Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Don’t worry about it,” I assure her, grateful our talks of ruthlessness and legacies have made it possible for me to stand without embarrassing myself. “What do you need to do upstairs? Anything I can help with?”
She hesitates beside me, sending her sweet smell rushing through my head and making the urge to draw her against me almost unbearable. “You want to see? You can come along if you want, but I’ll warn you…it’s a little weird.”
“I’m not afraid of weird.” I drop my napkin beside my now-empty bowl.
Sydney’s mouth hooks up on one side. “You don’t seem like you’re afraid of much.”
She’s right. I’m not afraid of much.
So why are you so spooked by the chemistry between you two? I wonder as we head toward the circular staircase in the living room. Is it just a case of not wanting to cross a line with a woman who’s so much younger than I am? Or is it something else entirely?
Maybe I’m not afraid of starting something with Sydney; maybe I’m afraid of how hard it will be to stop wanting more of her. I can already tell one or two nights wouldn’t be enough. If I feel her under me, around me, coming on my cock, I’m going to need to feel it at least a hundred times.
Two hundred.
And neither of us is in a place for something like that to come easy.
We’re both transitioning into new phases of our lives, but those phases couldn’t be more different. She’s diving into her career full force, and I’m continuing to step away from an active role in mine. She’s starting her young adult life, and I’m spitting distance from middle age.
We might both love wildlife and daydream about hiking in Spain, but only one of us can take a month off next summer to do it. As much as I feel drawn to her, I should look for a partner closer to my own age or continue to fly solo.
Solo is good. I’ve been happily single for nearly two years and haven’t had a serious relationship in far longer.
It’s been so long that I thought my fantasies about whirlwind passion leading to the kind of close, loving family I couldn’t make work the first time around were a thing of my past. I’m old enough now to know that not all dreams come true. That’s just life, and it’s better to be grateful for what you have than waste time lamenting what you’ve missed.
But there’s something about Sydney that makes me want to throw all that out the window, to believe in miraculous twists of fate and mystical second chances.
So many factors had to align for us to have this night together. Wouldn’t it be arrogant to think I know better than a universe that’s conspired to connect me with this incredible woman?
At the top of the circular staircase, Sydney reaches out to flick a switch on a lightbox fixed to the railing. All around us, blue lights flicker to life in the floor and ceiling, until the large circular landing glows softly in the darkness.
“Wow.” I step out onto the wooden floor and turn slowly, taking in the windows on every side of the old lamp room.
“Right?” Sydney smiles as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Sometimes, on clear nights, I’ll bring a sleeping bag up here and sleep on the floor so I can watch the moon rise over the ocean.” She points toward another smaller circular staircase to our right. “That leads to the third-floor guest bedroom. It’s nice, too, but the windows are smaller. You can’t see as much as you can down here.”
“It’s incredible,” I say with a shake of my head. “If this place were mine, I’d be up here all the time.”
Sydney hums beneath her breath. “You say that now, but it can get spooky up here. Especially once you know the legend of the woman in white.”
I arch a brow her way. “This is the tragic tale you were going to tell me over dinner?”
She nods and launches into the story. “When the Civil War broke out, Maine was one of the first states to send soldiers, including the Sea Breeze lighthouse keeper at the time. He and his wife had just moved into the lighthouse after their honeymoon, but she supported his choice to volunteer. Allegedly, the marriage was already on the rocks. He had a terrible temper and a drinking problem, and she missed her old life in Portland. So, she wasn’t too sad to see him go. She promised she would keep the lighthouse going on her own while he was gone, since she was young and in good physical health. But…she didn’t know she was pregnant at the time or how long her husband would be away.”
“Oh no.” My brows pinch together.