Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27528 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“This was fun, but we have to go,” Nix said and stood, which forced Rob and Torey to stand as well.
“Yeah, me too,” Torey agreed.
The night was over, and everyone was headed home. “I’m gonna stick around for a while,” Rob said as he eyed the bartender in the flannel shirt.
“Since we’re neighbors, how about I walk you home, Kayla?”
She lifted her chin. “Maybe I’ll walk you home.”
“I accept.” My hand landed on her back and slid down to the spot just above her ass.
“Come on, then.” I followed her out and focused on the swing of her hips and the curve of her ass. Her body was killer, I knew that, but the way those jeans hugged her thighs and hips should be illegal.
“How did you like growing up here?”
She shrugged. “It was great, mostly. It sucked trying to date and outgrow the nerdy girl I used to be, but it also allowed us to be a bit more reckless than your average teens without lasting consequences.”
I could listen to her talk all day. Her voice was a low alto, smooth and husky, and when she talked, the words came out relaxed and engaging. The walk home was too short.
“Here we are.” She turned to me, her hazel eyes smiling.
I realized we were in front of my door. “I don’t think so.” I took her hand in mine and walked us both across the grass until we were at her front door. “Thanks for the walk.”
“You’re welcome. I can now put bodyguard on my resume.” Her laughter was contagious, but my eyes were laser-focused on her mouth, full and lush with just a hint of red leftover.
Instead of laughing, I palmed the back of her neck with one hand and the side of her face with the other. She seemed so delicate and fragile in this vulnerable position, but her lips were parted, and her breaths came out in shallow puffs. I leaned in closer until I could smell the negroni on her breath, and then I froze. “Kayla,” I groaned.
She froze and then took a step back, clearly misreading my tone, but it was probably for the best. “See you around, Mac.”
“Soon, Doc. Really soon.” I called myself every kind of fool on the short trip across the lawn, and once I was inside my house, I vowed that the next time I had the chance to kiss Kayla, I was taking it and running with it.
6 KAYLA
The sound of my alarm clock roused me from a dream so steamy that my body was covered with a thin layer of sweat. It was all because of a certain green-eyed rocker who almost kissed me last night. I replayed that moment for hours, recalling the way his whiskey-tinged breath fanned over my face, how his gaze darkened when he stared at my mouth, and the way he groaned my name.
“Oh. My. God. Stop it!” I sat straight up in bed, wiping my face to rid myself of the images of Mac and me, naked and sweaty, experiencing the heights of pleasure together. “Seriously, stop it.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, glancing around the room with a heavy sigh.
It was my day off, which meant I could sleep in an extra hour, and I had enough energy to do the thing I kept saying I would do when I had the time. “Today I have time.” I went to my dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer where I kept my workout clothes. I grabbed a sports bra, tank top, and a pair of shorts, dressing quickly before I could change my mind.
“Okay. You can do this, Kayla.” My house key was tucked into a hidden pocket, and a bottle of water was strapped to my lower back.
“Hey, neighbor.” Mac’s deep voice was full of amusement behind me.
Don’t turn around. Do not turn around. “Morning,” I called over my shoulder, strategically averting my eyes from his everything. I took off at a slow jog the moment I hit the sidewalk, relaxing when Mac didn’t say anything more.
“Fancy meeting you out here, Doc. How about we run together?”
He had to be kidding, right? “No thanks.”
He frowned, and instantly I felt bad. “Why not?”
Dammit. I motioned to him and his shirtless magnificence, then to myself and my less-than-magnificent appearance. “Because I don’t want to slow you down.”
He smiled. “You’re crazy. Now I get it.” Mac laughed and shook his head. “You’re smoking hot, Kayla, and if you can’t see that, maybe we should run to the eye doctor once we’re done with our run.”
“Funny.”
“I know, right? Set the pace, and I promise to keep up.” He gifted me that beautiful smile again, and I couldn’t say no to that.
“Okay. Let’s do this.” I set a moderate pace and enjoyed running through town before most people were awake—or if they were, before they left the house. The town was gorgeous, picturesque, with the Silver Bell Mountains stretching into the sky as if they were protecting it. “You can go faster if you want.”