Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“Also,” Dev adds, wiggling his brow, “we photoshopped those pics tonight. The ones we showed you. We didn’t really get hitched.”
My jaw drops. “Are you kidding me?”
Stefan stares out the window, saying nothing.
“Well, Brady and I did,” Kana puts in, an impish laugh on her face. “We were married before he was even drafted. But not in Vegas. At the Japanese Gardens in Vancouver. My entire family from Osaka flew in.”
Wow.
I should feel fooled, but I don’t entirely. I got something out of the wedding dare for one night.
Belonging.
Correction. I got belonging and the most mind-bendingly sexy five minutes of my life. The trouble is I don’t know if Ivy got anything out of it.
A few minutes later, we pull up to the hotel, spilling out of the car at well past one in the morning, with Brady talking up the best ramen in the city as we head into the hotel.
But when they turn down the concourse toward the food, Ivy stops and says, “Hey! I’m beat. I’m going to call it a night.”
After a quick goodbye, she whirls around the other way, taking off in a blur of chestnut waves and regret.
My heart clangs. I need to see her, talk to her, ask if she’s okay. She’s my neighbor and she’s become a friend. But will I give us away if I go after her? I’ve got to protect her privacy, and she gave off a distinct we’re all just buds vibe then.
When we reach the ramen shop and the guys duck in, I’m torn. I should go with them and do the whole unspoken team bonding thing. But I need to take care of Ivy too.
Stefan seems weirdly distant as well. He’s quiet when he’s usually not. He’s so often the life of the party, but when he gets to the counter and checks out the menu, he just seems bored. He gives a shrug, like he’s so over it. “Nothing looks good. I’m out of here,” he says, then takes off before I can say a word to him either. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch him snapping pics of stores and shops as he goes.
Five minutes later, the guy behind the counter slides me a carton of noodles. As I carry the container to the table, this feels all wrong.
I don’t need to be here with the guys. I need to see my woman.
I stuff the container in a to-go bag. “I’m going to take off.”
I don’t give anyone a chance to protest. I leave, calling Ivy as I weave through the slot machines to the elevator. “Hey. What’s your room number? I need to see you.”
A couple minutes later, I knock on her door. When she opens it, she’s dressed in a loose cami, but she hasn’t taken off her jeans. Her hair is pulled back in a cloth headband like she was about to wash her face.
But she’s still got a wall up. I can sense it in her too bright eyes, her too peppy smile. Did she have to fake her emotions for someone in the past? A family member? A parent? She seems like she knows how to put on a good face, and it’s almost believable. But I see through it. “Hey. I brought you ramen. I didn’t know if you were hungry.”
“I like ramen,” she says in a tone I can’t read.
I thrust the bag at her, and she takes it, but makes no move to let me in. “Thanks, Hayes. See you at—”
“—Can we talk?”
“Sure,” she says, but like she’s bracing herself for terrible news. Of course her guardrails are up. She’s a woman who’s been cheated on.
She holds open the door and I go inside.
I glance around. Her room is smaller than mine, and that’s kind of irritating. But there’s a couch, and when she sets her food down on the table across from it, I join her there on the sofa cushions.
She adjusts a strap on the cami. Is she avoiding eye contact again? Man, I fucked up tonight. Maybe I should have talked more before I pinned her against the wall. “Are you okay?”
“You asked me in the car. I said yes. I am.”
“You took off right away though.”
“It’s late,” she says, then sighs, like she’s emphasizing how tired she is. “I should go to bed. We have a busy day and—”
“—That’s not what I mean.”
“What do you mean?”
There’s no point beating around the bush. “Did what we did freak you out?” I ask it point blank, putting my cards on the table. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. That’s the last thing I want.”
She sighs heavily, then meets my gaze. “Look, it surprised me. But it also didn’t.”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, I kind of got vibes all week,” she says and looks down, then back up. Ivy’s not usually unsure of herself but she seems off-kilter now. I’ve got to do something.