Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“Hey, sorry about that,” he said with a mischievous grin.
I grunted, giving him a thorough once-over. His bare chest glistened with sweat, and his black shorts hung low on his hips, showing off his prominent V-line. I glanced into the adjoining room at his boyfriend, who was sprawled naked on the sofa, scrolling through messages on his cell with his spent cock on full display. Sky’s hair was artfully mussed, and he had a rough-looking bite mark on his shoulder.
“Fuck you, Max,” I grunted without heat. “You’re not sorry. Why fucking pretend?”
He furrowed his brow and cocked his head in confusion. “Are you really pissed or mildly irritated?”
“I don’t know what I am, but you’re hopeless. I’ve never met anyone who thinks with his dick quite like you.” I sighed heavily and shook my head. Then I lowered my voice and continued. “Didn’t you just tell me you thought this was over?”
“Shh!” he admonished, casting a quick look toward his boyfriend before refocusing on me. “I don’t know what we’re doing. I told him we should take a break after practice today.”
“That’s your idea of breaking up?” I set the food on the counter and then opened the container of chow mein and took a healthy bite.
“Well, I tried,” he whispered. “He didn’t like it, but he agreed. Next thing I know, we’re naked. Dude, we’ve done it three times in two and a half hours. Shower, bed, sofa. Maybe he’s trying to kill me with sex.”
I made a grossed-out face and rolled my eyes. “You’re un-fucking-real.”
“Nah. I’m just horny.” Max shrugged, then reached over and pulled a noodle from my container. He flinched when I poked his hand with the fork. “Ow!”
“Back off, Max. I’m going to study.”
He grabbed my elbow before I got anywhere. “Don’t be mad, Chrissy.”
“I’m not mad. I just had a crap day,” I huffed but softened my tone before adding, “Look, maybe I should get my own place.”
“No!” Max winced, then took a deep breath just as Sky called his name from the living room. “Look, we got carried away. It won’t happen again. Don’t talk about us not being together. It’s too…sad.”
“Max, we’re friends, but he’s your boyfriend and this feels weird. Like he wanted me to walk in on you guys. Think about it. You told him you wanted to take a break, and I bet you told him that you and I were going to LA without him.” I gave him a chance to deny it before letting out a heavy sigh. “He’s jealous, Max. And I don’t want any part of your drama. You don’t get to have your cake and eat it too.”
“What if it’s chocolate?” he joked, capturing my chin and then pinching my cheek playfully. “Maybe you’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him.”
I swatted his hand away and opened my mouth to blast him, but my barbed reply wouldn’t come. Max couldn’t help being Max. And truthfully, some part of me admired his single-minded quest for pleasure and his ability to live in the moment.
“Fine. Keep it down. I’m going to study.”
I bumped my fist against his, then gathered my belongings and called out a short greeting to Sky.
“Hi, Chrissy. Hey, don’t worry. We put a towel down. I insisted.”
“Gee, thanks, Sky. How about putting your tightie whities back on too?” I singsonged as I made my way to my bedroom.
I put the bananas, water bottle, and chow mein on my desk under the window. Then I turned on the lamp, drew the blinds, and hurried back to close my door to muffle the sound of their conversation.
This was crazy, I mused as I unearthed my statistics textbook from my backpack. I was trapped in my room with cold Chinese food, a math book, and probably a dozen emails from my dad reminding me to think seriously about my future in the profession he’d chosen for me. I flipped through my stats homework with glazed eyes and absently reached for my phone, intending to listen to some music to drown out my roommates and the errant thoughts in my head.
But at the last second, I pushed Rory’s number instead.
“Yo.”
The monosyllabic grunted greeting made my mouth go dry. Fuck. What was wrong with me? I licked my lips nervously, hoping I could talk without squeaking.
“Hey, Rory. It’s Christian.”
“Christian,” he repeated in a raspy tone that sounded like sex personified. “I know. Your name popped up on my caller ID. What’s up?”
“Um. I’m…I have a new assignment,” I blurted. “It’s supposed to be a simple, four-part question but it’s confusing.”
“How so?”
“Well, there’re a lot of numbers.”
Rory’s melodic laughter floated across the line, warming me from the inside out. I felt my shoulders relax and was instantly glad I’d called.
“Numbers aren’t your thing, eh?”
“No, not at all. I don’t trust problems that disguise themselves as simple stories but turn into complicated messes. The gist of this one is, two friends go to the market with x amount of money and specific items they must purchase for a recipe. There’s a formula for earning more cash and ways to buy alternate brands. And supposedly, somewhere in there is an actual question.”