Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 120631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 603(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 603(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
“It’s cool. I get it. Eat your pie, Wren.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll be catching up on emails. Don’t…cry.”
Jocelyn hid a laugh as he rushed out of the room. As soon as he was gone, she looked at Wren. “I like this new evil side of you.”
Wren laughed, all signs of tears gone as if they never existed. “A Hawthorne man can handle almost anything, but a woman’s tears will always be their kryptonite.” She slid the box to Jocelyn. “Whoopie pie?”
Jocelyn chuckled. “You’re evil. You were messing with him on purpose.”
She shrugged. “It helps keep the cockiness at a minimum.”
Jocelyn pulled a giant confection out of the box and tore it in half. When she bit into the chocolate cake, cream exploded in her mouth, and she had a proper response: she shut her eyes and moaned. “Orgasmic.”
“I’m convinced Esther’s a witch and she puts spells in her baked goods to keep us coming back.”
Jocelyn closed her eyes and nodded, too engrossed in the experience to form words.
“You guys are really cute,” Wren commented.
She opened her eyes and tried to scowl rather than acknowledge her squishy feelings, but the truth was, she was too happy to pretend she was angry. “I think we’re in that goofy butterflies stage. My stomach’s been swooping and pitching all day. At first, I told myself it was just gas, but…” She shrugged. “I got absolutely no work done today.”
Her brows lifted. “Was he here all day? That’s not like him to take off—”
“Oh, no. He went to work. I just mean…” She shook her head. “I couldn’t focus. Whatever this thing is between us, it’s stronger than my ADHD meds. I kept staring off into space and daydreaming about this weekend.”
“Aw, that’s really sweet.”
“Sweet? I have a deadline. Leander and Thora are never going to figure out their baggage if I don’t get my head out of the clouds. Every time I try to move the plot, they just keep having sex. Really. Hot. Sweaty. Sex.”
Her gaze unfocused as she dragged her hand down her throat, picturing more scenes from this weekend.
Wren cleared her throat. “Joce?”
“Shit. Sorry. See? This is what I’m talking about.”
Wren bit back a smile and silently giggled. “It looks to me like you’re in—”
“Don’t. Don’t you even think it.”
“Okay, but I think you already are.”
Visions of Soren’s body claiming hers evaporated like vapor on a breeze as a scorching blush burned her cheeks. She cleared her throat. “I’m not. I’m not even close.”
Wren snickered and cocked her head. “Is that a hickey?”
Jocelyn tugged the lapels of her kimono closed. “Mind your business.”
“You dirty little slut.”
Guilty, and not sorry, Jocelyn only rubbed her face and laughed. “It’s all so weird. I mean, we’ve been sleeping together for longer than I want to admit, but now that you and Greyson know, it’s…oddly uncomfortable, and at the same time… right.”
“We’ve always known, Joce.”
“Ack, reminding me only makes it weirder.”
“Why did it ever have to be a secret?”
“Because it’s Soren,” she whispered. “This…isn’t normal. It just felt safer not to tell anyone.”
“You’re the one who always says you have to get out of your comfort zone to make good things happen.”
“My advice is only for other people, not for me.”
“Well, I, for one, think you give great advice. Without you, I might have never found the courage to sleep with Greyson.” She sat back, placing a hand on her protruding belly. “And I think that’s worked out pretty well. Who knows where you and Soren will be in a year.”
A year? Jocelyn’s eyes flared. “Whoa. Settle down. Let’s not rush into anything.”
“He likes you, Jocelyn. A lot. And you like him.”
“He likes having sex with me.”
“No, he likes you. I can tell.”
There was that strange squishy feeling again.
She shifted, trying to relieve some of the flutters in her stomach, but they just kept coming. “Okay, stop it.”
Wren laughed. “I’ve never seen you like this over a guy.”
Jocelyn gagged. “I know. I’m losing respect for myself by the minute.”
“Why? There’s nothing wrong with falling in—”
“Wren!” She shot her a silencing look. “For the love of Oden, stop with that.”
With an evil snicker, her friend stood. “I’ll let you two get back to whatever you were doing.” She stole one last whoopie pie for the road. “Don’t forget your safe words.”
“I don’t have any safe words.”
“I was more suggesting one for Soren.”
Jocelyn laughed.
“I’ll go out the back.” She opened the door and yelled. “Bye, Soren.”
“Bye, Wren.”
Her eyes met Jocelyn’s, and she smiled. “Try to let yourself enjoy this, Joce. It’s a good thing.”
She sighed. “Goodbye.”
Once alone in the kitchen, Jocelyn dropped her head to the counter and groaned. She didn’t lift her head when she heard him hover by the kitchen door.
“You good?” He softly massaged her shoulder.
“Fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Because…it sounded like…” His voice shifted into a sing-song pitch. “You think I’m sexy.” She swung a hand at him, and he jumped back with a laugh, continuing to sing. “You really like me.”