Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 157273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
We never took our eyes off each other as we came down, our breaths gradually slowing as the sweat cooled.
“We’re really good at that,” I said once my heart finally stopped slamming.
“Yeah. We are.” He ran the backs of his fingers down my cheek. “I’ve never felt anything like that in my life.”
“Me either.” We let the words hang between us for a perfect quiet moment I knew couldn’t last.
“Let’s stay tomorrow,” he suggested, catching me off guard. “My family is taking off, but I have one more day of leave, and I rented the cabins for an extra day just in case plans needed to shift. Let’s shift them.”
I swallowed. “And do what?”
“Not leave this room for anything but the necessities.” He stroked his thumb over my swollen lower lip.
That sounded absolutely scrumptious, but I had to get back. I needed to be in the studio. But I also wanted to be here. Maybe he was right, and I could balance. I could be the best, and have a life—have him, even if only for now.
“Okay.” I nodded.
He grinned, and I didn’t feel the slightest ounce of guilt over playing hooky when that dimple popped in his cheek.
We stayed in bed that night, muffling each other’s moans over and over, then spent the next day in the shower, on the shore of the lake, and on one of the picnic tables after his family left.
By the time we pulled in my driveway the day after, I was sore in places I’d forgotten existed and thoroughly . . . happy.
“Who’s here?” Hudson asked as he parked next to a car I didn’t recognize.
“Not sure.” We walked hand in hand up the steps, Hudson carrying my pack for me.
The door swung open before we reached it, and Anne stepped into the doorway. “Where have you been? We’ve been trying to call you since yesterday.”
“Not a lot of service in the woods, so I turned it off.” The panicked look on her face sent my stomach into a deep dive. “What’s wrong?”
Kenna appeared over Anne’s shoulder, then squeezed by her to step onto the porch.
“What’s wrong?” I repeated. “Why are you here?”
“I have a month of use-or-lose vacation and a best friend in dire need of help.” Her expression softened with . . . Wait, was that pity? “I’m guessing you haven’t been on the internet?”
“No.” I shook my head. I’d been too wrapped up in Hudson to check in on the real world.
Kenna swore, then took her phone from her pocket and swiped open the screen. “I don’t know what bug crawled up Vasily’s ass, but he announced partial casting for Equinox.”
“He never announces this early. It’s only the middle of July.” Dread perched on my shoulders. “Please don’t tell me Charlotte . . .”
“No. She didn’t.” Kenna’s shoulders drooped as she turned the screen to face me.
I read the casting announcement, and my stomach twisted. Saliva filled my mouth, and bile rushed up my throat. Ripping my hand from Hudson’s, I leaned over the porch railing and vomited up my breakfast into the bushes.
“What the hell happened?” Hudson grabbed my hair as my stomach heaved.
“Eva took her part.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hudson
Sarahen45: No wonder she went into hiding. I wouldn’t show my face, either.
It was a special kind of hell to spend days tangled up in Allie, to finally see what we could be if we gave it a real shot, only to be shut out emotionally in every way possible once we got back to Haven Cove. She hadn’t returned a single call or text in two days.
I brought Juniper to the house in the pouring rain after I got off work as planned, only to find Allie sweat drenched in the studio with Kenna.
“Good luck with that one,” Anne muttered, patting me on the shoulder, then returned to an enormous pile of paperwork spread out on the living room coffee table.
“Is this a bad time?” I asked from the studio doorway as Allie walked in a small circle, her hand on her lower back, wincing with every step.
“I’d say it’s the perfect time,” Kenna replied, pushing off the wall. “She needs to take a break.”
“Taking a break is what got me here,” Allie snapped.
Shit. My eyebrows rose.
“Your sister being a back-stabbing—” Kenna’s words died off as Juniper came in behind me. She glanced from my niece to me. “Try to talk her into resting.”
Somehow I doubted Allie was going to listen to me.
“Hey, Aunt Allie.” Juniper walked over to the window and dropped her bag in the same place she always did.
“Juniper . . .” Allie’s mouth opened and shut before she sighed, her shoulders dropping. “I need about five minutes and then we’ll get started.”
“You sure?” Juniper’s face scrunched for a second. “You seem . . . angry.”
“Oh, I’m furious,” Allie assured her, ripping a towel off the barre and putting it around the back of her neck. “Just not with you. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes and we’ll work.”