Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“Oh, that’s a great idea. We just started doing CBD massages at the spa, and people seem to love it.”
“Keep going.”
Next I lifted a candle. The glass container was all black, except for the white label which had only one big word: Calm. “This is perfect timing. I was just about to light a candle to get rid of the smell of my charred teapot.”
The packed box also had bath salts, chamomile tea, a scalp massager, and a stress ball. The last item at the bottom was in an unmarked red velvet box. I lifted it. “What pretty packaging.”
“That one is my favorite. It might also be a gift for me.”
My eyes widened as I opened the box to find a hot pink vibrator. I felt my cheeks heat as I slipped it out. I wasn’t a vibrator virgin, by any means. There was one in my nightstand right now, though it was nowhere near as big as this thing.
“I wasn’t sure if you had one,” Brayden said. “But your face is never so relaxed as it is after you come. So maybe we could have a little video sexting later. I’ll tell you all the things I’m going to do to you when I get there tomorrow while you use that on yourself.”
“It’s…big.”
Brayden winked. “I was going for as life-like as possible so you can pretend I’m there with you.”
I shivered. “Look what you did. I have goose bumps already.”
“And you look a heck of a lot calmer than you did before you opened the box. So I guess mission accomplished, even though you haven’t enjoyed any of the contents yet.”
I took a deep breath and smiled. “I do feel a lot better. Thank you, Brayden. That was very thoughtful of you.”
He laughed. “Some of them are dirty thoughts, but whatever it takes.”
Then the doorbell interrupted our conversation. My eyes flared. “Oh God. Caitlin is here. I need to hide this stuff.” I tossed the vibrator into the box, not even bothering to put it back into its pretty case, and looked around in a panic to find where I could hide it. Whatever calm had come over me quickly disappeared. “I gotta go. She’s here! She’s here!”
“Okay…give me two seconds first.”
“What?”
“Look at me.”
I looked into the phone.
“Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”
I was pretty sure I could use everything inside the box all at once and I’d still feel stressed now that Caitlin was at my door. But Brayden meant well, so I did as he asked and closed my eyes. When they opened, he smiled.
“I love you, sweetheart. Everything is going to be fine.”
“I’ll call you later.”
“Good luck.”
My heart raced as I searched for a place to stash the box. Not wanting to keep Caitlin waiting, I stuck it on the top shelf of the broom closet at the back of the kitchen. No one ever went in there. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans as I headed to the door.
When I opened it, Caitlin held up a bottle of merlot. “Is it wine o’clock yet?”
I brought her into a hug. “It most definitely is.”
But from the moment she stepped inside, an overwhelming awkwardness came over me. I prayed it was only in my head and Caitlin didn’t feel it, too. I’d always been told I wore my feelings on my face, so I tried to keep busy so she wouldn’t notice—opening the wine, checking dinner in the oven, setting the table—though the nervous energy radiated through me.
“So, what’s new?” I asked.
My stepdaughter smiled funny, and I wondered if I was talking too fast, or maybe my pitch was too high. That happened when I was nervous.
She smiled. “Justin asked me to be exclusive with him.”
“Oh! Wow. That’s good, right?”
“It’s really good. I like him a lot.”
I hated to make her news about me, but I was thrilled about her new relationship for selfish reasons. “I’m so happy for you, Caitlin.”
“Thank you. I want you to meet him. Do you have plans tomorrow night? Maybe the three of us can go out to dinner?”
“Umm…” Brayden was arriving tomorrow morning, but I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t excited to meet her new boyfriend, so I nodded and smiled. “Sure. I’d love that.”
Caitlin sat on a stool on the opposite side of the counter and sipped her wine. “He asked me to go to a wedding with him in a few weeks. His sister is getting married.”
“Does that mean you’ll meet his entire family?”
She nodded. “I’m nervous, but I’m over the moon that he wants to introduce me already. I didn’t get to the meet-the-family phase even after a few months with most of the guys I’ve dated. I asked Justin if his family had met a lot of his previous girlfriends, and he said only one. So it feels like a big step.”