Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
He grabbed their wrappers and empty soda cups and walked to the nearest trash can, throwing out the garbage. He returned to her, well aware she wouldn’t let him wriggle out of answering her questions.
“Let’s hear what?” Because he wasn’t about to just spill all his family and personal secrets. She’d need to be specific.
She tapped one slender finger on her cheek. “Let’s start with why you dislike models so much. I’m pretty sure whatever the reason, it helped contribute to your negative feelings about me. Before you got to know me, of course.”
Picking up the bag with the stray’s meal, she said, “Let’s walk back to the dog while you tell me what I want to know. I’m sure Lucky is hungry.”
Oh, shit. She’d named the dog. He was sure that didn’t bode well for him in the long run. Suddenly he’d rather talk about his past relationships than let her focus on a dog she couldn’t have.
“I assume you’ve heard of Christy Baylor?” he asked as he strode along the sandy sidewalk, Nikki by his side.
“Yes! She was the face of some major brands,” she said, excited. “I don’t know her personally, she’s older than me, but she’s had a wonderful career. I idolize how she’s managed herself.”
He drew a deep breath and let it out. “As long as you don’t idolize her personality,” he muttered.
Nikki placed a hand on his arm and they stopped walking. “What did she do to you?” she asked, her voice soft.
He ran a hand over his face and groaned. “Okay, look. I’ve had two long-term relationships in my life.” She might as well hear it all. “The first one was in business school. Mara. We had similar goals and spent a ton of time together before I met your brother and Knox. Mara and I were together for six months. I thought I was in love. One night, I surprised her at her apartment. Her roommate let me in, and I walked into Mara’s room as she was telling her parents she was sure she had me wrapped around her finger. She assured them that, by the time we graduated, we’d get married, I’d be paying off her school loans, and she’d set them all up for life. Turns out she’d targeted me from day one.”
He still kicked himself for being duped.
Nikki’s eyes narrowed and an angry expression he’d never seen crossed her face. “Can I claw her eyes out for you?” she asked.
He shook his head and let out a chuckle. “Easy, tiger. I don’t even know what happened to her. I dumped her and never spoke to her again.” But he couldn’t deny he liked how pissed Nikki was on his behalf.
“So she made you distrust women’s motives,” she astutely said. “That’s something we have in common. And Christy, the model?”
“Caught her having sex with her yoga teacher.” He tried to shrug it off but couldn’t deny the betrayal still stung. Not because he’d loved her but he hated having been made a fool of.
“Cheaters are horrible human beings,” Nikki muttered. “But cheating on you? That makes her a moron, as well.”
He raised his brows, unable to believe that one short statement took away the sting. And bolstered his ego at the same time.
He laughed and met her gaze. “You’re special, Nikki. Always remember that. Now let’s get that dog fed.” Grasping her hand, he led her back to the water sports shop.
* * *
By the time they returned, the dog had disappeared. Nikki wasn’t just disappointed, she was worried. He’d seemed so thin and she’d been able to feel his ribs when she petted him. And the way he’d consumed the water, he was obviously thirsty, too.
“The dog walked toward the parking lot,” the shop guy said.
Nikki forced a smile. “Thank you.” Unwilling to leave the burgers in case she saw him on her way to the car, she held the bag in her hand.
“There are thousands of strays and you can’t save them all,” Asher said, obviously sensing her thoughts and her mood. He placed a hand on her back, guiding her toward where they’d parked the SUV.
Normally she’d be thinking about the fact that Asher had opened up about his romantic history, but that dog and its sweet face stayed with her. She’d just have to think more about what he’d said and how it had impacted him later.
They stepped into the lot and Asher hit the key fob, causing the SUV nearby to beep as the doors unlocked.
Nikki took a step and heard a bark. She turned and there he was. “Lucky!”
She’d named him because when she’d found him, she’d given him water and had planned to feed him, too. So he’d gotten lucky. And now she was convinced she’d given him the right name.
The dog turned at the sound of her voice.