Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“You can ramble with me anytime. Cut yourself some slack, okay?”
I was pretty sure all this had to do with my fear of talking to my mom, and that made me feel… Like a child. Made me feel weak. I was so damn tired of feeling that way. Colton had made me feel weak too. “Ugh. I don’t know why I went off on all that. I don’t want to ruin my week. I got a new car, a new apartment, a boyfriend, and I’m apparently a slut,” I teased, and we started laughing again.
“So…I wanna show you some costumes I got for tonight. You totally don’t have to wear them, but I saw them online and fell in love.”
“Okay, now I’m nervous.”
We stood up, and I followed Jesse over to where he’d laid the garments. He opened the first bag to reveal a cropped and sleeveless suit jacket. There were also suit pants; well, shorts. Really, really short shorts, about the size of boxer trunks, similar to what they wore in the Playground when they danced, and while that wasn’t a big deal to a lot of the guys, it was unfamiliar territory for me.
“You can button the top and wear it without a shirt. I’m going to. Or there’s a sleeveless, cropped dress shirt too. We already have fedoras. We’ll look really fucking hot. Dane almost blew his load when I tried it on.” He grinned, but I couldn’t stop looking at the outfit. It was…so not me in a lot of ways. I’d never worn something like that before, but as I stared at it, Jesus, I wanted to wear it. I wanted to look sexy and confident. I wanted to drive Jake wild, but didn’t even know if he would like something like this.
But I did. I really, really did.
“Like I said, you don’t have to wear it. You have that other suit. Seriously, no obligations, okay?”
“I want to.” I was so damn tired of playing it safe. I wanted to do something different. To step out of my comfort zone and experience new things.
“Really?”
“Yes.” My pulse raced with excitement. “And I want to do our makeup. Can I? We can do something really special. I wanna go all out. I want to feel like…” Well, like I did when Jake touched me. Strong and desired. Confident. I didn’t tell Jesse that part, though.
“Hell yeah! Methinks the Underground is in for a big surprise tonight. Maybe Jake will even drag you into the storage room and ravage you afterward.”
“Or maybe I’ll be the one to pull him in there and ravage him.”
“My boy has grown up,” Jesse teased, hugging me. “Okay, let’s scrap the packing and try this shit on, then figure out our looks for tonight. I’ll call Dane and tell him I’m staying with you until work and we’ll meet him there.”
“Okay.”
I shot a text to Jake, checking in to confirm he was going to be at the Underground tonight. We’d talked about staying at his place afterward.
Yeah, I’ll be there. I love watching you play.
I smiled. How had this become my life? I’d looked at Jesse or people like Skylar and wanted things they had, but never thought I’d have it. Now, now I was going to take it. I’m gonna get ready with Jesse tonight. I’ll see you when you get there. I hit Send, then added, Miss you.
Miss you too.
I looked up at Jesse, who was watching me. “You’re so totally in love with him.”
“I am.”
“Have you told him?”
“Not yet. I… What if he doesn’t feel the same?”
“Then he’s crazy. He’d be a fool not to love you, but I have a feeling your big, protective teddy bear is as gone for you as you are him.”
I hoped so, and maybe tonight I’d tell him how I felt.
34
Jake
“Earth to Jake,” Mia said.
I glanced up from my phone after responding to Seth’s text and blinked. “Christ, sorry.”
She had been trying to tell me about a big shipment that’d come into the garage, and I had totally spaced out on her. I’d been doing that a bit too much lately, like my head was somewhere up in the clouds.
She quirked a brow. “Got something or someone on your mind?”
A blush crawled over my cheeks. “Busted.”
“Seth?” she asked. “Everything good in romance land?”
“Everything’s great,” I admitted. After our weekend away, everything felt more real between us, like we were building something solid.
After work, I went home to shower and change, feeling way less nervous than the last time I went to the Playground by myself. By now I was more confident in my own skin.
Once I found a parking space, I got in the long line and waited, feeding off the buzzing energy of the others in front and behind me. Just as I was about to pass the man taking IDs, I was forced back onto the street by two bouncers dragging a big guy out the door. I stiffened as I watched the man twisting in their grasp and cursing, very obviously drunk. Damn, he must’ve gotten an early start.