Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“Thank you, sweetheart. I hope you’ll come see me again soon.”
“I’d love that.”
***
Gray stopped me on the front porch. “Thank you for being so kind to Etta.”
“It’s my pleasure. She’s really great.”
“She is. Best thing I had in my life growing up. Even as an adult, I think she might’ve been the only one who never believed I’d done the shit I was accused of. Pretty sure my own father thought I’d done it. One of the worst parts of taking the deal was feeling like I let her down.”
I shook my head. “There’s no way you could ever let that woman down.”
Gray nodded, but I could tell he didn’t believe me.
We walked to the street where my car was parked. I unlocked the door, and Gray opened it for me, but I lingered before getting in. How was I supposed to say goodbye? A hug? A kiss on the cheek? A handshake felt awkward.
“Layla…” He stopped me before I’d sorted it out in my head.
“Yes?”
“Have lunch with me?”
“You mean like a date?”
“Or a non-date. Call it whatever you want. Just spend time with me.”
I looked down.
I shouldn’t. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want to.
Screw it.
No. Think with your head, Layla!
But it’s just lunch.
There was no such thing as just anything with this man.
Yes.
No.
Yes. Why not? He deserves a second chance.
No. You’ll only wind up hurt.
What about Oliver?
Gray’s hand at my chin stopped my internal debate. I wasn’t used to his touch, nor was I used to the way my body reacted to such a simple gesture from him. My breaths increased, and I became aware of my rapid heartbeat. He gently tilted my head up, forcing our eyes to meet.
“You want what we had to be over, that’s fine. But give me a chance. Let’s start something new.”
I wanted to…I really wanted to.
“Just lunch…?”
“If that’s what you want, just lunch.”
I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the dumbest thing I could do was say yes. Which of course, didn’t stop me. “Fine. Just lunch.”
His face lit up like a kid seeing presents under the tree on Christmas morning. “I’ll pick you up at eleven tomorrow.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
He smirked. “You don’t even know where we’re going.”
“Text me an address.” I started to get into my car, but Gray grabbed my wrist, stopping me.
He looked into my eyes. “I promise you’re not making a mistake.”
I wasn’t sure that was true, but I nodded anyway.
Getting into my car, I somehow managed to maneuver down the block without hitting anything. But once I was out of view of Gray Westbrook, I had to pull over to catch my breath. Putting my car into park, I leaned my head on the steering wheel. I’d just said yes thirty seconds ago, and already I had no idea what had possessed me to do it. Where had my common sense gone? Oh wait, I knew. It had been silenced by my blinding desire for the man, the same thing that had made me do stupid things a little more than a year ago, even under the watchful eyes of cameras.
Only this time…he was a free man, and there were no cameras…and nothing stopping us from doing all the things we had wanted to do to each other back then.
Chapter 14
* * *
Gray
I had stood before a judge and agreed to spend years locked up in a federal detention center, but I wasn’t as nervous then as I was walking down the street to meet Layla. Maybe it was because then I’d known that when I finally walked out, I’d be a free man again, ready to start over with a clean slate.
With Layla, though, I wasn’t so damn certain. If I blew it this time, there wouldn’t be another chance. And I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel free of her, even if she was done with me.
I arrived fifteen minutes early at the Starbucks around the corner from where I’d planned to take her and got both of us a coffee, another thing we’d never shared—a simple cup of fucking coffee—even though I knew exactly how she took it, because she’d written it in one of her letters.
She arrived right on time, and I stood next to the couch I’d made sure to grab because it was small and would mean we’d have to sit close.
“Hey.”
She looked as nervous as I felt. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. The smell of her skin had more of an effect on me than when I was a horny teenager and got to second base.
I’d told her to dress casual because of where we were going, but seeing her dressed in a pair of jeans, fitted pale blue T-shirt, and some sort of high-heeled sandal with ribbon tied around the ankle confirmed that my idea of what to do this afternoon was right for more than one reason. Her dark, wavy hair framed her beautiful face, and instead of the usual red lipstick, her beautiful mouth was its normal color, only glossier. But none of that mattered when I saw her nose.