. I mean, you can tell when they’re in a room together that she’s everything to him. He doesn’t even have to say it.”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking about my parents. “My mom and dad are like that too. But I think it’s rare.”
“It’s almost worse, knowing that kind of love exists, but worrying you’ll never find it. Like maybe if I hadn’t seen it in real life, I’d think it was only in fairy tales and I’d be willing to settle for less.” She shrugged. “But I’ve seen it. And that’s what I want.”
“I hope you find it. Ready for the next question?”
“Wait, I have to use the bathroom first, and we need more wine.” She got off the bed and tightened the blanket around her.
I tipped up the last few drops in my glass. “Okay, you go to the bathroom and I’ll get the wine.”
She waddled over to the window like a pig in a blanket at IHOP and elbowed the curtain aside. “Wow. It’s still coming down. It’s pretty, though.”
I walked over to the window. Standing right behind her, I caught the scent of her hair again. It looked so soft and warm, I had the urge to bury my face in it. Or maybe take it in my hands and push it aside so I could press my lips to the back of her neck. I’d done that once before . . . did she remember? The crotch of my jeans started to get tight.
“God, it doesn’t even look real, does it?” she whispered in awe.
I forced myself to look out the glass. “No. It doesn’t.”
Everything was covered in white—the cars in the lot, the pavement, the trees, the neon sign. It was eerie.
“Do you think we’ll get out of here by morning?” Ellie asked.
“We’ll try.” Right now I was more worried about making it through the night next to her in that small bed and keeping my hands to myself.
Letting the curtain close, she spun to face me, her eyes worried. “What if we don’t?”
“We’ll be okay no matter what.”
“But what about work? Desmond could cover for me at the winery, but who’s going to—”
“Hush.” I put my finger on her lips. “We’ll figure it out.”
She nodded, but I didn’t take my finger off her mouth. Instead, I thought about the way she’d sucked the melted butter off my thumb earlier tonight, and my cock swelled even more. Her lips fell open slightly, but a second later she pushed my hand away. “Move.”
I stepped aside and she shuffled past me, still trying to keep that stupid blanket wrapped around her. But no sooner had the door shut than it opened again, and she walked out, tossed the plaid blanket on the bed, and faced me, hands on her hips. “I give up. This is what I look like without pants on.”