Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
I grunted. “I remember you decided the best course of action was to fuck up the router so I couldn’t get online anymore and force me out the door because your pizza was getting cold. Thank you for reminding me of this happy time in our history. Why are we still friends?”
Landry laughed—not mocking or self-deprecating, but a real, genuine laugh—and shoved my shoulder. “My strategy worked, didn’t it? You do supportive friendship your way, and I’ll do it mine, m’kay? My point is, you were nervous because you cared, Bash. You didn’t want to make a mistake or let anyone down. And so, if this thing with that guy out there—” He nodded toward the living area. “—has got you this unsure? I say that’s a good thing. It’s easy to take risks when you’re not so invested in the outcome, but the biggest payoffs happen when you are. And I trust your instincts. I always have. So if you think there’s something there, or there could be something there? Then go after it with that single-minded Sebastian Dayne intensity that made us billionaires, man.”
He made it sound so easy. “But… how? It’s way more complicated than you’re making it. Rowe doesn’t know about ETC or who founded the company, and I can’t tell him. I’ve only spent a handful of hours with him. I don’t know if I can actually trust him not to be using me for contacts or social capital, like—”
“Like Justin.” Landry’s voice hardened. “Yeah, that’s valid. Has Rowe been asking you for shit, trying to get you to give him money for his project? Because that’s a whole other situation.”
“He hasn’t asked me for anything.” I swallowed, remembering last night. How close I’d been to telling Rowe truths. How much we’d talked about my work, even when I’d made him promise he wouldn’t talk about his. “The opposite, actually. I asked him not to talk about his project with me, and he didn’t. At least not yet.”
Landry nodded slowly. “So why not get to know him? Bash, that promise we made to our brotherhood… It was never supposed to be a forever thing, was it? If we can’t ever share our lives with anyone else, that would really suck since I’m not remotely attracted to any of you fuckers, and none of you have ever had the good taste to be attracted to me.”
A startled laugh erupted from my chest. “No. I… I don’t know.”
“And how are you supposed to tell if Rowe’s trustworthy unless you take the chance of trusting him, at least a little?”
“I don’t know that, either,” I admitted.
“All this not-knowing,” Landry teased. “No wonder you’re going out of your mind, Big Daddy.”
“You’ve gotta stop with that nickname,” I said severely. “That’s not going to be a thing.”
Landry’s mischievous smile told me he was going to ensure that it was.
“You’re such an ass.”
He plumped the pillow behind him, closed his eyes, and settled in, like he was about to go to sleep. “I know. I love you, too. Do you feel better?”
“Shockingly? Yes.” I hadn’t come to Philly expecting a pep talk, and sure as hell not from Landry, but he’d delivered in spades. “I’m still worried about you. The stuff you’ve been doing—”
Landry sighed and opened one eye. “I promise, Sebastian, I have things under control. Mostly. And I would never let anything happen to Zane or to any of you. Okay?”
My chest squeezed at the sincerity in his voice. “Okay.”
“Now, go forth and fuck the sweet young thang who’s waiting for you.” Landry shut his eyes again. “He probably likes hearing you talk a lot more than I do.”
I snorted. I was pretty sure Landry was right about that. And there was for sure no shortage of stuff for Rowe and me to talk about. I took a deep breath and pushed to my feet, feeling a surge of hopeful energy despite my fatigue.
I wanted to know about Rowe’s project. I wanted to hear about this big idea that had gotten him so excited he’d saved up all his pennies and come to New York to make it happen. I wanted to help him with it if I could. I wanted to hear more about his sister and their antics as kids. I wanted to tell him about my friends and how amazing they were. I wanted to show him the most beautiful places I’d ever been so that I could enjoy them again through his eyes. I wanted to pull him into my arms and kiss his gorgeous face until he was breathless.
I was ready to stop holding back. And I was ready to tell Rowe so.
But when I got out to the living area, he was gone.
Rowe
I was afraid I was getting a little too good at the lying thing. When Bash had locked himself away in the room with his friend, I’d assured him I was fine, but as I retreated to the sitting area and perched awkwardly on the arm of one of the horrible sofas, I realized that was the opposite of the truth.