Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
"Celine's horny." The way Elias chews as he carries his plate to the end of the table and takes a seat like a king at a banquet riles me.
She looks around, reading the room. "I’m horny. What can I say? And I'm used to fucking a lot. Eddie was the male version of a nymphomaniac."
"You mean a man?"
I snort at Elias's quip. He's not wrong. Most men would fuck every day if they got the chance. If not twice or more. There's a need for release that builds up like an ache between my legs that pulses in some unidentified lobe in my head. Like, right now, I'm talking and trying to act normal, but on a level running underneath, all I can think about is burying myself between Celine's legs.
"Not all men are like that," she says, sitting beside Elias. I take the seat opposite while Travis tosses us beers and a soda for Celine.
"Men are all like that. Some of us just do a good job of being less of an asshole about it." I twist the lid off my beer and take a welcome drink.
Celine opens a can of soda and takes a sip. Her hair has dried now, and her curls are crazy. "Yeah. Eddie did a good job of being king of the assholes."
Travis spoons some potato salad out of a large brown bowl. He looks around to see if everyone has helped themselves to enough food, then focuses on Celine. "Are you done with your games?"
"Yeah." She places the soda on the table but keeps her fingers wrapped around the condensation-covered tin. "He's not worth my time or effort. I've got enough going on without dragging him along with me."
"End of relationship baggage has to be shaken off, or it wears you down," Travis agrees.
"To being single." Elias tips his beer, waiting for us to join him in a toast.
Celine shoots him a look laced with disapproval, or is it disappointment? I can't be sure. "What's so good about being single, Elias? Casual sex? Sleeping alone?"
He shrugs. "No drama. No games."
The last comment feels like a dig against Celine for what brought us all together in the first place. "No joy."
"You guys are like a game of Olympic table tennis." Travis gulps his beer and licks the residue from his lips. "Life without love is empty. And the right person won't play games with your heart. They'll protect it like it's something precious."
Celine looks at Elias. "Thank you, Travis, for your mature perspective."
"He sounds like a chick." It's said with snark and a challenging raise of Elias's eyebrows.
"He sounds like someone with a soul." I don't mean the words to sound rough, but Elias turns his head slowly to look at me as soon as they’re out of my mouth.
"I have a soul, dude."
There's a ripple of disquiet amongst us until Travis smiles and shakes his head. "So, have y'all been thinking about the night at Molly's?"
"Yes." Celine says it so quickly that she makes us all jump.
"Definitely," I admit.
Elias shrugs in a non-committal way that I'm certain is only masking his true feelings.
"Wanna do it again?"
Celine draws in her bottom lip, her pretty eyes trailing between us all. "I'm game if you are."
"Three on one? Is it necessary?"
She pats Elias's arm. "Ahhh…you want me all to yourself?"
Shrugging again, he stuffs his mouth full of the last forkful of food on his plate, avoiding answering the question altogether.
"What time's your mom going to be back?" I ask Travis. It's a way to find out if today could be an option without directly asking each person for their availability. "Late. I'm not so sure about Gab."
"Well, it's not like it'll be a shock to her if she does come back. Three on one is her daily life experience."
"Yeah, thinking about my sister getting boned by three guys isn't my favorite way to pass the time." Travis rises to pack away all the food we haven't eaten, and Celine grabs the empty plates, taking them to the sink and rinsing them before placing them into the dishwasher.
The atmosphere is thick with anticipation, but no one seems to want to direct us all upstairs, at least until the kitchen is as spotless as we found it.
"I guess we could head up?" Travis asks.
And like the horny sons-of-bitches we all are, we follow Celine up the stairs to heaven.
16
CELINE
"Everything you need is in this bag." Marie hands over a large cloth tote that's filled to the brim with all the things a toddler might require.
Lonie is in her highchair, using her fork to carefully stab pieces of the omelet my sister made her. After missing three pieces, she drops her fork in frustration and picks up her piece of bread and butter, stuffing it into her mouth. Her eyes widen as she chews, focusing on me.