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 is this little Aleesa?” Kyla cooed, her eyes melting into puddles as she focused on the little girl in Javier’s arms. Aleesa rested her head on his shoulder with a shy smile. “Oh, she’s so beautiful, Mr. Valdez.”
“Yes, she is,” he said, nodding in agreement. “And please, call me Javier.”
“Javier it is.” Kyla turned my way, pointing a knowing finger at me. “And you are the one and only Deke Bishop. How great it is to be in your presence.”
I took the hand she offered and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Kyla. Hope you don’t mind my presence. I’m just here to help out.”
“Well, that’s wonderful and kind of you,” she said. “Please, let’s have a seat. Javier, I mentioned to you that we have a few more people that will be joining us for lunch. I spoke to a potential collaborator on the phone last night and have really high hopes about this.”
“Yes. That is okay.”
Not long after settling into our seats, a familiar pasty man in a tailored suit walked in, and Kyla sprung right up to greet him like she had with us.
“Chester! Hi!” she sang. “It’s so great to see you again!”
Chester gave her a closed-lip smile. “Pleasure’s mine, Kyla.”
The name Chester sounded familiar. There weren’t any Chesters in my world, but I was almost positive that name was mentioned somewhere recently.
Just as the thought occurred, a curvy silhouette near the sliding curtain appeared in the corner of my eye. My heart dropped a notch when I saw who it was.
The drop wasn’t in a bad way. No, this was one I could recover from, like being on a roller coaster and reaching that adrenaline peak, only to hit a rapid descent and be brought back to level ground. It throttled me but also made me feel alive.
There she was. The woman I couldn’t get out of my damn mind. The woman who’d been ignoring my emails. The woman who looked sexy as fuck in a powder-blue dress, her hair in a curly afro and her almond skin bright and flawless, with full, glossed lips I wanted to do so many things to.
Davina.
I picked up my water and took a much-needed swallow.
When Davina caught me in the room, she stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes widened like saucers. She’d been calm and collected when she first entered, but at the mere sight of me, she was flushed, her throat bobbing and her lips parting as she searched for words.
After lowering my glass, I smirked and said, “You’re blushing, D.”
THIRTY-ONE
DAVINA
This could not be happening.
Out of all the places in the world, Deke was right here in the heart of Miami and in the same restaurant I was in. I should’ve known. I should’ve known!
Chester said Javier Valdez would be joining us for lunch, and I’d read up on Deke enough to know Javier was one of his closest friends and teammates. I didn’t think they’d be together, though! Out of all the places he could’ve been, he was here. I swear God was trying to punish me for something. Didn’t Deke have some event to go to, or an offseason game to play?
I ignored Deke, who remained seated while I shook hands with Kyla Cox. After greeting Chester, I drew in a breath and sat next to Octavia, who was sitting across from Deke. That left me to sit diagonally across from him. I’d have traded spots with Javier, but his daughter, Aleesa, was at the head of the table.
Everyone knew that adorable three-year-old. She was the sweet little girl who giddily cheered for her dad from the sidelines. Other than on the court, you’d never catch Javier Valdez without his daughter.
I cleared my throat, then picked up the full cup of cool water in front of me to take a few gulps.
Octavia bumped me with her elbow. “What is wrong with you? Just say hi.”
I peered around the table, after Kyla took the seat directly across from Javier. Chester sat across from me, and Deke was to his right. I inhaled, setting my glass back down and finally giving Deke my full attention.
That was a mistake.
He was already looking at me as he leaned casually against the back of his seat, with his arms folded over his chest. His hooded eyes traveled from my mouth to my bosom, then slowly dragged up to my eyes again.
His freshly cut hair was lined up neatly, the dark waves glistening beneath the pendant lights. His gold chain may as well have blinded me with how thick and shiny it was. He wore a blue jean jacket, with the sleeves rolled up, over a solid black T-shirt and black pants. A gold watch was on one wrist and a bracelet to match on the other. I studied the sleeves of dark ink on his forearms, all of various designs, and those bulging veins that were like arm porn.