Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 209(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 209(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
“Your soup, sir,” Diego says politely, delivering my bowl to my table. He steps right in front of me, blocking my view of the woman at the counter, which irritates me.
“Thank you, Diego.”
“Your salad will be up soon. Enjoy,” he replies before scurrying away.
The moment he moves, my gaze returns to the front counter, only to find it empty. “Damn,” I mumble, feeling let down by the fact she’s gone, which is fucking stupid. I have no idea who she was or what she looked like, yet I sat here and fantasized about her as if I knew her. “Dumbass.”
I definitely need to get laid.
“There he is!” Declan hollers as I enter our old high school gymnasium. I smile at the small group of guys I’ve considered friends since high school. Sure, I was pretty popular and had tons of people itching to hang out with me, but only had a few guys I called true friends.
“Dec,” I state with a smile, heading over and giving him a one-armed bro hug. “Damn, you’ve gotten uglier.”
He laughs, slapping my back. “And you’ve gotten fatter.”
I glance down at my tight T-shirt and basketball shorts. Yeah, there might be a little extra cushion over the abs, but they’re still there. “I can still take your ass.”
“Shit-talking already, are we, Morrison?” Ben asks, coming up and giving me a shoulder bump.
“Damn right, I am. I have years’ worth to make up for,” I tell them, dropping my bag on the bleachers.
“Why am I the last one here? Morrison was always the late one,” Cameron says as he enters the gym.
“Because you’re too busy working now,” Declan smarts off, making Cameron smile.
“We ready to play?” I ask, stretching my legs.
“Yep. Ready to show those young kids who’s the boss of this court,” Ben adds, nodding toward the group of early twenty-somethings playing ball on the other half of the court.
“You better stretch a little more like Eli,” Declan teases.
“We’re only twenty-seven,” Ben argues, yet stretches his legs anyway.
“True, but things are already sore when I get up in the morning,” Cameron chimes in.
“All right, are we gonna talk about our feelings or are we gonna play ball?” I ask, clapping my hands together, anxious to get sweaty on the court. I’ve been off since I saw the mystery woman standing in my hotel this afternoon. So off that I actually had to go back to my suite and get off before I could return my focus to where it needed to be. On work.
Ten minutes in and I’m already covered in sweat. I’ve been working out in the gym, but that’s nothing compared to hitting the hardwood with my friends. Cameron tosses the ball to me, and I dribble toward the basket. Ben is there, playing defense, making damn sure I don’t have a shot. “How’s work?” he asks, his eyes focused on my dribbling hand.
“Not bad. Had to fire someone yesterday, which fucking sucks,” I reply, pivoting and dipping around him. Ben blocks me with his hip, a total foul, but since we’re not playing by standard rules, I let it slide.
“Damn, only a week in and you’ve already had to fire someone?” he asks, just as I pass the ball to Cameron, who’s making a move for the basket.
“Yep,” I reply, returning the love and getting a little pushy on him.
Cameron catches the pass and makes an easy layup shot, putting us ahead by two.
“Dammit, Dec,” Ben chastises our friend.
“He cheated anyway,” Declan argues with a smile, elbowing Cameron in the chest.
“Nice shot,” I tell my friend, giving him a high five.
“Thanks,” Cameron replies, moving over to defend Ben as he tosses the ball inbounds. “You know, my sister’s looking for a job.”
Before I can even get a word out, Declan speaks up. “Marley? Is she still hot?”
I almost answer him. Yes. Yes, she is hot as fuck, but I keep my trap shut.
“Watch it,” Cameron practically growls his words across the court.
“What? She is? I saw her earlier in the year when she was home for your parents’ anniversary dinner,” Declan replies, dribbling and passing the ball to Ben.
“I’d date her,” Ben states matter-of-factly, focusing on the basket.
“No, you can’t. She’s too good for the likes of you dogs,” Cameron replies, reaching for the ball but unable to snatch it away.
“This is true, but I’d still hit it,” Ben says, and all I see is red.
“What the fuck?” I demand, charging toward him like a bull does a red flag.
“I’m kidding, Morrison, calm down,” he defends as I approach. “Just trying to get under Smith’s skin.”
I can tell by the look in his eyes, he wasn’t serious. Well, he may have been serious, because Marley’s hot as fuck, but I can tell by the look in his eyes that he was teasing. “Yeah,” I respond, grabbing the ball and dribbling toward the basket.