Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 89012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
I picture her clear eyes and friendly smile. The curve of her hips and the fullness of her breasts. The way her hair shines in the light.
Fuck. I adjust myself under my desk.
“That’s for damn sure,” I mutter.
He stares at me, unblinking. Only grinning. It makes me shift in my seat again.
“What?” I ask, irritation growing.
“Nothing.” He tries to stop smiling. “Just wondering how you felt about it and all. You weren’t thrilled when she got engaged.”
No. I fucking hated it. “Because that guy was completely wrong for her and, obviously, I was right.”
“And that has nothing to do with some unrequited crush you’ve had on her for the last, well, I don’t know—your whole entire life?”
I scoff, picking up a pencil as a distraction. “If I wanted to make a move on Ashley, I would.”
“And you don’t?” He slides his phone out of his pocket. “Shit. Hang on.”
His momentary distraction gives me a second to breathe for the first time since Ashley walked into my office.
It’s getting harder and harder to pull back from her when we get going. Before she came back from Orlando—before she got engaged—it felt more like a joke when we would flirt or tease. And it was. It still is.
I think.
I know all the reasons it should be. I need to pull my head out of my ass and tattoo it on my forehead before I fuck this up.
“So do you?” Jess says. “Do you want to make a move on her?”
Nice, easy transition back into the conversation, brother.
“No, I don’t,” I say, tapping the pencil on my desk. “I like my life just the way it is. I can go to bed without brushing my teeth. If I’m hungry, I can take a whole jar of cashews with me to bed and eat them while I watch Gladiator for the millionth time. I can … I can get a dog if I want to.”
Internally, I cringe. That was stupid.
“Totally stay single for the dog,” Jess says, laughing freely at my ridiculous words. “Smart. Good choice.”
I blow out a breath. “You know what I mean. Relationships are the best way to ruin anything good. You put a label on it, and it can’t breathe. Besides, Ash and I aren’t like that. We’re on opposite pages, and we know it. We’re grown-ups.” Sadly.
“I hope you get invited to her next wedding,” he says, getting up.
I narrow my eyes at him. He ignores me.
“You know, she’ll be looking for a rebound,” he says, heading for the door.
A rebound? Ashley?
My brain processes quickly. Of course, she’ll need a rebound. Every broken relationship gets a rebound.
She’ll want to boost her confidence—although I don’t know why it would ever be shaky to begin with. She’s a great woman.
Will she ease back into dating? Maybe. She might be nervous about it.
But why would Ashley be nervous? Because she winds up with assholes every time. That’s why. She’s never found someone who’s even close enough to being good enough for her.
Hell, that guy might not even exist.
Jess faces me at the door. A shit-eating grin splits his cheeks.
“I hate you. Do you know that?” I ask him.
He bursts out laughing.
“I do. Foxx is a dick but keeps to himself. Banks is Banks. Moss is usually pretty cool, but when he’s a prick, he makes it clear, and you have to respect that. But you … you sneak it in and get under my skin,” I say. “There’s no redeeming quality there.”
“My tactics are the most sophisticated.”
“That’s not what I said.”
He winks. “Okay, I’ll leave you with that little thought. See you tomorrow.”
Jess gives me a cocky grin and then heads down the hallway. His voice trails behind him as he says, “He shoots and misses. The opponent rebounds. Look at that rebound. So smooth. He’s definitely going to score with those moves.”
“Fucker.”
I get to my feet. I don’t know what makes me so pissed off, but something does.
Maybe it’s because he’s intentionally trying to make me mad. Or that he thinks I care in the first place. Or maybe I’m pissed because Ashley might have a rebound ... and it won’t be me.
What the fuck am I thinking?
I exhale harshly and pick up my phone again. I have no idea what to say, so I start typing.
Me: Did you know that flamingos can sleep standing on one leg?
I grimace, knowing that was stupid as hell but not sure what else to say. It just came out. But I’m relieved that something was sent—even if it wasn’t the best thing ever.
Her response is immediate.
Ashley: Guess they don’t miss leg day.
My laughter fills my office, and my shoulders loosen.
Relax, Maddox. Everything is okay.
SEVEN
Ashley
I lay the two sundresses in my bag on the bed and take a step back.
I really should’ve packed better. Then again, when I left Orlando, I didn’t plan on going on this trip, or I would’ve kept more of my things out of storage.