Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 115833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
“And let you drown in the funk you’re in? Nah.”
A moment of silence passed between us before Deke finally released a sigh and sat on the pavement next to me. “You’re lucky I like you,” he mumbled.
I fought a grin.
He placed his legs at a bent angle, then put his arms on top of his knees in a relaxed position. I saw all this from the corner of my eye. I couldn’t dare myself to fully look at him while we were this close. I was sure my mascara had run a little and my eyes were red. I probably looked like a hot mess sitting next to this perfect melanin god in his crisp designer suit.
I buried my chin deeper in the gap between my chest and forearms and side-eyed him. He was watching the fountain, seemingly lost in thought. A serenity bloomed around him like he was shining with a new light.
“We can just sit here if you want,” he murmured, like he knew I was watching him.
I nodded in appreciation.
When a few quiet seconds ticked by, though, I couldn’t stand the silence anymore and looked at him. “I still don’t get why you care so much.”
“Who says I care? For all you know, I need some fresh air too. Someone in there was starting to smell like a basket of cut onions.” He slid his eyes my way, revealing a dimple.
I hugged myself tighter while fighting a smile. “You do that a lot, you know?”
“Do what?”
“Make a joke when I’m being serious. You deflect.”
His lips pressed as he contemplated that. “Do I?”
“Yeah. Like saying I’m in the one percent of people you like, the first time I asked why you keep checking on me. I can’t imagine how many girls you’ve said that to.”
“I’ve only ever said that to you.” He dropped his arms and leaned closer to me. “One thing you should know about me, D, is that I don’t lie. I speak my truth, and I’m a man of my word.”
My head went into a slight tilt as I studied the long lashes that framed his brown eyes. “Did you sign with Golden Oil for your sisters, or was it really something you wanted to do?”
He digested the question, turning his gaze slightly to the left. When his eyes settled on mine again, he said, “At first, it didn’t matter much to me. I wanted to hear you out because I’d never had a small business like yours approach me. Suppose none of them ever felt they had a chance, seeing as I’m not out here screaming about skin care. But GOC did. And call me crazy, but when I saw you in that office, I wanted to make sure I had a reason to keep seeing you.”
I tilted my face to the sky. “Oh, Deke.”
“What?”
I dropped my chin, looking into his eyes. “What happened to our just friends agreement?”
“We are friends,” he confirmed smoothly.
“Well, I don’t know what kind of friends you have, but they usually don’t say stuff like that.”
He released a gut-deep chuckle. “Friends check on each other, make sure the other is okay. I’m here to make sure you’re good.”
“Well, I’m fine,” I said, putting my attention elsewhere.
“Don’t do that.”
I whipped my head to look at him. “Do what?”
“Don’t lie about how you feel. You ran out of the ballroom to sit alone in front of a fountain that has geese shit all around it. You’re not fine.”
I rested my chin on my arms again. “You probably think I’m an emotional idiot.”
“I don’t understand why you’d say something like that.” His voice was serious—so serious I had to look at him again to make sure he was okay. He was staring at me with his brows drawn together.
“What?” I asked through a breathy laugh. I sat up straight, confused by his sudden change of mood.
“I would never think that about you—or anyone who just lost a person they care about.”
I swallowed hard and dropped my head, but Deke wasn’t having it. His fingers gently grasped my chin, and he lifted my head just enough that I had no choice but to look at him.
His fingers were warm, and I had the faintest urge to sink my cheek into his whole palm just to feel something—anything. I hadn’t been touched by a man in so long and probably would’ve done it if he’d attempted. Maybe I was just sad and vulnerable at the moment, but I would’ve.
There is such a thing as being touch starved. I craved a man’s touch, a possessive grip—anything that would drive my body wild. I wanted to be comforted and was willing to take it in the form of a mildly cocky, multimillion-dollar athlete . . . so long as there weren’t any strings attached to it.
“I think you’re smart as hell. And funny. And real,” Deke said, voice husky. A smile played at the edges of his lips as he held on to my chin. “It’s hard finding authentic people in my world, but with you, you’re just yourself. So don’t sit there and say you’re being emotional or that you’re an idiot. You’re being exactly who you need to be right now, D, and there’s nothing wrong with it.”