Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
I was supposed to be done by now. I was supposed to have already fucked another woman, the palate cleanser I’d promised myself, and be finished with all thoughts of Josslyn. She’s supposed to be long gone from my mind, like every other woman I fuck. She’s not. If anything, she kicked her shoes off and settled in. I hate it. I hate thinking about her and wanting her, wishing I could see the way her eyes light up in defiance whenever she gets pissed off at me.
I only have myself to blame, but Josslyn was never going to be a faceless woman. I knew it from the moment I saw her that night in the hot pink dress. God, I’m an idiot. I pick up my phone. Before I left, I turned on the location on her phone and shared it with myself. Is it messed up? Maybe. Crazy? Depends who you ask. Illegal? Absolutely, which is why I’m not telling Lucas or Ham about it. The little dot says she’s no longer home. I enlarge the map and toss my phone with a groan when I realize where she is. It’s going to be a long fucking day.
An hour later, I’m in Lachlan’s driveway looking at her car and cursing myself for agreeing to this. I should’ve told Lach to stop being a bitch and drive himself. What’s the point of owning five cars if you don’t drive them? I get out of my car and walk to the front door, nodding at the guard as I pass him. Liam opens the door before I can even knock.
“Hey, man,” he smiles and bumps his fist against mine in greeting as I walk inside. “Lach’s almost ready. He’s making sure, for the hundredth time, that Lyla will be okay without him for a few hours.” He rolls his eyes. “Lyla’s probably going to throw a party when he leaves. He doesn’t let her breathe.”
That makes me laugh. I’ve never met a man as obsessed with his wife as Lachlan. I came into the league when he was on his way out, but the veterans used to say that even though Lach was single, he’d skip parties and dinners, and ignore the puck bunnies who threw themselves at him. Instead, he’d look for Lyla in every city they went to. Being from Fairview and hearing snippets of what happened to them, I understood why he was protective of her.
Having known them for years now, I can’t imagine them ever being apart. Then again, I feel that way about all of my friends with spouses. Probably because when I met them, they were already together. The only person I’ve witnessed go from player to devout husband is my cousin Asher, Lucas’ older brother. Ash played professional soccer and was known to have women in many cities. None of us thought he’d ever settle down, but then he met Brit, and suddenly he only had eyes for her. It was weird and completely unrelatable.
But when I practically forced myself to leave Josslyn’s side this morning ... Jesus. What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m out of sorts from a lack of sleep. It’s the only explanation as to why I’m thinking about this at all. At the sound of a familiar voice, my entire body tenses and my heart pounds a little harder. Liam continues to guide me further into the house toward the voices. I haven’t even seen her yet and my palms are sweating. I wipe them roughly against my pants, hoping to rid myself of these nerves. When was the last time I felt uncomfortable in front of a woman? Never. The answer is never. What have I gotten myself into? I swallow hard and focus on keeping my face blank and my heart rate reasonable.
“Can we go in the pool now, Joshlyn?” Theo asks.
They’re in the kitchen, and I only have a few seconds to finish mentally preparing myself before Liam turns in their direction.
“The pool?” Liam asks. “I wasn’t invited to this!”
Theo giggles, and I force myself to round the corner. My eyes instantly land on Josslyn, and I hear my audible inhale. From the knowing look Liam shoots over his shoulder, I know they heard it too.
“Hey!” Theo says excitedly as he rushes over and slams into my legs, making me stagger back a step. “You came back!”
I ruffle his hair and wink. “I told you I would.”
“You said you would bring ice cream next time,” Theo says, pulling back to cross his arms and pout.
“Theo,” Josslyn warns, and my heart rate spikes again.
“I’ll bring some when I come back.” I keep my eyes on Theo, where it’s safe.
The kid asks more questions than a standardized test, which can get exhausting, but I’ll take them over having to face his babysitter. Suddenly, he jumps and turns around to run back over to her. Of course, today is the day he doesn’t want to sit here and drill me about superheroes.