Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 69198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
He beamed, his smile lighting his eyes to perfection. “Agreed…Coach J.”
I chuckled. “I suppose that makes you Coach F?”
“Oh, no, no. I don’t like the letter F.”
“What? Who says that? The letter F brings you all the best things in life. French fries, Fridays, fishing, frogs, flamingos…the word fun, for crying out loud. And let’s not forget the best F word of all…”
“Shh!” He set his finger to his lips and furrowed his brow. “My aversion to the letter has nothing to do with any of the things you’ve mentioned.”
I listened to his long-winded explanation about sound and intensity with a ridiculous grin. This dude was weird as fuck, but I liked him.
A lot.
Yep, this was going to work out just fine.
The baseball game on my flat-screen cranked up a notch or ten, jolting me into action. I closed the refrigerator door with my hip and hurried into my living area, handing a beer to Ezra before commandeering the remote.
“For fuck’s sake, you scared the crap out of me. Are you suddenly hard of hearing?”
Ezra tipped his bottle toward the TV and inched closer to the edge of the sofa. “Bases are loaded, two outs, and Taylor is up to bat. I feel a grand slam coming on. When are we supposed to meet everyone?”
“Mmm, I don’t know. I’m not going.”
He shot an annoyed sideways glance my way before refocusing on the action. “Yeah, you are. You cannot stay home every fucking Friday night.”
“Sure, I can.”
Strike one.
Ezra let out an annoyed growl as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. I stoically resisted the urge to pull my cell out and continue my earlier text thread with Asher. Ezra didn’t do boundaries well. He wouldn’t think twice about peeking over my shoulder or grabbing my phone out of my hands to know who had my attention. He was one of those playful guys who’d never caught on that he was stronger than he realized.
Ezra was six four, with short dark-blond hair, brown eyes, and sun-kissed skin covered with colorful tattoos. He outweighed me by at least twenty pounds…and he was pure muscle. His thick quads, broad shoulders, and beefy biceps would have served him well in football or hockey, but Ez loved baseball. Thankfully, he also loved lacrosse.
He’d been one of the best defenders in college and was easily the best all-around player on our club team now. He claimed to take his law school angst out on the field and I believed him. I’d never seen anyone who could turn himself into a human brick wall one second, then morph into a gazelle the next. Ez was graceful yet tough. Which was funny, ’cause in real life, he was a bit of a bull in a china shop. A good-natured badass with no filter and no patience for mysteries of any kind.
We’d been friends since we were paired as roommates our freshman year of college. I wasn’t sure I’d like him at first. Ez could be a cocky bastard and a bit of a slob, but he was also smart as hell. And when he put his mind to anything, he made things happen. Though truthfully, I’d probably been drawn to his big personality and brash honesty more than anything.
Sometimes, I wished I were more like him.
“What are you gonna do…jack off to porn?” he chided, letting out a monstrous belch before settling against the cushions and griping about the damn Dodgers blowing their shot as the inning ended with no score.
Never mind. One Ezra was plenty.
“Do you really want to know?” I countered, chuckling when he rolled his eyes.
“No, thanks. But there’s no point wasting unnecessary hand motion when you can get the real thing. Quit mopin’ over your ex and get back in the saddle, cowboy.”
“I’m not moping over Katie. We’ve been over for months.”
“Hmph. Is she still calling you?” he asked, draping his arm over the sofa.
Fact…Katie had been texting more frequently lately.
“Yeah. We’re friends, but seeing each other or talking all the time doesn’t seem…wise. She says she’s coming to the game I’m coaching tomorrow morning to watch her cousin play, and—”
“You think she wants you,” he finished.
“I wouldn’t put it that way, but…it doesn’t matter. It’s over.” I nudged his knee and scowled. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re a mystery, Blakey. Katie is freaking hot and for some reason, she’s still into you. I get it. Sometimes it just doesn’t work. All the more reason to come out tonight and meet some new—”
“No, thanks.”
Ezra growled. “Is this what a quarter-life crisis looks like?”
“That’s a little dramatic,” I snorted.
“But true. Dude, you never feel like going out anymore.” Ezra spared the game a quick glance, then narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m getting worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Ez. Just busy.”
“Everyone is fucking busy, Blakey. What life-shattering events are happening with you that I oughtta know about?”