Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
I was met with a chorus of AWWW before Julep was begging for more photos, and Mary was asking his name, and Riley was asking what sports he played, all while Giana tried not to cry.
“Okay, I need all your advice,” Giana said, one hand on her belly and the other reaching for her mocktail once I’d put my phone away. “Because your girl is very knowledgeable when it comes to books, PR, and wrangling that one over there,” she said, pointing to a brunet beast of a man I assumed was Clay Johnson. “But being a mom?” She shook her head. “I’m clueless.”
“Honestly, I think we all are. We just do our best to figure it out as we go,” I said. “You’ll be great.”
Giana’s eyes watered, and she fanned her face. “Sorry. These stupid hormones have turned me into an absolute mess. Oh!” She covered her mouth on a gasp. “Single mom! Another of my favorite tropes. Has Kyle met Sebastian yet?”
I couldn’t hide how I melted at that question, and all the girls saw it, because when I nodded, they squealed and surrounded me, begging for details.
But then, a large, warm hand wrapped around my hip from behind, and Kyle sidled up next to me, tucking me under his arm with a kiss against my hair.
I felt that kiss all the way down to my toes.
“Alright, I think it’s time I get my date up to our room before you four scare her onto the next flight out of here,” he said, winking down at me with a smile that made me melt even more into his side.
I told myself to get a grip, to remind my stupid body that all of this was for show.
But apparently, with that man’s hands on me, my brain just didn’t work properly.
The girls let out a chorus of jests at his expense.
“Boo!”
“You’re no fun, Robbins.”
“We were just getting to the good stuff!”
When Kyle only responded by chuckling and pulling me even more into him, the girls conceded, and I didn’t miss the looks they gave each other.
Giana pulled me from Kyle’s grasp long enough to wrap me in another hug.
“Go get settled. We’ll see you at the rehearsal dinner tonight. There will be plenty of time for us to steal you away again.”
“Good luck with that,” Kyle said, sliding his arm around me once more. “I’m pretty selfish when it comes to this one.”
I looked up at him, heart tripling its pace when I saw the sincerity in his gaze.
God, he’s good at this.
When I looked back at the girls, they wore a mixture of emotions. Giana looked like she was about to burst, her eyes doubling in size and hands clasped in front of her heart. Julep and Riley were exchanging glances like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing, and Mary was watching Kyle with an eyebrow ticked up in half-amusement, half-suspicion.
Kyle slid his hand down the inside of my arm, threading his fingers with mine. I stared at where he held my hand until the moment he tugged me away, and then I smiled over my shoulder at the girls, giving them a wave.
As soon as I turned around, I heard one of them squeal, and then they were chattering away — and there was no need to guess just who they were talking about.
“You survived,” Kyle said when we rounded out of view and were walking toward the bank of elevators. He didn’t drop my hand, even though no one was around to see us. “Sorry about all that. My friends are… a lot,” he said on a smile that told me he loved that about them.
I’d only been in their presence a half hour, and already I understood why.
“They’re…” I smiled, shaking my head as we stepped into the elevator.
“Crazy? Overbearing?”
“Lovely,” I said, looking up at him. “I’ve… I’ve never had anything like that.”
His smile slipped at my admission, his brows furrowing together. Then, the elevator doors slid closed, muting the noise from the outside world as it shot us up toward our floor.
And the moment we were alone, it felt like all the oxygen had been left in the lobby.
I was suddenly very aware of how close we stood, of how good he smelled, at how my lips still tingled with the memory of his pressed against them.
Kyle’s gaze dropped to where he still held my hand, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. Then, his eyes flicked back up to me.
He made no move to break the contact.
“That was some kiss down there,” he said, arching a brow. His smile returned when my cheeks burned at his words, and I could only imagine how red my face was.
I wanted to bury it in his chest like I did before, but instead, I covered it with my free hand on a groan.