Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 39424 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 197(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39424 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 197(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Davis talks to Abby first, and then Abby points to Chloe. Chloe shakes her head, and whatever she says to them seems to shock everyone at the table. Davis is the first one to look around the room, and when he spots me, he gets up from the table and walks over.
“What’s up?” he says as he sits down across from me.
“Not much. What’s up with you?” I ask without looking at him. Something’s up; I can tell by the way Chloe’s watching me from across the room.
“So… We’re about to leave.”
“Okay,” I mutter.
He’s tapping his hand on the table. “Well, Abby and I usually take Chloe home, but she says she’s staying.”
I tense up and look at Davis, waiting for him to finish.
“She said that you’ll make sure she gets home okay.”
I look back at Chloe, and she’s sitting up a little straighter, fully turned to face me. “Me?” I ask Davis.
He’s nodding his head. “Yep.”
I just keep watching Chloe.
“Look, Abby will not be happy if I just leave her friend at the bar. If you’re not going to make sure she gets home, then I’ll take her.”
“I’ll take her.”
His jaw drops. “You? You’re going to take her?”
“I just said I would. I got her. I’ll make sure she gets home.”
He shifts in his seat and lays his arms across the little round table. “Do you even know her?”
I tighten my jaw and look at my friend. We’ve been through hell together and made it through. He probably knows me better than most people, but there are still some things he doesn’t know. “I know her… She’s the one, Davis.”
He grips the edge of the table, shaking his head when he figures it out. “The one? Chloe is the one?”
I don’t have to explain it to him. He knows who I’m talking about, so I nod my head. “Yeah, so you see you can rest assured I will make sure she gets home okay.”
His forehead creases, and he shakes his head again. “But how? How do you know her?”
I go back to looking at Chloe, and she’s now looking at us with trepidation. She may have changed her mind about wanting me to take her home, but it’s too late now.
“All right,” Davis says as he smacks the table when he gets up. “Well, see you, brother.”
I nod at his retreating back and watch as he goes back to the table Chloe is at. All the women are looking at him expectantly, and I imagine he’s telling them that I said I would make sure Chloe gets home. Abby doesn’t like it. I can tell she’s trying to convince Chloe to go with them, but Chloe continues to refuse, and finally Abby, Davis, Olivia, Jason, Emerson, and Kanan leave. Davis waves at me, and I nod my head and then continue to watch Chloe.
My heart is racing in my chest because there’s not going to be any more silently stalking. She’s fixed it to where I have no choice but to talk to her. She knows me, and she knows that I wouldn’t refuse to make sure she got home safely.
I’m about to get up when another man stops next to Chloe at her table. I grip the table, and anger fuels me as I walk over to where she’s sitting. Right as I approach, the man walks away, and Chloe looks up at me. I make sure to keep my head down and that the hood is over my head.
Her voice is soft and hesitant. “You ready?”
I nod with a grunt, and she gets up. I follow behind her, watching the way her ass sways in her tight jeans. When we’re outside, she slows down, and I move to walk beside her. I have my hands buried in the front pockets of my jeans. It’s either that or I’m going to reach for her hand, and I will probably scare the life out of her in the process.
She keeps looking over at me but doesn’t say anything. I’m waiting for the questions. Hell, I practiced everything I wanted to say because I figure I’m only going to get one chance, and I don’t want to fuck it up.
“You want to walk or take your truck?”
“Walk.” I grunt my answer to her and try to soften the blow with “If that’s okay.”
She nods, and we keep walking. A few people walk past us, and they all say something to Chloe. I keep my head down and keep walking. We’re getting close to her house, and even though we haven’t said anything, I’m not ready for this to be over. Just being this close to her brings a calm over me.
CHAPTER 7
CHLOE
The walk home is not awkward really, but the silence is affecting me. We’re almost at my front door, and I know he’s going to try and escape. He’s going to try and leave as soon as I get to my door, and my heart starts to race knowing I can’t let that happen.