Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“Be right back.” I ran inside and grabbed one of my jackets.
I returned to the deck and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Thank you. That was very sweet.”
“Well…” I grinned. “I wouldn’t want you to freeze your nutsack off.”
* * *
Felicity
Track 6: “Blowing Kisses in the Wind” by Paula Abdul
I can’t believe he knows about that. “You Googled me. Congratulations.”
“The day you turned me down, I was feeling a bit low. That night, I missed looking at your face. So, yes. I went online, searched your name, and found that unexpected pot of gold.”
“That’s my one claim to fame.”
“It was hysterical.”
“Seriously, what is wrong with people? They have no lives. I mean, it was funny, but it wasn’t that funny. To get millions of hits?”
“It wasn’t just what you said. It was the freaking adorable look on your face when you realized you were on live television. It’s also the fact you’re beautiful. That’s why it went viral.”
“I don’t see myself that way,” I said. “I never have.”
“That doesn’t change the truth.”
“I feel like I look different from everyone else. I mean, there are other people with red hair and freckles all over their body. But how many do you run into on a daily basis? Very few. We’re a rare breed.”
“Precisely. You’re uniquely beautiful. But it’s not just your skin and hair that set you apart. It’s your eyes, the way they seem to pierce through everything with genuine wonder and interest. I can see the good in you just by looking into them. And you have so many features I love. Your nose has the slightest ridge in the center. Your lips and their natural red color, even when you’re not wearing lipstick. And yes, the freckles. Don’t get me started on them. They are my weakness.”
I rolled my eyes, feeling my cheeks heat. “You’re insane.”
“I’m insanely attracted to you, yes.”
His blunt admission caused my entire body to heat. I had to look down because it was too much—not just the way he was looking at me, but because I was incredibly attracted to him, too. Leo wasn’t just handsome. He was scorching hot from head to toe. The more I looked at him, the more out of control I felt. The more I wanted him to kiss me. Every time my eyes landed on his full lips, I could feel my tongue buzz with the need to taste them.
“Did what I just say make you uncomfortable?”
Adjusting his jacket around my shoulders, I said, “It’s not what you said about me. It’s how you make me feel, how attracted I am to you, too. It’s very mutual.”
His breath seemed to hitch, and before he could respond, I decided I needed more champagne.
I reached for the bottle on the table. “Do you mind if I have some more of that?”
“Let me,” he said as he poured. “Would you like a strawberry?”
“Sure.” I immediately downed half my glass.
Instead of simply handing me one, Leo took a strawberry. With a glimmer in his eye, he placed it between his lips and spoke through his teeth. “Come get it.”
Is he serious? My palms grew sweaty as I considered whether to go for it. I leaned in with a racing heart and carefully used my teeth to retrieve the strawberry. Our lips didn’t even touch, but I could feel the heat of his erratic breaths, which sent a jolt through my body.
“Holy fuck. I didn’t think you’d do it.” He licked his lips.
As I chewed the berry, I looked down and wondered if I was losing my mind. Because that? What I just did? That was not like me at all. It was freaking erotic, though. Leo was so intoxicating that he impaired my judgment. I needed to be careful, because I was setting myself up to get hurt. Mrs. Angelini thought I should let go a little. But this night didn’t feel like letting go. This felt like my feelings were becoming entangled with this man. I wasn’t sure I was capable of just enjoying the present with someone who would inevitably be leaving.
It was all I could think about, even with the summer still ahead of us.
“How long do you plan to look down at your feet and not at me?” Leo asked.
Finally meeting his eyes, I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to handle this. When I told Mrs. Angelini I had turned you down because I didn’t think it was a good idea to go out with someone who would be leaving, she suggested that I let go, not worry so much about what might happen in the future. I decided to try that tonight. But I don’t think it’s my nature. Because as you’re standing here in front of me, I’m supposed to be letting loose, and all I can think about is the fact that I’m already sad, and you haven’t even left yet.” I stared into my champagne. “I can’t get out of my own head long enough to enjoy being with you.”