Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 90736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“That’s why we need to talk about this. Tell you what, instead of hiding in here and commiserating with your friends, why don’t you come back into the living room and save me from Kevin. He has angry stares.”
As much as she’s trying to mask it, she smiles. “Don’t make me laugh.”
I give her a gentle tug, dragging her out of the bathroom—a.k.a., her safe space—flip off the light, and lead her through the bedroom to the living room, where little Kevin sits waiting.
He’s back where he was before.
“Sup, dude,” I say to him.
“Did you call my dog dude?”
“Yeah. It’s so he doesn’t want to eat me.”
“He’s not going to eat you.”
“Look at the way he’s looking at me. He doesn’t trust me.”
“He was all over you like a cheap suit when he first saw you. Now he’s just pouting because you’re not giving him enough attention. He’s playing hard to get.”
Dammit.
When we seat ourselves on the couch next to each other, I try to hold her hand, but Harlow isn’t interested. Instead, she scoots away a few inches to put some distance between us, facing me so we can have a serious talk.
She pulls a pillow onto her lap before she begins. “As you might have figured, I was on a call with my friends—I had to give them an update.” She ducks her head, blushing. “I’m embarrassed to admit that I was trying to spill the tea when in reality I hadn’t had to. Portia sent a picture to our group chat—the picture of us eating—and all hell broke loose.”
“Why did all hell break loose?”
She nods. “Because, until this video chat they weren’t aware who I was, uh—dating?” She plays with a button affixed to the pillow. “I was giving them an update. That’s what I snuck away to tell them. As far as they knew, you were a one-night stand.”
How could they have known who I was when Harlow hadn’t even known? Makes sense that they’re just finding out—and through the media, no less.
No big shock there.
“You considered it a one-night stand?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know what I considered it, but yes, mostly I thought this was a one-night stand. I didn’t think it would go any further—you’re between gigs, so I thought someone pinching pennies couldn’t possibly afford to fly back and forth to date me, and I knew I couldn’t afford to fly to see you.”
“Pinching pennies,” I repeat. “You’re so adorable.”
I haven’t pinched pennies since, well—never.
“Thanks.” She laughs.
My brows go up. “You didn’t think I would fly out to see you?”
Harlow lets out a frustrated sigh. “The wanting to fly out and see me wasn’t the problem; it was the lack of ability I had stuck in my brain.” She taps on her forehead as if pointing to her brain.
“Because of the cost?”
She nods.
“Cost isn’t an issue.” Obviously.
I’m loaded, not that I have to tell her that. A quick search on the internet will tell her my net worth and the fact that at one point in my career, I was douchey enough to have driven a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
“All I know is that it just isn’t in my realm of possibility to go jet-setting all over the continental US for a man. That’s where my head was at, period, point blank.”
Ahh. “The good news is, that’s not a problem.” I grin widely, flashing the teeth that cost me thousands upon thousands of dollars to make pretty.
“First of all. We’re very different,” she begins.
“Are we?” I tilt my head. “How so?”
Her mouth drops open a fraction, damned if it doesn’t. “Uh, are you being serious? I haven’t worked out in like six months. I consider cardio getting up from the couch to walk to the fridge—or, like, parking my car in a spot that’s farther from the grocery store so I can get some steps in.” She motions toward me with one of her hands. “You live on a football field and in the gym.”
Not true. “I don’t live in the gym. I work out on a schedule and have a strict dietary plan during the season, but only because I have to. The gym is not my hobby—it keeps me employed.”
She glares. “You know what I mean. You have zero body fat.”
Also not true. “Of course I have body fat.”
This conversation will go nowhere if she’s only going to focus on physical differences.
“How else are we different?” My knee bounces.
“We come from two different worlds.”
“Not so,” I say. “I’m from Ohio, remember? In fact, I came from there this morning.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” I give her another toothy grin to let her know I’m unfazed by the list she’s determined to make. She is being so stubborn. “Harlow, what is this about? You don’t want to date an athlete? You’d rather date someone safe that won’t be work?”