Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55765 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55765 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“Well, isn’t that nice,” she says, smiling. “Dad, you go.”
He sighs. “I’ve only got one decent option here.”
“Okay, so what’s the issue?”
“It’s inappropriate,” he says.
She laughs. “Dad, I know you’re busy a lot, but you do know I’m twenty, not twelve, right? Anyway, I know you. If it’s a choice between winning and feeling awkward, you’ll pick winning.”
He shrugs, placing the letters down. I watch them one by one, anxiety twisting through my gut. Is he mocking me somehow? But how would he know?
Virgin.
“That’s a high scorer,” Kayla says, laughing, “and nowhere near as inappropriate as I thought it would be.”
I swallow, trying to keep my expression impassive—no big deal. It’s not like Lukas even knows or cares how many sexual partners I’ve had.
Staring down at my letters, I can’t believe it when I see it. It’s like fate is playing tricks on us at this point. Not only will this be my highest-scoring word, but I also want to get him back, which is pretty nuts, considering he didn’t choose his word out of spite.
Oh, well, here we go.
Naked.
I look up, forcing myself to meet his eyes. He stares at me for a moment. Is it my imagination, or is the corner of his lip twitching like he’s almost smiling?
“Jeez, you two,” Kayla giggles.
“Just playing the letters how they’re dealt,” I say. No, I lie. That’s not what I’m just doing. I wanted to have a not-so-subtle dig at her dad, too. I’ve never lied to Kayla before. It leaves a bitter feeling deep inside me.
Thankfully, the rest of the game goes on without any steamy words, but I can’t get those first two out of my head: naked and virgin. There’s a lot we could do with that.
When the game ends and Lukas returns to work, Kayla leans over and whispers, “I need to tell you something.”
So do I, but I’m not going to, ever. “What’s up?”
“Don’t tell Dad, but this trip isn’t just about getting away from the city. I may or may not have a sort of boyfriend in Silverbrook. I wanted to let you know, so if you can’t find me later, that’s why. Are you mad?”
“Why would I be mad?” I say, my heart beating even faster, even harder.
Kayla, you can’t leave us alone. Don’t do that. Anything could happen.
“I should’ve told you before,” she says.
“Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. “Seriously. It’s no big deal.”
I’ll never be able to get angry at my friend for withholding stuff from me. I’ll never be able to get mad at her for anything, not after seeing her dad naked and wanting to see him again.
CHAPTER 5
LUKAS
Naked. Virgin. The words bounce around my head as I sprint on the treadmill, doing my best not to think about Maci. I thought running might help. Whenever I have a difficult business task, it usually does. It clears my head and lets me approach the problem differently. With Maci, it makes the problem worse.
The exercise floods my system with heat and hunger. I feel like a wild animal sprinting toward my prize. When I catch her, I won’t be able to stop. I slow down to a walk, then click stop and hop off the machine. This isn’t doing any good. I’m just going to work myself into a frenzy, go wild, catch her, and grab her. So far, today, I’ve only gotten off thinking about her once. Let’s see if I can keep it that way.
After a shower, I return to my office. Sebastian still hasn’t spoken to me, though I know he’s working on the problem back in the city. Our assistants are acting as messengers. It’s juvenile, but he’s pissed.
I’ve got a text from Kayla. Hey, Dad. Don’t want to disturb you. There’s a fashion thing going on in Silverbrook. I’ve got my location enabled. I’ll check in soon.
She’s an adult now, so I have no reason to panic, but panic grips me… hard. Not because Kayla has left the house but because she’s left Maci and me alone. Or maybe Maci’s with her. That would be for the best. I won’t be able to trust myself if it’s just my daughter’s curvy, sexy, perfect friend and me.
When she put the word naked down, she gave me a look that had my body aching with the need to touch her. She knew exactly what she was doing. Even with some nerves clinging to her, she made her expression sassy, alluring, and downright intoxicating. She made my balls swell with lust. Does she know I want her, or is she just having fun? Does she want me too?
This is typically the sort of thing I’d talk to Sebastian about. We’ve been friends as well as business partners for a long, long time, but ever since the standoff in the office…