Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 148473 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 742(@200wpm)___ 594(@250wpm)___ 495(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148473 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 742(@200wpm)___ 594(@250wpm)___ 495(@300wpm)
Then I picture stepping under the water and great. Fucking great. That won’t be awkward at all with her in the next room. I guess I didn’t think this one-room thing through clearly. But there’s a door in the bathroom. It’s no big deal. It’s fine. It’s totally fine.
“Good idea. You shower first, and then I’ll go,” she says with a dash of awkwardness in her tone. Or maybe it’s me hearing things.
“Sounds like a plan,” I say, doing my best to keep an even tone, already unzipping my bag to unpack. This is supposed to be a night of no complications, an evening of fun with my best friend. And dammit I will make it fun. I will make it easy. I will make it care-fucking-free.
That’s what she needs, and that’s what I can do. But as I unload the contents of my bag onto the bed, something black and shiny catches my eye. Nestled between my clothes is a box of condoms. I freeze, staring at the black box as the pieces fall into place. Those assholes in the locker room must have slipped it in after practice.
Before I can shove it back into the bag, Maeve pads across the carpet. Her eyes go wide, and then, with a smirk, she says, “Got a hot date tonight after the concert?”
For a split second, I wonder if she’s joking or if she actually thinks I’m planning to hook up with someone here. The idea leaves me momentarily speechless. “No,” I say quickly, irked. “I’d never do that while I’m with you. This is just a locker room prank.”
But saying it’s a locker room prank raises the question of why this would be a locker room prank. I’m definitely not telling her a thing about the whiteboard.
Maeve raises an eyebrow, her smirk deepening. “Sure, sure,” she teases lightly, but there’s an edge of curiosity in her voice. “You can if you want to. Just fun and all.”
I quickly shove the box back into my bag, trying to recover. “First off, I didn’t come to Vegas with you to hook up with someone else. Second, the guys were being dickheads.”
“For suggesting you might need condoms for—?” But she stops before finishing the question, maybe exactly aware of where that sentence was going—that I’d need condoms for her. “For Vegas,” she course-corrects with a strangled sound.
“Yes. Exactly,” I grit out, and I need some space right now. I need hot water and a moment to clear my head. But right when I’m about to claim the shower, I realize how selfish that’d be—showering before her when she probably needs more time to get ready. “Do you want to shower first after all?”
“Sure,” she says and grabs some items from her bag, then turns back to the window. But there’s a new tension in the air, something unspoken lingering between us. So much for the just fun toast. The easygoing vibe from earlier has shifted.
What seemed like an easy solution to someone else’s problem—giving up our second room—now seems like a dicey solution to my problem.
Actually, it seems like it’s a whole new problem for me. Because once she’s in the shower, I can’t stop thinking about her naked.
11
GIRL SORCERY
Asher
After I’ve showered, Maeve is back in the bathroom, curling her hair, or straightening it, or rolling it. Who even knows? She’s working some kind of girl sorcery in the bathroom while I’m sitting on the couch, reading up on off-season baseball trades.
My nose twitches. Sweet plum. Well, fuck me. She must be spritzing something on herself in the next room. The scent of her body spray floats out here, and it’s definitely time to go.
That’s entirely too tempting for a man tasked with pulling off just fun. “I’ll meet you in the casino. I’m going to play a round,” I call out.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she shouts back.
“I guess I won’t try to pull off a casino heist tonight,” I say as I head to the door, tucking a key card into my pocket.
As I walk down the hall, I pull out my phone. A couple replies have popped up from my parents since I sent that video.
Carlos: It’s been a few hours. Do we need to bail you out yet?
John: Our bags are packed. Just say the word.
Asher: If it’s true I suck at cards, and I categorically deny that accusation, then it’s YOUR fault. You guys taught me to play.
Carlos: You mean we tried to teach you to play, Ash. We tried.
Asher: I can’t wait to prove you wrong when I win big tonight. Also, is this why I’m so good at hockey? Because you two negative reinforced me the whole time?
John: Yes. You’re welcome. It’s all part of our master plan.
Carlos: We can’t help it if you loved a challenge. If someone said you couldn’t do something, that only made you want it more.