Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Ian gasped, then shook it off. “Whatever. I don’t want Finley to worry. He doesn’t deserve to have his family time ruined because of me.”
He stood and began throwing the few things he had in a bag while I sat and waited.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ian
I had no idea why in the hell I was doing this. Actually, that was a lie, but one I felt comfort in pretending was the truth.
I didn’t want to admit that as much as I cared about Finley, this wasn’t about him. Other people had come and gone in my life. I’d had other foster siblings, guys I’d dated or fucked, random boyfriends who were never serious, and people I met at jobs, but I never let them get any deeper than the surface. Finley was the only one who lasted, who was real. Jordan was becoming that, or maybe that was another lie I told myself and he already had become a deeper friend. It felt like the lines were blurring.
The real reason I’d agreed to stay at David’s was because I wanted to. Deep down, in that part of me I did my best to ignore, he intrigued me. He had for a while, but it felt silly to let myself entertain the idea of us being anything more than friends, through our mutual friends. David was everything I wasn’t and had things I never would. He also wanted things I didn’t when it came to sex. I couldn’t understand why people wanted to give up control, or why they wanted to be in control of others, when life was already hard enough as it was.
But I liked it when he said he was bossy and wouldn’t leave without me, when he said he’d throw me over his shoulder and carry me out. Why had I liked that?
And God, for once, I wanted something to feel easy. Staying with him would take some of the pressure off.
“This is it. This is all I’ve got,” I told him when I finished packing. “Most of my stuff was ruined, or too fucked up to worry about in the first place, or I didn’t take it because I have nowhere to keep it.” Like my futon.
“Since you’ll be saving money on bills, you can buy new things when you get your own place,” David told me. He wanted me to stay until I got on my feet. It was unnerving, to say the least.
“What’s with you and Aidan, anyway? Saving the world, one broke ex-foster kid at a time?”
“That’s exactly it. It’s our kink.”
“Ha-ha.” I had to admit, I did like David’s sense of humor. He reminded me of Jordan in the way they could let everything roll off their backs—not the way I did sometimes when I faked it. For them it was real. And I could see this thing between them getting serious. They were both so easygoing that they’d be good together, and then Jordan, David, Finley, and Aidan could go to those sex parties together, and out to fancy dinners, and all that stuff.
“You’re frowning. What’s going on in that head of yours?” David asked.
Damn it. I wasn’t good at locking shit down around him. “Nothing. I’m fine. I’m gonna need your address. I’ll follow you over with my car, so just in case we get separated.”
He texted it to me, then helped me carry my things to my car. I checked out of my motel room, then headed for David’s house, following along behind his Mercedes. Shame washed over me as too much smoke puffed out of my exhaust. I should get rid of it and go back to not having a car, but man, it was nice to have my own set of wheels, even if they weren’t great ones.
When we pulled into the driveway of David’s Santa Monica home, I sat in my running car, foot teasing the gas pedal. What the fuck was I doing here? I didn’t belong. At all.
David stood by his silver vehicle, watching me, his arms crossed. Our gazes held as I continued to toy with the idea of leaving. And then…then as if he could read my mind, David shook his head slowly. Telling me no.
I could still go. I should go. What I did, though, was turn off the fucking car and get out. Goddamn him.
“When Finley moved in with Aidan, he said he felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I’m kinda getting it now.”
“Only I’m not paying you to have sex with me—not that I have a problem with that—but if we ever fuck, it’ll be because you want to from the start.” His voice was deep and dark, like some kind of whiskey or something.
I trembled because it was sexy, but also bristled because of his reference to buying or selling sex. “You wish.” I went for the back seat to get my stuff.