Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Jameson is still smiling. “Yeah, it’s like Iris says. She and I have known each other for years. We used to be neighbors. But we haven’t seen each other in three years or so. I was out of the country, but when I got back, I decided to come and find her again.”
“Uh huh.” Eliza nods. She’s not buying it. Not fully. “And you just happened to know that Iris was working at the club? You just happened to stumble upon her there? That was just some magic of the universe? I guess your life is just some Hollywood movie, huh? And you’re who? Matthew McConaughey?”
Jameson actually bursts out laughing.
“Nah, I’m no actor. I’m just me. And I ended up at the club that night because–”
“He came by my house to see me, but I was already driving to the club with you,” I chime in, hoping the whole thing will sound much less creepy coming from me rather than him. “Then as soon as I was about to get on stage–”
“Woosh,” Jameson snickers, lunging past Eliza and lifting me into his arms. “I snatched her up and got her out of there and right here with me.”
I see a flash in Eliza’s eyes as he spins me. That’s her wanting to stand up for me again. But then she sees something else and stops. She backs off. Maybe it’s something in Jameson similar to what I see in him? Something like what I saw in him when I first became friends with him years ago?
But I can’t say. All I know is that if this were any other man, right now she would be slamming into him, clawing at his eyes like a cat, and screaming for him to get his hands off me.
“Wow,” she finally says as Jameson sets me down. “This is so romantic I think I want to barf.”
“Stop pretending,” Jameson replies. “All you girls love romance. By the way, I like that hairstyle of yours. Natalie Portman vibes.”
Eliza’s eyes light up for a brief moment, and she nods and looks at me with approval. “Your man’s no dummy, Iris.” She looks back at him. “What’d you say your name was?”
“You know my name,” he replies, extending his hand. “But I’ll say it anyway. Jameson.”
Smiling, Eliza takes it immediately and shakes it. “Eliza.”
“Pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Iris’s is a friend of mine. She speaks quite highly of you.”
Eliza looks back at me, still smiling. Wow, are these two actually going to get along?
“Well, hopefully I’ll be able to speak quite highly of you in the future. So don’t fuck up, okay? Or I’ll have to kill you.”
Jameson chuckles. “You have nothing to worry about in that department. So you want to actually come in and join us? Are you hungry? Can I get you something to drink?”
I can see Eliza pondering his invitation. But eventually she makes her decision and shakes her head.
“No, that’s all right. Thanks for the offer, but I have to get going. Errands to run.” She looks back at me. “I assume we won’t be seeing you at Jaguars tonight?”
“No.” Jameson answers for me. “You won’t.”
For a second, it looks like Eliza might get saucy with Jameson. But to my surprise, she actually nods as though she approves of his possessiveness.
“Okay, cowboy. You put your foot down for your woman.”
“I will.” Jameson grins. “She’ll be right here with me. Nowhere near that club.”
Eliza continues to nod, her lips twisting into a grin that matches his. “Just don’t go judging me for what I do, okay?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He smiles.
“And remember that I’m right here lurking in the shadows if you mess up. All right?” she says, giving him a sneaky, semi-threatening eye.
“You’ve made that quite clear.” He nods, clearly enjoying their interaction. And thank God for that.
I’ve never seen Eliza behave like this, especially with a guy. Is it out of respect for how Jameson is handling the situation? For how he’s handling me?
She turns her back on him and comes over to me, wraps her arms around my neck, and pulls me in tight.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she says. “And I’m glad you didn’t go home with some asshole for a bunch of money.”
“Come on, I know better than that,” I reply.
“Yeah, well you don’t know how much I was thinking that I’d pounded the whole cash cow mentality into your head too hard and that it was my fault that you’d made some stupid decision and gone and sold yourself to some serial killer for the night and–”
“No, never!” I say, cutting her off and squeezing her tightly in my arms. “Don’t worry, Eliza. You may be persuasive, but you could never get me to be that stupid!”
We both share a laugh and one of those girl-hugs that guys always think go on for way too long and bore the hell out of them.