Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
I knew little about her family life besides the fact that she lived with her mother while she was in high school. I knew she didn’t have the greatest relationship with her mom, knew Berenise was an alcoholic and had a revolving door of men who were in and out of their lives. I’d never heard about a father figure, and Amber didn’t have siblings.
Speaking of mothers, I saw Berenise dance her way across the room, touching every man she passed, with a glass of wine in her other hand. She was already really drunk, and the hard, dark chuckle that left Carter had me looking up at him. He was watching Amber's mother with clear disdain.
“Not a fan?” It took him a moment to answer, but when he did, he glanced at me.
“That’s an understatement for how I feel about Berenise.”
Curious. He definitely piqued my interest, but I kept my lips tight, because I didn’t want to open that can of worms.
I heard a high-pitched squeal and spun my head quickly to see Amber’s mom flat on her ass, her red wine spilled down the front of her white lace dress. I wouldn't even waste time thinking about how tasteless it was that she wore that color to her daughter’s wedding. The dress was pushed up her thighs now, and her red thong was visible as she flashed everyone while getting off the ground.
I covered my face in secondhand embarrassment over this woman.
“Disgusting,” Carter growled, making me even more curious about what was going on, but before I could probe, Carter spoke again. “I’m going to get another drink. Would you like one?”
“How about I join you?”
At my question, he gave me a slight smile and held his arm out before leading us to the bar. I glanced at the dance floor as the crowd got louder than ever when a new song came on.
He held a stool out for me, and once I was seated, he took his place beside me.
The server helped us right away. I stuck with champagne. Carter ordered a whisky, and I really shouldn’t have found him asking for that drink—specifically the way he ordered it, clear on how he wanted it made—remotely sexy. It was just so masculine how he stated that simple phrase.
Neat.
Meaning served without ice, not even chilled after being shaken or stirred with cubes and poured through a strainer. One confidently spoken word that meant an entire sentence of instruction.
Once we had our drinks, we only stayed by the bar for a moment before he tipped his chin toward the double doors that led out to the stone balcony overlooking the hotel property.
We didn’t speak as we walked side by side, but the energy moving between us was strong and tangible.
He was a total gentleman as he held the door open for me, allowed me to exit first, and then shut the door, isolating us in our own little world.
I could hear the muted sound of the music and the wedding guests through the glass doors and windows. The air was crisp, and the fairy lights decorating the balcony’s railing and over the grounds gave this almost ethereal, fairy tale kind of vibe.
He held his glass in one hand, and he tucked his other hand in the pocket of his slacks. It was a sexy pose as he stood by the railing overlooking the acreage of property and the small pond that shimmered in the center.
I gathered the bottom of my dress, my heels clicking on the cobblestone as I came to stand beside him. We stood silently, but the air was different out here, and not just for obvious reasons.
It felt heated despite the cold weather, and the longer he stood by me, my shoulder gently brushing the material of his expensive suit, the more sensations I felt licking across every erogenous zone I had.
I swallowed roughly and brought the glass to my mouth, taking a long pull from it. I could feel him watching me, but I refused to look. Because I knew something was going to happen tonight. Between us.
I felt it as easily as I felt the oxygen moving through my mouth and down into my lungs.
“Mina,” he said softly. “Look at me.”
I shivered, but it had nothing to do with the chill in the air and everything to do with the power this man had over my body.
I turned just my head and tipped it back so I could look into his face. The shadows wrapped around him, the fairy lights accenting the sharp angles and plains of his masculinity. This man looked gorgeous in full light. But in the shadows, the darkness? It was intimate with him.
“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered those words, and I wondered if they were meant for himself, as if he didn’t want to say them out loud.