Total pages in book: 296
Estimated words: 284055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1420(@200wpm)___ 1136(@250wpm)___ 947(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 284055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1420(@200wpm)___ 1136(@250wpm)___ 947(@300wpm)
She pulls her lower lip between her teeth and bites down.
“Dude, what’s your problem? I said she’s with me, so back the fuck off.” The guy’s voice gets louder, and River visibly cringes.
Taking that as a sign, I grab River’s hand and pull her out of his grip. “Not anymore. Get lost, asshole.”
I lead her the other direction before the guy can even respond. She clings to me as if her life depends on it and when we reach the bar, I swing her around until she’s facing me.
“Who was that?”
“Brant…something,” she answers with little confidence. “We met earlier, a few hours ago, I guess.”
My brows raise. “And he already held his claim on you?”
She sighs. “I guess, I mean…I was dancing, and he just started getting closer and closer, and because Natalie demanded I have fun tonight, I was trying to let loose.” She shrugs almost as if she’s embarrassed about it, and I feel bad for asking.
“Well, we can still have fun tonight.” I grin, and she flashes a wide, genuine smile up at me.
“Sounds good to me.”
I order us a round of drinks, a beer for me and a cocktail for her. We sit at the bar and chat for at least thirty minutes before Natalie and Adam find us. River is tipsy from already having a few drinks tonight, but Natalie is past the point of tipsy.
“You two are so damn cute together!” she squeals, wrapping her arm around River and squeezing. “Seriously!”
“Okay, Nat.” River laughs. “Time for you to be cut off,” she says, eyeing Adam.
“Guys, I mean it!” Her tone is so serious, it’s hard not to laugh. “River’s been talking about you nonstop,” she directs toward me, and River’s face immediately turns red. “Alex this and Alex that. It was getting to the point where I was about to send her to rehab.”
“Oh my God.” River’s eyes squeeze tight before she opens them.
“Is that so?” I grin.
“I maybe mentioned you a couple of times,” she admits, the red deepening on her cheeks.
Leaning down to her ear so only she can hear me, I whisper, “It’s really fuckin’ adorable when you blush.”
She sucks in her lower lip, shaking her head up at me. “Don’t be getting a big head now,” she teases.
Thank God Dylan isn’t with me because I know he’d be telling her the same damn thing right now.
“I’m going to take Natalie home,” Adam interrupts. “River, do you want to ride with us in the cab?”
“Um…” she contemplates while Adam looks up at me, giving me a warning look.
“If you want to stay, I’ll make sure she gets back safely,” I promise, making sure Adam can hear my sincerity.
“That okay with you?” Adam directs the question to River, making sure she’s comfortable with staying.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” She smiles.
“You two would make the most beautiful babies.” Natalie hums, wrapping her arms around River’s neck and lazily dropping her head on her shoulders. “Just don’t have babies before I do, okay?”
“No worries,” River says, confidently. “You two can make all the babies you want.”
Natalie giggles, and Adam carefully wraps his arms around her and leads her away.
I chuckle as we both turn back around. “That girl knows the definition of having a good time, doesn’t she?”
River laughs, nodding. “She’s drunk so much, she’ll still be drunk when we get home.”
We continue chatting, and I order us another round because I don’t want this time with her to end. The live band is still jamming, and the crowd fills in even more.
Just as the band starts singing a John Mayer song, I notice River’s eyes light up.
“Oh my God, I love this song!” she gushes, and it takes me less than five seconds to decide to pull her out on the dance floor.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing her hand and helping her off the stool.
She lets me lead her to the middle of the room, and soon our bodies are fused together as our hands wrap around each other.
“‘Slow Dancing in a Burning Room’ is my absolute favorite,” she tells me as we rock back and forth.
“I can’t say I’m familiar with it, but I can see why you like it.”
“He gets a bad rap in the tabloids, but he’s talented as hell,” she says, her chest moving more rapidly against mine. She looks up at me with bright green eyes filled with lust, and I know she’s thinking the same thing I am.
“Maybe he’s just one of those misunderstood types.” I grin.
She smirks. “Aren’t all musicians?”
The longer I listen, the more I understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The guitar acoustics are rad as fuck, but it only adds to the melancholy of the song. The steadiness of the beat really gives me that visual of two people being together, yet they know their relationship is coming to an end, and it’s only a matter of time before it burns out.