Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
“Is that an invitation, Reese’s Pieces?”
Her lips part, her blush flaring bright red and traveling down her neck as she tries to tug the card out of his hand, but he won't let her. “Does calling me that mean you want to eat me?” she volleys right back, and both me and Blakely gasp.
“I do have a sweet tooth,” he says.
She gapes at him. “It was a card, not an invitation,” she says.
“That's a shame,” Nash says, finally releasing the card. “You don't know what you're missing.”
Reese puts the card in her winning pile. “Sure, I do. Girls talk. A lot. Especially about you,” she says, her eyes widening as if she surprised even herself by saying that.
“Oh, feisty, are we?” Nash says, taking it all in good fun. “There's only one way to find out if things get lost in translation, Reese’s Pieces. And that's experiencing the real thing.”
“Don't you have two women waiting for you in the pool somewhere?” Reese fires back.
“Should I go get popcorn?” I lean over to Blakely, whispering in her ear so only she can hear me. “I feel like we need popcorn.”
Blakely's unrestrained laugh cuts over the more-than-entertaining banter, and Nash and Reese blink out of their stare down.
Reese reaches for the community deck, plucking a card off the top. “My turn,” she says as if the exchange never happened.
Which looks to be the wrong move, because from the way Nash is still looking her over, she's just piqued his interest in a way that says their little back-and-forth isn't over.
After an hour and a half of playing, my sides hurt from laughing so hard, and our table has descended into a sort of camaraderie that can only happen when exchanging the most obscene answers and scenarios during the game.
I definitely feel like I've finally won over Pax and Nash, showing them that I'm not just an egotistical prick, but a guy you can count on for some fun. And when Reese ends up picking my latest answer, it signifies that I've won the game.
“What can I say, I'm a winner?” I say as we start cleaning up the game.
“I was one behind you,” Monroe says.
“Yeah, because Pax picks your answer every single time. Are you guys cheating?” I throw back at her playfully.
“No,” they both say at the same time, which only makes the rest of us laugh.
“Are we in for another round or should I keep cleaning this up?” Pax asks.
“I think I'm needed at the pool,” Nash says as he backs away from the table. He glances down at Reese, hesitating as if he’s hoping she'll say something that will keep him at this table.
When she doesn't, he just smiles and winks at her before heading out of the room.
I immediately shift my focus to Blakely, knowing that whatever she says she wants to do, if it includes me, I'm doing it.
“I think I'm all tapped out,” Blakely says, glancing at her friends and then me. “Dancing?”
“Pax and me are going to go hit up the beer pong table,” Monroe says, backing away from the table with him in tow. “Two of the rookies challenged us earlier and it's time we put them in their place, right, Pax?”
“We make a great team,” he answers, his hand slipping into hers as he guides her out of the room.
“Have those two ever—”
“Don't,” both Reese and Blakely say at the same time, and I laugh.
“It's kind of like a sacred, off-limits topic,” Blakely explains. “But no,” she says. “They've only ever been friends.”
I kind of love how she told me it's an off-limits topic but then folds me into the loop. “But they're so...”
“We know,” Reese finishes for me as she backs away from the table. “I'm going to go hunt down some snacks, you two have fun dancing,” she says, flashing Blakely a look I don't quite understand, but it's not foreboding, so I don't let it get to me.
It's my turn to back away from the table and offer Blakely my hand. She takes it, hesitating when I don't immediately lead her somewhere.
“I've never been here before,” I say. “Remember? I have no idea where dancing takes place in my captain's house, but if you want to start moving right here, I will.” I start dancing to emphasize my point.
Blakely’s eyes shine with amusement. She tugs on my hand. “This way, hero.”
CHAPTER 8
BLAKELY
“Some of these rookies are really cute,” Reese says to me and Monroe as we all gather to chug some much-needed water in the kitchen.
“Are they all Badgers?” Monroe asks, scanning the crowd that either mingles around us, or is going in and out of the back door heading toward the pool area or the waterfront down below on the edge of Clay’s property. “I don't know all of them yet,” she continues. “But some of them I don't recognize.”