Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 26265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
“Are you?” I ask curiously. “Going to go back, I mean?”
The handsome man grins and shakes his head. “Hell, no. I genuinely enjoy being a dancer, and I like Vegas too. There’s a vibe here that you don’t get in New Jersey. Hell, you don’t get it anywhere else in the world.”
I giggle.
“Is it the sleazy, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas vibe? Or is it a cosmopolitan Bright Lights, Big City vibe?”
He pretends to think for a moment and then grins.
“Definitely the first because I like the sleaze.”
I laugh out loud then.
“Me too. But seriously, I’m glad you made the career change because if you hadn’t come to Nevada, I never would have met you.”
Something flashes in Jethro’s blue eyes, and he slips a big hand over mine on the table. “Now that’s a girl after mine own heart. Okay, enough serious conversation. How about we go try out a few more rides?”
I pretend-think for a moment.
“I was hoping we could try the whitewater rapids. If you’re not too scared of course,” I tease.
He gets up, busing our stuff with one sweep of his big arm and then grins at me.
“Scared? We’ll see who’s scared when you’re soaked through and screaming. Let’s go!”
With that, we dart off through the amusement park like two kids on their own for the first time. I let out a carefree laugh, my heart buoyant and light. It’s been a long time since I had such a good time, and maybe the boundaries of “free use” are becoming blurred. But you know what? I don’t want to think about it right now. Jethro is a handsome, charming, not to mention virile man, and I’m going to enjoy this for what it’s worth.
9
Jessie
Incredibly, after I confessed my love of birdwatching to Jethro, he installed bird-feeders in the backyard. I was so surprised because no one’s ever been this kind and considerate, but sure enough, there they were when I woke up the next week.
“Is that what I think it is?” I ask, peering out the window as Jethro stirs in bed next to me. “Is that a robin? Really? Here in Vegas?”
The huge man puts one big hand on my waist and pulls me back into bed.
“I put those up last night while you were cooking. You like?”
I smile so wide that I’m afraid my face is going to crack.
“I love them,” I murmur with a soft sigh before pulling him in for a kiss. “Thank you, Jethro.”
We engaged in some steamy lovemaking right there, but now, he’s at work and I’m going to do some solo birdwatching. I grab my stuff, and then drive quickly to a local nature reserve that has plenty of opportunities to catch my avian friends going about their lives. Quickly, I pull out my binoculars and then look around to see if one of the park rangers is near. The coast is clear, so I scamper up a tree by the edge of the sanctuary and immediately get to work. I straddle one of the bigger limbs, my back against the trunk, and then just wait and watch.
It’s nice, honestly. It’s quiet and the day is warm but not too hot yet. Plus, there’s a gentle breeze that makes it positively balmy, and I lift the binoculars to my eyes to scan the preserve. There’s a flutter of movement in a tree across the way, and I pause. Where did that come from? Then, the flutter comes again and I gasp because it’s an Inca dove putting together a nest! Holy cow! My heart starts racing and my eyes squint as I stare at the scene before me.
To be honest, the bird reminds me of myself. The male Inca dove will collect most of the nesting material and present it to the female, who does the actual decorating, which kind of echoes what’s happened with me and Jethro. Since moving in a month ago, I’ve done some re-decorating around the condo, and it’s nice. It’s not crazy or anything, just a few knick-knacks here, and some art on the walls instead of empty space. But it’s cozy, and it really feels like a home now, instead of some random place I’m currently sleeping at.
Meanwhile, the Inca dove is doing her thing. She knows exactly where to put each and every twig to make the perfect nest for the babies she’ll have soon. She’s careful yet quick in her work, and I watch, mesmerized. Goodness, I’ll need to come back to see the new babies once they hatch.
But then, the bough I’m sitting on shudders, and I drop my binoculars, alarmed. What’s going on? I know I’m not supposed to be up here, but is someone shaking the tree? I look down, expecting to find a ranger, but instead it’s Jethro. To my surprise, he starts to climb up too, that huge form scaling the trunk in a matter of seconds.