Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 116254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Gaze narrowed, Ned asked, “What’s wrong with you? You keep frowning and shit.”
Ah, hell. Breck looked away. Feigned an apathetic shrug. “Nah, man. I’m fine.”
“Yeah, uh huh. Now I call bullshit. You’ve barely said five sentences all night. Aren’t drinking your beer… Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve heard you crack one single laugh.”
Even drunk, Ned could be annoyingly astute.
Breck shook his head, eyes still averted. “Nope. Totally good.”
Unfortunately, his best friend wasn’t buying it.
A wadded-up napkin ricocheted off his face.
“Dude,” Ned groused. “C’mon. I’m your boo. Spill your shit or I’m gonna make a scene.”
He totally would, too.
Breck slid him a glare. “You’re a pain in my ass.”
Ned beamed. “I know, right? But you love me. Now get fuckin’ talking.”
Breck regarded him. Should he—could he—tell Ned everything? Or would it be wiser to just make something up? After all, his situation with Kai was no longer happening. Past tense. What purpose could it possibly serve to divulge his epic fail?
I’d get to vent. To talk about it.
And not just with anyone but his best fucking friend.
Which, God, would feel really good. All these months, he’d never confided in anyone. Had so much shit pent up inside that he needed to release.
He shifted in his seat, scratched more at that beer bottle label. Yeah, Ned had been great about Tad’s deal, completely accepting and supportive of the guy. But his dynamic was different with Tad. They weren’t thick as thieves like he was with Breck.
Breck and Ned, the closest of friends since freshman year. They had history. Real connection. A bond. Breck didn’t want to disrupt that shit. Didn’t want things to change.
And yet, as Ned stared him down, he made a decision to trust their solid foundation. The news would surprise Ned, but he’d bounce back. Knowing him, he’d probably yank Breck’s ass into a bestie-boo, bro-love headlock.
Just the prospect of that nearly had Breck reconsidering. Maybe it’d be better to just keep shit on the low.
“Well?” Ned prompted, starting to look impatient. Pretty boy mixed with alcohol made for an exceptionally short attention span. No doubt, he was already struggling not to fixate on something new.
Just do it. While the others are away.
Drop the bomb and finally release some steam.
Besides, if he couldn’t talk to Ned, his best friend, then who could he talk to? Right now, he could really, really use an ear to bend.
Giving a nod, he swallowed—here goes nothing—and opened his mouth. “I—”
“Ohhh, shit.” Ned’s eyes locked on something behind Breck in the distance. “That’s her. She’s here… I thought I’d never see her again.”
Breck shut his mouth and frowned, turning to follow his gaze.
Her who? Who was there?
And then he spotted her. The chick from the gym that had held Ned totally rapt. He’d been unable to tear his eyes away—kind of like his current state.
“What’s going on with her?” Breck asked. So much for spilling the beans. His best friend was completely derailed.
“She’s that girl from—”
“Your class, yeah, I know. Have you talked to her, though? Made any headway? Do you like her?” Breck was curious to know. Because, again, she wasn’t exactly Ned’s type. Breck’s own admission could wait a few if it’d mean scoring the goods.
“I… I don’t know.” Ned’s tone sounded bemused. “Maybe? I think?” His words faltered, his brain palpably churning. “I just… feel drawn to her in the weirdest way. Like I know her from somewhere or something… Gah, I can’t explain it.”
He stood from the table and smoothed out his shirt. “I’m gonna go say hello.”
Breck eyed him oddly. “Have you talked to her before?”
Ned finger-combed a hand through his mane of black hair. “A little, not much... And then college ended.” He tracked her intently. “Maybe I’ll ask her to dance.”
Seriously?
Breck regarded the girl again. Definitely not the club-bunny type Ned typically targeted. No micro-mini with a corset pushing up her tits. No gobs of make-up or brazen porn-star allure. Granted, she looked more dolled up than she had at the gym. Mascara and liner. Some tinted lip gloss. Sun-streaked hair down over her shoulders in light brown waves. A halter top over a modest rack. Low-rise jeans hugging narrow hips and long, sculpted legs. Maybe not a supermodel, but Breck had to admit, she had it going on.
He watched as Ned approached the girl, his gaze still locked like a heat-seeking missile on her back. His vibe that of a man determined not to let her get away.
Intriguing.
Ned normally threw out his allure and let the ladies come to him.
His target headed to the bar with her dark-haired friend, a Eurasian beauty with hair down to her ass and eyes like midnight suns. Breck’s stomach clenched, thinking of Kai yet again. Ever and always ensnared by his captivating gaze.
Breck sighed and turned back around. “Get ’er, tiger.”