Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
My face scrunches with confusion. “What are you talking about? They’re not named after me.”
He stares back at me, his brow arching before giving me a smug grin. “Aren’t they?”
I shake my head. Maybe all of this mind-blowing sex is damaging his brain cells. “How?”
“Cherry,” he says. “You were nineteen when that club opened, and as much as I want to say it’s because you were in your red lipstick phase, it’s not.” He gives me a hard stare, willing me to understand where he’s coming from to keep from having to say it in front of my parents, and I suck in a gasp. This is about my virginity. But how could it be? Why would he name his club after that, especially back then? Unless he’s always wanted me, always wanted to be the one to take my virginity.
Holy fucking shit.
I search his stare. “But that was long before—”
“Mm-hmm,” he says as if reading where my mind is going. “Even then I think I loved you. I just didn’t realize it until you forced me to.”
Everything softens within me, and when he squeezes my thigh, I try to remember that my parents are sitting right across from me. “Pulse?” I ask.
He shrugs his shoulders, his gaze resting on mine. “You were twenty. And that was the first time I noticed just how fast mine was every time you’d walk into a room.”
My cheeks flush, and I gape at him. Surely he’s making this all up. “And Scandal?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You and me together . . .”
“Would be the biggest scandal that’s ever rocked our families,” I finish for him.
Izaac nods, lifting his hand from my thigh to my cheek, and the second his fingers brush across my skin, I lean into his touch. He holds my stare, as if finishing our conversation in silent messages, willing me to understand why he would call his final club Vixen, and honestly, I think I can work that one out too. “You’re insane,” I tell him, unable to keep the smile off my face.
He shrugs again as if to say, I’m only human. What did you expect? And I lean in before pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Enough of that shit,” Austin mutters, walking by us again and smacking Izaac up the back of his head. “Hands off my baby sister.”
I can’t help but laugh as I pull back, and not wanting to upset him on his big night, I focus on the delicious meal in front of me as everyone falls into conversation.
An hour later, l’m standing with Izaac in front of the restaurant, saying a quick goodbye to Austin and congratulating him on such a successful night. Every guest has walked away with a smile on their face, and I’ve never been so proud. I overheard an influencer going live and showing the world how incredible this new restaurant was. She was raving about the place, and I’m not going to lie, there might have been a tear or two in the very corner of my eye.
Austin disappears again, and as Izaac leads me back to his Escalade, I can’t help but overhear Mom talking to Dad a little further down the road. “Shirly was telling me about this new club in the area called Vixen. She said it was easily the best night of her life. I think we should go some time.”
My stomach drops and Izaac gapes at me. “They’re gonna need a permanent ban,” I tell him. “There is no way I’m walking into that club ever again if I’m at risk of seeing my parents getting it on.”
“Come on,” Izaac teases. “They’re still young. It’s healthy.”
“They can be healthy all they want, but not at Vixen. I mean, shit, Izaac. What if they’re not the boring missionary type. You don’t know what they’re into. What if you walk onto the main floor to see my father on his knees with a ball gag in his mouth?”
Izaac’s face falls, and I laugh at how the color drains from his face. “Okay. Yeah. Good point. Consider them officially banned.”
“Thank you,” I say, reaching for the front of his shirt and pulling him in. “You know who isn’t banned though?”
He arches his brow. “You wanna go?”
I bite down on my bottom lip, holding his hooded gaze as I slowly nod. I haven’t stepped foot inside Vixen since that night and have been too nervous to even consider it, but I think I’m finally ready. “I do,” I tell him. “But I don’t want you taking me in one of your private rooms.”
He watches me carefully. “I’m not sharing you.”
“I don’t want you to.”
He leans on the car, pressing against me as he winds that big hand around the base of my throat and forces my chin up. “Then what do you want, Birdy?”