Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Beyond that, though, Jake’s touch worked as a salve. It unwound the tightening razor-sharp threads of anxiety that were threatening to cause a full-blown panic attack.
Another breath. This one came with a smile, matching the one that inched across Jake’s face.
“Your mom must be related to Aristotle. That’s a really good way to look at things.”
His smile flickered, his hand slipping from mine, moving back to his lap.
“Come, let’s get inside,” he said, taking the keys from the ignition, the smile back in full force. I could get used to that smile. Even if I much rather preferred that smile to be pressed up against mine, something that had a very low likelihood of ever happening.
I got out of the car, following Jake up the steps and onto his porch. I got a closer look at the flowers, all of them thriving. He had bright ruby-red roses and thick bushels of pastel purple lavender. Two large blue pots of prehistoric-looking ferns flanked his door. He unlocked it and stepped inside, welcoming me in with a flair of his arm and a tiny bow, as if I were some kind of royalty.
“Wow, it’s bigger on the inside,” I said without really thinking.
“Huh?”
“Oh nothing, just a Doc—”
“Doctor Who reference? You watch it?” Jake asked, eyebrows raised.
“Are you kidding? I worship it. Favorite doctor?”
Jake cocked his head before nodding with a slanted smile. “David Tennant’s doctor, hands down. You?”
“It’s a tie between Matt and Jodie. I’m leaning more toward Jodie, though.”
He nodded, and I tried not to show how happy I was at letting my inner-geek flag fly. “How about companion?” I asked.
“Donna Noble,” he answered without missing a beat. “And Rose.”
“I’m going with Amy. I just loved her entire storyline. She and Rory are my favorite fictional couple. The crap they go through is intense, but they still get their HEA.”
Jake licked his lips, smiled. Fuck. Did he realize how sexy he looked when he did that? Now his lips were all shiny and shit. I looked down at my hands, trying hard to focus on the topic and not on the fact that I could feel myself getting hard.
“Want a tour?” Jake asked, kicking off his shoes and placing them neatly on a rack next to the door. I followed his lead, taking off my socks, too, and leaving them bundled up inside my sneakers. The hardwood floors were cold against the soles of my feet, matching the chill in the air. I peeked at the digital thermostat and saw he kept it at a brisk sixty-nine.
Straight boys and their overheating bodies. Hopefully, evolution helps them out at some point.
Jake spoke a command, and the rest of the lights slowly came on, bathing his living room in a warm golden tone, highlighting the soft browns of his leather couch and the rich beige of his entertainment stand. A massive TV hung on the wall, framed by a strip of lights taped behind it, currently set to a shifting rainbow pattern.
Huh. Interesting choice.
“You’ve got a green thumb, huh?” I asked, noticing all of the thriving plants around the room. There was a row of succulents on the windowsill, a couple of large tree-looking things potted in massive black clay pots with rubbery leaves, and a few trailing plants that let their vines hang down a bookshelf packed with an assortment of books.
“I do,” Jake said, looking around with a glint of pride in his eyes. “Got into it pretty recently, actually. I used to kill even the fake plants I had. One night, I had an edible and a glass of wine and went to town, researching and ordering things online. Turns out, I really like being a plant guy.”
And imagine how much you’d enjoy being a plant gay.
I made my way over to the fireplace, where a couple of framed photos of Jake and people who I assumed were his close friends and family sat. One of them showed only two people: Jake and his girlfriend, perched on the ledge of a jagged rock formation, backpacks strapped to them and smiles plastered wide. She was the one I’d seen come into the office a couple of times.
“You two look happy here. Where was that?” Asking as if I didn’t know what the hell the Grand Canyon looked like.
“Letchworth State Park.”
Hmm… maybe I didn’t know what the Grand Canyon looked like.
“It was a fun trip. They call it the Grand Canyon of the east.”
Oh, thank God.
Jake came over, grabbing the photo off the ledge. “This was two weeks before we broke up, actually.”
“At least you—wait, what? Broke up? You two aren’t together anymore?”
He nodded, smiling. “That’s usually what happens in a breakup.”
I slant my mouth, arched a brow. The shock was still filtering through me. “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”