Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Instead, I hold her tight and rub her back, and encourage her to let it all out. I imagine she’s already cried countless nights over that punk, and I hope I can somehow help her to never need to cry about him again.
Eventually, she stills, her breathing returning somewhat back to normal, no more need for my shirt that’s bunched in her hands.
“Ready to go to the room?”
She nods, and just as we’re standing, Callie’s mom appears on the path. “Oh, Callie, Max. You two are still out.” Looking more closely, she asks, “Callie, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom.” Callie’s voice is surprisingly clear, and she stands tall beside me. “We were just headed inside.”
“Okay. See you in the morning.”
I’m filled with curiosity about what Ms. Baker knows about Rick, and whether she has any idea how much his presence upsets her daughter. Callie seems to be trying to do her best not to look bothered.
“You’ll feel better tomorrow,” I tell Callie as I unlock the door to our room.
She’s quiet, only giving me a not-very-hopeful look. Inside the room, she mumbles hello to Miles then heads straight for the bathroom.
While she’s in there, I give my brother a rundown on the evening, most of my updates revolving around Rick Jansen and Callie’s reaction to him. His jaw tightens as he listens.
“It also seems that she got overserved at the bar.” I tell him about the dancing with her sister and friends, but I leave out the part about Callie’s suggestive comment.
“Why did you let that happen?”
“I don’t know how it happened. Maybe she didn’t have enough to eat. It was a good thing, though, for a while. She needed to relax.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure the alcohol didn’t help her response to seeing her ex with his new girlfriend.”
“I know, and I can’t see her like that again. I’m not talking about the drinking, but how upset she was. It was painful.”
Miles gives me a long look, picking up much more than I’m saying, and I can’t be bothered to try to hide how I’m feeling.
When Callie comes out of the bathroom only a few minutes later, our conversation grinds to a halt. Not because we don’t want to be heard, but because the girl is wearing skimpy little pajamas that instantly have me drooling.
It’s shorts and a shirt, but it’s silky and pink and clings to her body in all the right places. I’m made completely speechless by the way her breasts jiggle as she crosses to the bed.
When I manage to drag my eyes up to her face, I’m pained to see that her eyes are still red. “Are you okay, Callie?”
“I’ve been better.”
“What can I do to help?”
She bites her bottom lip and avoids looking at either of us as she says, “Could you hold me while I fall asleep?”
“Of course. I’ll be right there after I brush my teeth.”
I feel sorry for Miles, and I wouldn’t blame him if he took my spot next to Callie while I’m getting ready for bed, but when I come out, he’s still in the chair.
Callie’s already lying on her side, so I slide under the covers behind her and wrap my arm around her, resting it on the mattress in front of her. “Is this okay?”
“Mm-hmm.” She shifts, snuggling closer and pulling my arm in against her chest, and though my only concern is making her feel better, my body can’t help but respond to how good she feels, the way she smells, and how right it is having her in my arms.
I summon thoughts about neutral things, and then even things that disgust me, but that doesn’t stop my cock from reacting to the silky softness of her. I shift my hips backward to put space between us, but she curls into me, keeping me close.
Then she starts giggling. At first, I think she’s crying, and I panic, but no, she’s definitely laughing. “What’s funny?”
It takes her a moment to compose herself in order to speak. The piña coladas are apparently still having an effect on her.
“I should have said yes,” she whispers loudly.
“Yes to what?”
“When you offered to send me dick pics.”
It takes me a second, but then I’m laughing, too.
CHAPTER 36
CALLIE
Iwake up to luxuriously soft bedding and diffuse sunlight. I know that I’m not at my townhouse, but it takes the good part of a minute for me to clear my head enough to remember exactly where I am and why.
When I do, I sit up and look for Max and Miles, but the room is empty. The bathroom door is open, and when I pad over to peer inside, I find that it’s empty, too.
The twins aren’t supposed to leave the room together, and the idea that someone in my family might see them is alarming, but I trust them to be discreet. I’m sure it’s not been easy for one of them to stay cooped up in this room, no matter how nice it is, while the other is out at an event with me.