Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“But you don’t need to stay here, wallowing with me. You go out there and chase that joy. You deserve every ounce of it.” She leaned back in her chair. “Is there anyone you can think of who might want to do some of those things with you?”
A little zap of electricity snapped through me at the thought of Ajax. It’d been three days since he’d magically appeared on my porch and read to me from the current romance novel I was devouring. Heat swept over my skin with the memory. His deep, guttural voice shaping the words on the page had been the sweetest, most delicious sound I’d ever heard, lulling me to a peaceful sleep that spiraled into dreams of him using his tongue in other ways to soothe me. Warmth pooled in my core, and I had to blink a few times to stop my mind from wandering.
I’d looked at the phone number he’d given me more than once, debating texting him, but I hadn’t used it.
Fear stopped me. Because what if I called the number and it turned out he really was just a figment of my imagination? A dying mind’s last resort for happiness?
“I think I might,” I said, standing and heading for her door. “But in all honesty, he may not be real.” What was more likely? That I happened to find an insanely attractive man who was kind, perceptive, protective, and encouraging all at the same time and somehow found me interesting as well, or that my fractured mind conjured him from my favorite fantasies to ease me into a delightful death?
Maria tilted her head at me, and I waved her off.
“You still hearing voices, honey?” Maria asked.
I nodded. “It’s getting worse.”
Something clicked behind her eyes, like the gears turning in a clock. Before she could say she was sorry or worried about me, I winked at her.
“It’s all in good fun, now,” I said. “This way I can pretend I have superpowers on my way out.” I blew her a kiss, then shut her door behind me.
I had my phone out by the time I sank behind the wheel of my car, and before I could chicken out, I pushed Ajax’s contact information.
My knee bounced as I waited, the sun fully set now outside my car.
He didn’t answer.
And I sat there, watching the night come alive around me, seriously contemplating my sanity. Going over every detail in my mind to try to convince myself that there was no way I’d truly conjured—
My phone buzzed in my hands, jolting me out of my thoughts.
Grace’s Grim Reaper flashed over my screen, and my heart literally fluttered in my chest.
“Hey angel of death,” I said by way of answer.
“Hey there, little human,” he fired right back, and I swear my smile stretched wider.
“Have plans for tonight?” I asked.
“Not as of right now,” he said. “What do you have in mind?”
“How do you feel about bungee jumping?”
“So, what’s your story, Grace?” Ajax asked me an hour later as we waited for our turn to leap off of one of Edgemont’s tallest bridges.
The water that hugged Edgemont’s border glittered under the moonlight, little ripples stretching on and out toward the horizon. In the distance, I could clearly make out one of the more famous bridges in Edgemont, a historic site with beautifully constructed architecture in pale limestone that looked almost ghostly at night. The city sparkled like diamonds all around us, giving us the perfect view. It was one of the reasons why the nighttime bungee place was so popular.
“My story…” I furrowed my brow, looking up and up at him.
He wore dark jeans this time, and a long-sleeved white Henley that hugged every inch of his muscles, and black boots that looked ancient and well worn. He also was strapped into a black harness that matched mine, and looked good enough to eat standing there, the moon full and illuminated behind him as he leaned against the railing from the platform we waited on, which was at least three hundred feet high.
“Why would you want to know my story?” I asked honestly. I couldn’t help but wonder why he was hanging around at all. Then again, I wasn’t an expert on dating. I’d been on a few my freshman year in college, but quickly put that to the side when I decided to go for my doctorate in half the time.
Was this how people did…relationships? Meet a complete stranger somewhere and do the whole get-to-know you talk?
Ajax shrugged, a mischievous smile on his face. “Maybe I’m fascinated by you.”
“Maybe you stalked me outside of a hospital and get your kicks off uncovering the reason I was there?” I teased.
A pang hit the center of my chest as I realized I was flirting with the giant. And that was wholly unfair. I shifted on my feet, taking a deep breath. “You really want to know my story?”