Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I’m okay.” I look up at him and immediately feel a sense of déjà vu as sunlight casts a halo behind him that accentuates his too-gorgeous face.
“We really need to get your dog trained.” He grins as Muffin sniffs my face, then licks up my cheek.
“She must have seen you,” I grumble, glaring at my dog.
“Yeah, I gathered that.” He smiles, patting Muffin’s head as I attempt to push her freezing nose away from my neck, where she is trying to bury it. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks tenderly, studying me from head to toe and making those stupid butterflies take flight.
“I’m fine.” I sit up, avoiding his gaze as I dust the dried dirt and leaves off the front of my jacket and yoga pants. With the way I keep making a fool out of myself in front of Levi, it’s really no wonder he doesn’t think of me as anything more than a cute, clumsy kid.
“Are you heading home now?” he asks, and I nod, keeping my head down, using retying my shoe as an excuse not to look at him.
“Yeah, I need to get ready for work soon.” Putting my hands behind me to heft myself up off the ground, I hold my breath as he scoops me up and carefully sets me on my feet.
“If I knew you were running this morning, I would have run with you.” I want to ask why, but then I realize he’s my neighbor and he wants to be my friend. Friends do things like run together, hang out with each other, and bring each other cakes on their birthdays. God . . . I have been friend zoned by the first guy I’m actually really interested in in what seems like forever. I’m officially an idiot.
“I go running most mornings, so if you—”
“I don’t run often,” I lie, cutting him off quickly before he can say more. I actually run almost every day, but I don’t want to spend more time with him. Okay, I do want to spend time with him, but I don’t want this small crush I have on him to turn into me suddenly stalking him, because that would be awkward, so it’s best we keep our time together to a minimum. “I was up early today, so I figured why not,” I say, and his eyes narrow, then relax and sparkle with something I don’t understand. Something that makes my stomach dip and my head grow dizzy.
Looking down at Muffin, he takes the leash close to her neck, then attempts to take the end I’m holding out of my hand as he mutters, “I’ll walk you girls home.”
“That’s not necessary.” I hold the leash tighter, wanting this encounter to be over. “You should finish your run.” I wave him off as Muffin barks in disagreement, like she knows what I’m saying.
“I was finished when I saw Muffin dragging you across the park to me.”
“Oh . . .” I glare at my dog once more, not that she notices. No, she’s too entranced by all that is Levi as he rubs the top of her head.
“Come on.” He takes my other hand and I feel his warm fingers twine with mine as he pulls me along with him. When I try to tug my hand free, he holds it tighter, so like the idiot I am, I soak in the moment and pretend we’re just another couple out walking our dog in the morning before work. “Are you hungry?” he asks once we reach our block and my eyes find his looking down at me.
“Yeah, but I’ll probably just grab something on the way to work and eat before class starts.”
“What time do you have to leave for work?” he asks.
I shrug. “Seven the latest. What time is it now?”
Reaching into the front pocket of his track pants, he pulls out his cell phone, clicking on the screen. “It’s six,” he says, bringing us to a stop in front of our building. Letting go of my hand, he punches in the code for the door, which he then holds open for me.
“Well, thanks,” I mutter without looking at him once we reach our landing, but he doesn’t respond, and Muffin’s leash once again tightens as I head for my apartment. Growling under my breath, I pray that for once Muffin shows some kind of loyalty to the person who feeds her and puts a roof over her head. Opening my mouth to call her name as I turn around, I blink as Levi unhooks her leash from her collar, lets it drop to the floor, then walks into his apartment with Muffin following him. “Um . . .” I wind the leash up as I walk to his door, then stand at the threshold, not knowing what the hell to do.