Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Penelope scoffed. “That’s manipulative bullshit. It’s one thing to put a curiosity on the back burner or neglect a kink you only want once in a blue moon, but to ask a masochist to refrain from receiving pain…?”
“That’s what I yelled at her the last time we fought,” I laughed.
She grinned. “Good. Some people just piss me off—another solid reason to stick to this community.” She nodded at the others. “I can handle these yahoos.”
“Yeah, excuse me—I heard that,” Ash said.
Oops?
He came over, and he must’ve already been on his way, because he was carrying two blankets.
“From one yahoo to another,” he told Penelope pointedly, “we can handle you too.”
“What he said.” That was Greer, who came over with a bottle of tonic water. “You must’ve forgotten this earlier when you decided to check your reflection in the gin.”
“Awww,” I giggled. They were so sweet—and Penelope was properly chastised in a playful way. She groaned through a chuckle and hid behind the blanket. I smiled as Ash wrapped the other blanket around my shoulders. “Thank you, Sir.”
“Anytime, kiddo.” He ruffled my damn hair before he returned to his seat.
Ugh. I smoothed it down again.
“To be fair, you drink gin straight and ice-cold with lemon,” Lane said frankly.
“That’s my boy.” Ty smooched him.
“Are you gonna take care of her when she’s throwin’ up in the pool?” Greer challenged.
“Hey.” Penelope pushed down the blanket and scowled up at Greer. “Talk about something that’s never happened.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Greer replied dismissively. “Baby sisters get pushed around. Strong men like us? We obviously know better than you.”
I spluttered a laugh, and Penelope offered him an incredulous look before she glanced my way.
“You see what I’m talking about?”
I nodded, finding the whole thing hysterical.
“My life comes with a laugh track,” she added, nodding at the guys. So they were her laugh track?
Maybe it included me now too, ’cause this was too funny.
By midnight, my crush had never been so intense, probably because it’d been joined by neediness and overwhelming desire. Penelope was just so damn sexy and beautiful, and now I’d been sitting right next to her long enough that I was addicted to her presence.
I was getting a glimpse of what she’d meant when she’d told me she loved watching her friends interact. Considering how long the Founders had known one another, and how seamlessly new partners had been welcomed into the fold, it was like watching the longest-running sitcom. They joked, laughed hard, gave one another good-natured shit, walked down memory lane, and all but finished one another’s sentences.
Reese was talking about a takedown they’d hosted for newbies years ago, and Penelope and Greer added their own anecdotes to the story. How awful it’d been—which they could clearly laugh about now—because said newbies had signed up for more than they could handle. Despite lengthy negotiations and demos, once the subs were sent down to the forest in the dark, all hell had broken loose.
“The little shits wouldn’t even safeword,” Greer groaned through a laugh. “They just whined and screamed.”
Reese flicked Lane and me a glance. “It was nonsexual and low on pain and everythin’—we’d told them we’d just hunt them down and bring them back to the house.”
I scrunched my nose. “Why sign up for a takedown if you don’t like getting scared?”
I mean, I understood pushing one’s limits and trying something new—that was part of the lifestyle—but still.
“The curse of the newbie,” River muttered into his glass.
Penelope nodded. “Too much confidence, perhaps a crush or two on someone far more experienced—you wanna prove yourself.”
Hmpf. I wanted to prove myself too, but throwing myself into a kink I couldn’t handle—not even safewording to get myself out of the situation…? Nuh-uh.
“That’s enough yawning for us, little one.” Greer gave Archie a kiss and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go to bed.”
Oh, already? People around here went to bed so early! Ash had caught a ride with Kingsley and Tate an hour ago, after he and I had exchanged numbers, and I could tell that Lane and Ty were about to—
“We’re off too,” Ty said, confirming my suspicion. He gathered a sleepy Lane in his arms and yanked him off the chair they’d shared. “More fuckery tomorrow.”
Lane hummed in agreement and plastered himself to his man.
I wasn’t envious at all.
Goodnights and see-you-tomorrows were exchanged, and I finished another cider.
I hoped River, Reese, and Shay wanted to stay up a while longer, because they were the only ones remaining soon enough. If they left, my evening with Penelope would be over.
Shay had just poured a new drink, thankfully, and Reese was lit and happy, back to strumming absently on his guitar.
“By the way, Pen, the Nashville crew will be here at ten tomorrow mornin’,” he said.
“Oh good. I’ll text Jack,” she replied. “He said he was available till noon.”