Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 143382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 717(@200wpm)___ 574(@250wpm)___ 478(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 717(@200wpm)___ 574(@250wpm)___ 478(@300wpm)
I pulled the thin strap of the crossbody over my head and walked to the door, liking the color green it was painted when the rest of the house was a soft yellow with white trim, though the shutters on the windows were black.
I hit the doorbell, and I could understand why it took Eric a few beats to get to it, considering if he was in the back, it’d take a while to make it to the door.
I didn’t think the FBI paid for a pad this killer, so NI&S must remunerate really well.
The door opened, and I jolted because I was in my thoughts about his house, but also, he stood there wearing an untucked, white linen shirt that made the tan of his skin all the tanner, supremely faded jeans that hung on him just right, his feet were bare, and his black hair was messy, like he’d just gotten up from a nap.
A hot nap where he had hot dreams about doing nasty things to a hot chick, one like me.
“Hey,” I forced out, doing it while realizing his eyes were not on my face.
They were taking their sweet time traveling down my body.
They got to my shoes, the tip of his tongue came out to wet his lower lip, my vagina shuddered, and I kept forcing myself to speak.
“I brought wine. I hope you like red.”
His eyes sped up to mine, the look in them not one you’d ever give a little sister. My vagina pulsed a whole lot stronger, then I let out a squeak because his arm was around my waist, pulling me inside.
He had to do some lifting since there was a step up.
This he did.
It was amazing.
All of it.
Then the door slammed, I was pressed against it, Eric was pressed against me, and that was so much more amazing, I forgot how to breathe.
“Those shorts and shoes,” he said in a thick voice that, yes, caused further reactions in my nether regions. “This mean I’m finally out of your friend zone?”
“I thought I was in your friend zone,” I whispered.
“I’m a good guy, honey, but I don’t pull out my mom’s recipe for mushroom sage stuffing for a woman I consider a friend.”
Oh man.
He made me his mom’s recipe.
That didn’t have a nether region reaction.
That reaction I felt in my heart.
“Good to know,” I breathed.
His face was so close, our foreheads were almost touching.
Which meant his mouth was so close, we were almost kissing.
And I was surrounded by the smell of cedarwood (back to the nether region reaction).
But he didn’t kiss me.
“Are you…gonna…kiss me?” I pushed out.
“Oh no,” he murmured. “You put me through two months of not clueing in, now you wait for the good stuff.”
What?
It had been two days.
“Two months?”
“Jess, I’ve been waiting for an in from you since you made me your dragon fruit refresher. Which, I’ll confirm, is better than Starbucks.”
I was pleased with the compliment.
But…
Was he serious?
I slapped his arm. “Why didn’t you make it more clear?”
“You’re my friend’s girlfriend’s girlfriend. Staring at your ass and showing up at your place of business for lunch nearly every fuckin’ day made my point. I couldn’t come on stronger than that. You had to clue in and make your move.”
“The other guys do too, though, not the staring at my ass part. I didn’t even notice you staring at my ass.”
“That’s good, because I didn’t want you to see that part. And they don’t.”
“They do.”
“Cap does. I do. The other guys don’t.”
I thought about that.
And…
Shit!
They didn’t.
Sure, they’d come.
But Eric and Cap came the most.
Because Cap wanted to see Raye.
And…
I was such a dufus.
Eric came to SC because he wanted to see me.
“Then I showed up at two in the morning at a homeless camp to ream your sweet ass,” Eric reminded me.
Yeah, that was above the call of duty.
A friend would do that, for certain.
But a guy acquaintance you only kinda, sorta knew?
Not unless he was into you.
Total dufus.
“And I hauled most of the makings of a Thanksgiving dinner to your house, and cooked for you,” Eric kept on.
Okay.
Maybe I was beyond a dufus.
“I could continue,” he stated.
He could.
“I’m a dufus,” I mumbled.
His tone went from teasing to gentle. “You had other shit on your mind.”
“I thought you liked Lucia’s cooking.”
“I do. I like your ass better.”
Not the most flowery of compliments, but I was pretty proud of my ass. It was awesome. I was thrilled he noticed.
“Okay, if you’re not going to kiss me, can you stop pressing me against the door so I can have wine? Suddenly I need it. Bad.”
He grinned.
It was a sexy wicked grin.
He didn’t end it kissing me.
So I frowned.
That made his grin broader, and his head came in, I braced for the goodness, but he dipped at the last minute and ran his nose along the side of my neck.