Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“She would’ve been the only living being in your mouth today.” I winked.
“You got a fresh mouth on you, Doris-Delores. Trust me, I did you a favor.”
“Well, the joke’s on you, since you accidentally ended up on a date with me anyway.”
“A date? Hardly. What…are we out for seafood?”
“Don’t say that too loudly in front of them.” I looked around. “This is the most unusual but awesome date I’ve ever been on.”
He groaned. “Not a date, but okay.”
What an ass.
We were just inches apart, and his gaze moved down to my breasts briefly before meeting my eyes once again. Perhaps all was not lost.
By the time the dive was over, I had butterflies swarming in my belly for this man. Apparently, I was willing to forgive his rudeness from earlier. Also, somehow, I wasn’t even nauseated on the boat ride back, just aroused. Was that the secret to combatting an upset stomach?
Droplets of water glistened on his perfectly sculpted arms. My eyes feasted on the colorful tattoos covering them. The stubble on his chiseled jaw was also a little wet, enough for me to imagine other things that might cause it to look that way. I was sick in the head to be thirsting after a man who’d humiliated me earlier today.
When I looked up at him, I could see that he’d been watching me watching him with a slight look of amusement. I promptly turned away and continued to ruminate. Was his reaction down at the kiddie pool warranted, though? Had I deserved it for lying about my age? Probably. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. That seemed more serious than giving a fake name. Maybe if I’d been honest from the beginning, he might’ve given things a shot, despite our age difference.
After we stepped off the boat, I decided to clear the air.
I pulled in a deep breath. “That was fun.”
“Indeed, it was, Doris-Delores.”
“I feel a little wobbly now, though, like I’m still experiencing the motion of the boat.” I held my arms out to balance myself.
He placed his hand on the small of my back. “You okay?” The contact sent a shiver down my spine.
“Yeah,” I breathed. As we walked along the beach toward the main building, I said, “I want to apologize.”
He stopped for a moment. “For what?”
“For lying about my age. That wasn’t fair to you. You should have the right to make an informed decision about who you hook up with. I’m sorry to have put you in that position.”
“No skin off my back, Doris-Delores. It’s all good.” He sighed, looking up at the sky for a moment. “Actually, today has been the most enjoyable day of my trip thus far. I have you to thank for that. Even if none of it was expected.”
“The rest of your trip must’ve been pretty miserable.” I winked.
“No, but nothing made me smile until today. So…”
My heart felt like it skipped a beat. “Well, I’m glad to have made you smile, if nothing else. Obviously, I’d been hoping to make you more than smile. But that’s not in the cards for us.”
I immediately felt dumb. With this guy, I couldn’t stop myself from saying what was on my mind.
But then he surprised me. “What are you doing for the rest of the evening?”
Hope surged in my chest. “Going back to my room to swipe right on the sixty-five-year-old I passed up for you.”
Tate’s expression darkened. “Not while I’m here, you’re not.”
My eyes widened. “Oh really?”
“I feel sort of responsible for you, now that I know you’re alone and don’t have the best judgment.”
My brows drew in. “I don’t need a father.”
“What do you need?”
“Something you signed up for but then refused.”
“If only what I’d signed up for was real.”
“I’m very real. I think you’ve determined that after several sneak peeks at my cleavage,” I cracked.
He muttered something unintelligible and looked down at his feet. “I have a kid your age, Doris-Delores.”
My stomach sank. “You’re married?”
“No.” He looked up. “Never married.”
“You have only one child?”
“Yes.”
Not sure what compelled me, but I reached into my wallet and took my license out. I faced it toward him to show my birthdate but made sure to cover all my other information.
“Okay, so you’re really nineteen. Why are you showing me this?”
“I wanted to make sure you knew I wasn’t any younger than nineteen.”
“Well, I sure as fuck hope not, because then I might have to ask if your parents know where you are.” He shook his head. “But nineteen is young enough. So proving you’re nineteen isn’t any help.”
“I’m almost twenty. As you might’ve noticed, my birthday is next month. So, basically twenty.”
He shook his head. “Still nineteen.”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “Funny you think nineteen is so young. My mother was nineteen when she married my father. In my family, nineteen is not considered young. And someone your age should know it’s not a number that determines whether someone is mature, but their character.”