Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
He laughs against my mouth, and then I lose myself in his kiss.
Two hours later we’re seated in Keaton’s kitchen. The last few caterers are packing up around us, and Keaton and I are splitting a platter of food. An actual platter. We’re like Vikings at a banquet.
If Vikings ate brisket sliders and crab salad.
The first of what promises to be many more sexual adventures has left us hungry. So I have messy hands and a mouth full of food when a well-dressed woman with Keaton’s coloring strides into the kitchen.
“There you are!” she says brightly.
Oh shit. I’m scrambling for a napkin and trying to chew faster. I can feel my face getting red. And it’s not just the mess. It’s the knowledge of what her son and I were doing only a little while ago…
“Mom,” Keaton says, slurping his cup of punch. “This is Luke.”
She laughs at both of us. “Don’t get up. Would you say this is more like lions feeding or…?”
“Hyenas, maybe,” Keaton says. “Lions take turns.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Hayworth,” I manage to say after swallowing.
“Same,” she says, placing a hand on my shoulder as she passes by me. All the Hayworths are touchers, apparently. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
My face might be permanently red now. And I don’t blush. Ever. Then again, I never met my boyfriend’s mom before.
“How many weekends of summer are left?” she asks, turning back to consider us. “Now that Keaton is home, I expect to see you boys out here whenever you can be.”
“Oh, um, that’s very generous,” I stammer.
“Six weekends,” Keaton says cheerfully. “I’ll make sure Luke has the train schedule when he leaves tomorrow.”
“Good deal.” She yawns. “This summer has been sad. Nobody in that pool unless we throw a party. What a waste, right? I’ll just bump up our grocery order.” She gives our messy platter a wry look. “There’s pancake mix in the cabinet, Keaton, and bacon in the freezer. Night, boys. I need to get out of these shoes.”
Her footsteps click away, down the hall. And I’m left wondering what just happened. Does she not know? Nobody is that cool about their son’s male hookup.
“You should see your face right now.” Keaton shovels a giant heap of guacamole into his mouth and smiles at me.
“But…” I don’t even know where to start.
“Four things make her happy,” he says, ticking them off on his fingers. “My dad, me, spending money in fashionable places, and feeding people. Bonus points if Dad and I aren’t fighting and if we put our dishes in the dishwasher.”
I eye the platter, hoping it fits in the dishwasher. I’ll make it work.
“So you know you have to get on that train every Friday and come out here to stay.”
“Um…” I swallow. “Okay. If you’re sure.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” He drops his voice. “My parents go to parties one or two nights each weekend. All over the Hamptons. For hours.”
“Is that right?”
He grins. “We are going to have so much fun.”
After we clean up from our feast (and the platter is safely in the dishwasher) we get ready for bed in Keaton’s private bathroom. His parents have their own wing, thank God.
“I’m dating the boss’s son,” I joke as we climb into his king-sized bed. “Do you think that will be bad for my career in pharmaceuticals?”
Keaton makes an irritable noise and pulls me closer. “I’m dating the frat president. Think that will get me a better lottery number in the room draw?”
“Hey now. I can’t play favorites.”
“I know that, you stickler.” He laughs. “There’s something I have to tell you about the room draw, anyway. We’re down a resident.”
“What? Who?”
He clears his throat. “I got a text from Judd yesterday. He asked why I hadn’t invited him to the beach barbecue this year.”
I roll over and look at Keaton. It’s dark, but I can still see the outline of his smile. “What did you say?”
“I told him it was because I’d invited you, and I didn’t think he’d want to come. But I also said, ‘Feel free to convince me I’m wrong. We could all hit some gay bars after the barbecue.’”
A bark of laughter escapes my throat. “You didn’t.”
“I did. Not that I even know where to find the gay bars. But he doesn’t get to push me around. I just wanted to make that clear.”
“What did he reply?”
“He didn’t answer my text at all. And then a half hour later he sent an email to Munsen.”
“Our new secretary.”
“Yup. And I was CC’d. Judd said to skip him in the housing draw, because he was going to rent an apartment off-campus. He added that he didn’t like the vibe of the house anymore.”
I make a grumpy noise. “And he made sure you saw this, just to be a dick and make you feel bad.”