Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
My hand comes to rest on her leg, keeping the contact there, needing her to anchor me with her presence and her compassion.
“You just want to blame yourself,” she says. “But you can’t. I won’t let you.”
I smirk. “You won’t let me?”
“I’ll stop you. Every time I see you getting all broody like you’re thinking about how it’s your fault, I’ll do something to distract you.”
I grab her hips and bring her to me. “I thought they’d hate me, the person I ended up telling this to, I mean. I thought they’d fucking despise me.”
“That’s just proof you’ve let it bounce around that gorgeous head of yours for too long.”
I chuckle, and she grins. I know that’s what she wanted. To make me laugh.
I’m so grateful for it. So grateful for her.
“I’ve never been called gorgeous before.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”
“Yeah,” I say huskily. “We’re going to experience that together.”
Her eyes get that excitable look, even now. But then a car drives past, loudly and slowly, some jackass revving his engine. He passes through the street.
I nod at the passenger seat. “We’d better get going.”
She slides back into her seat, touching my arm. “Thanks for telling me that. I know it must’ve been hard.”
“Yeah,” I say, letting out a long sigh. “But you deserve to know. You’re my girlfriend, after all, the first one I’ve had since…and I want you to know, this, us, you mean more to me than she did. It’s a terrible thing to say, maybe. But it’s the truth.”
She holds my hand, using her other to paw away tears.
Reaching over, I do it for her, smoothing my thumb across her cheek.
“Shall we get going?” I say.
“Sure,” she murmurs, nodding. “But I sort of don’t want to leave you.”
I pull out of the spot, joining the traffic. “I don’t want to leave you either. But I’ve got another fundraiser tonight.”
She withdraws her hands, a reflex, placing both in her lap. “Oh, okay, that’s fine.”
“I’m not taking a date,” I snarl.
She turns, eyes widening. “You’re not?”
“I canceled this morning.”
Bryce was pissed about it, but there was no other option.
“Why?” she says.
I reach over, tucking hair behind her ear. “It’s like you said. I had a feeling something was going to happen today. That’s why I invited you when nobody would be around.”
“But….”
“I knew I’d choose you, Lucy,” I say, wondering how far I can take it.
I back off, not wanting to shatter this connection.
“You have no idea how much that means to me.”
I grin, reaching over and playfully tickling her side. “I do, Miss Crush.”
She giggles, slapping at my hand. “Hey, don’t throw that in my face.”
I stop tickling her, clutching her hand instead, feeling her warmth. “I’m only joking. It means a lot to me. Hell, Lucy, I wish we’d met eight months ago.”
“Me too.”
“Do you want to come up and meet Jane – she’s my roommate – if you’ve got the time?”
I check the clock. “Yeah, I’ve got an hour or so before I need to start getting ready. Lucy, I should’ve said…you’re welcome to come with me. But I just thought, with the cameras and everything…it’s a lot for a normal person to deal with.”
“Oh, so now I’m normal?”
She’s got that sparked-up energy about her that just makes her so much more beautiful.
“No, you’re not,” I say fiercely. “But you’re not a celebrity. I’d love you to come.”
I take her hands, lean over, and brush my lips along hers.
“We can shock the world. Let them know I’m taken.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“I knew it the moment I saw you,” I tell her.
I caution myself to slow down, but then she kisses me hard. She kisses me like she’s starving for it, and I return the kiss, tasting her body, feeling her, as if something in her and in me is joining, fusing.
“I’m not sure,” she says. “The whole celebrity thing…I think I’ll skip this one. Just for now. Is that okay?”
I peck her on the cheek, knowing I’ll lose control otherwise.
“Whatever you choose is okay with me,” I tell her.
My phone starts to vibrate from the glove compartment. I take it out and glance at it.
“It’s Bryce. He’s called me eleven times. What the hell?”
“It must be important…”
I’m about to answer when Rachael’s phone starts to ring. It distracts me, then Bryce stops calling. From the notifications, I can see he’s left me several voicemails.
“What?” Lucy says down the phone, then her voice rises. “Are you serious?”
She hangs up and looks at me.
“We need to go upstairs.”
“What is it?”
“Please, just come with me. I can’t tell you. Jane has it ready.”
Before she can finish, a woman bursts from the apartment. She’s tall with blonde hair, running across the street in workout gear. She runs right up to the car with her phone in her hand.