Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 107077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
I almost roll my eyes. These two can’t keep their hands off each other.
Am I jealous of what they have?
Hell, no.
All right…maybe a little.
There might be a teeny tiny part of me that wishes I had someone to hold close. And not just for a couple of hours but the long haul. Someone who would be there for me and talk about all the things I keep buried deep inside. My earlier convo with Mallory springs to mind.
What’s obvious is that she doesn’t give a shit about me. If I sustained a career-ending injury, she’d vanish before I blinked my eyes, moving on to another player whose future in the NFL looked bright and shiny.
That realization leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I hate to admit it, but most of the girls I hook up with are carbon copies of Mallory. That’s always been by design.
It’s exactly the way I wanted it.
At least…that used to be the case.
When the music changes and a popular song gets blared through the speakers, a loud cheer goes up and everyone sings along, belting out the lyrics. It’s a shock when Lola shimmies her way toward the space that has been carved out for dancing in the other room.
A couple of minutes tick by as I watch her lift her hands and tip her head back, her lithe body swaying to the thumping beat of the music. My cock stiffens as I stare from the edge of the space.
Who knew she could move like that?
When some random dude gets a little too close, putting his hands on her hips and trying to grind on her, I straighten as jealousy rears its ugly head. That’s all it takes for me to shove my way through the sea of dancers. It’s not like we’re together or anything, but I’m not about to let some drunk asshole take advantage of her either.
Once I reach her side, one hard look aimed in the dude’s direction is all it takes for him to slink away without so much as a word of protest. I wrap my hands around her waist and tug her close until our bodies are pressed together.
When she lifts her head and meets my gaze, a slow smile curves her lips and my heart stutters in response.
That’s never happened before. In all honesty, I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Here’s what I know—when I’m with Lola, everything feels different.
I feel different.
And I don’t want that to end.
17
LOLA
Argh.
My head.
It’s pounding so hard that it feels like it might roll right off my shoulders. Someone needs to make the insistent throbbing stop. I haven’t dared to crack open my eyes, and already the bright sunlight hurts them. It’s tempting to drag the pillow over my head and go back to sleep for a couple of hours, but I don’t have that luxury. Even in my incapacitated state, I remember that I’m working the afternoon shift at the restaurant. With the way I’m feeling, it’s going to be grueling.
The thought of serving food all day has my stomach roiling as if I’m standing on the deck of a ship that’s being tossed around by the ocean.
Why did I guzzle down so much alcohol last night?
I’m not much of a drinker. And I certainly don’t get wasted.
Like, ever.
But…it had been Demi’s birthday, and the situation with Tony had been weighing me down, making it impossible to breathe. I’d wanted to turn off my thoughts and escape my life if only for a few blissful hours.
And that’s exactly what I did.
Images flicker through my brain like a slow-motion picture show.
There’d been laughter. Enough to make my belly hurt and tears spring to my eyes. When was the last time I laughed that hard?
Or that much?
Probably never.
And then there’d been Asher.
He stayed by my side all night. No matter where I was, he’d been there, which had allowed me to cut loose and simply enjoy myself. That’s not something I do on a regular basis or with just anyone. There aren’t many people I’m comfortable with or trust. But with him…surprisingly, I am. It doesn’t make sense. We haven’t known each other very long, but that doesn’t change the way I feel.
And then there’d been the dancing…
I shook my booty until it felt like my feet were going to fall off.
Another memory gradually takes shape in my brain.
Kissing.
And lots of it.
Did it go any further than that?
I sift through the memories, but everything remains murky. When nothing more comes to mind, I blow out a slow breath and attempt to pry my eyes open. It feels like they’re cemented shut. After a minute or two, my eyelashes finally flutter, and I glance around the space before realizing that nothing looks familiar.
Well, hell.
I steel myself before chancing a look at the other side of the mattress, only to find it empty. A ridiculous amount of relief rushes through me. I’m in no way a detective, but by the state of the rumpled sheets and indent on the neighboring pillow, my guess is that I didn’t sleep here alone. I pick up the blankets and peek under them to find that I’m naked from the waist up with only my panties to cover me.