Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 83800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
I give him an easy smile as I drop my towel onto one of the nearby loungers before traversing the stairs to sink into the heated, bubbly water.
I settle in, letting the warmth wrap around me.
"The air seems chillier tonight," I say, dipping deeper into the water.
"We can use the inside hot tub," he says.
"I like the contrast."
"Tell me more about Steve."
The abrupt subject change draws my eyes to his handsome face.
"What?"
"The guy at your job."
"I know who we're talking about. Why are we talking about him?"
"He shouldn't be making you uncomfortable. I looked up your company's sexual harassment policy and—"
"Steve is a menace, but I can handle him," I say, watching him frown. "I think he's just flirting, and he doesn't really know how to do it without it coming off as super creepy."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. The guy isn't going to follow me to my car or show up on my front porch with expectations."
"Okay," he says, looking away. "I completely understand about struggling at flirting. It's never been something I've been good at."
"With a body like yours, you don't really have to flirt, Robert," I tease.
He doesn't chuckle as I expect him to, and his face is a mask of seriousness when he turns to look at me.
"I have more to offer than just a good physique."
I mull over this information, wondering if this is my opportunity to speak more about this attraction I feel for him.
"How do you feel about casual sex?"
He tilts his head, a hint of shock in his eyes that I would ask something so bluntly.
"I'm not a fan."
Well, shit.
"It's why I haven't had many girlfriends. Yet, I seem to attract that type. Women who simply want to hook up with no strings or attachments."
"And that doesn't interest you?"
He shakes his head. "Not at all. I want to see where things can go with a woman."
"You're looking for a wife?"
"I'm not looking at all. But I don't see the value in wasting time with someone when it won't go any further than a roll between the sheets."
"That's not men's usual take on things," I say, and all he does is shrug.
I feel a wave of guilt for thinking about hooking up with him because not once have I looked at him and imagined doing more than what he just said he's not interested in.
I guess there's something to be said about not just blindly jumping into things, but it doesn't exactly make me feel good about myself. I know his expression of how he feels about things isn't a reflection on what I've done in the past, but I can't help but internalize his words and wonder what I've done with my life.
Chapter 18
Rooster
Silence fills the space between us, and I can see her actually working through my words in her head.
I don't know if she's judging me, reevaluating her idea of me, or if she's trying to find a way to tempt me into doing something I just said I'm not interested in.
Hell, she could not be interested at all, and the flirting she did was just second nature, and she meant nothing by it.
"Do you find women attractive?" she asks, and the question doesn't make me lean toward one particular explanation.
"Yes," I tell her. "But I can find a woman attractive and not jump her bones."
She huffs a laugh, and it makes me smile. The brightness her joy brings to her eyes makes her even prettier than when she isn't happy, although she's always gorgeous.
I pull my eyes away enough to give her a little privacy to think, but I can still see her out of my peripheral vision.
She chews the inside of her cheek as if trying to figure out what to say next.
Maybe declaring my stance on casual sex was a little premature, but she hasn't stood up and told me to fuck off.
I'm a little shocked that she doesn't see all the possible things that fit between casual sex and marriage. It doesn't have to be balls to the wall with either extreme.
I also get where she may be coming from, as if there's no point in even trying to see where things might go unless both parties want something serious, but that isn't the case either. I just want to be on the same page with a woman before crossing certain lines. If her goal is just to hook up, then I'm not interested. No hard feelings, but we can be in different places in life that make us incompatible.
"Have you considered anything with me?"
It's my turn to chew the inside of my cheek. I never expected her to flat-out ask. I pegged her as the flirty type who uses suggestion and teasing to find her footing in any situation.
I give her a quick glance but look away almost immediately.