Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Reid flicks his gray eyes in my direction before smirking at Jenson. "I know this motherfucker doesn't stand a chance. She's going to eat him alive."
The rest of my teammates crack up laughing.
I shoot him a disgusted look and flip them off. They may be betting against me, but I'm not. If I have to fight fire with fire to claim her, so be it. But one way or another, Aspen will be mine. I won't give up until she surrenders every little piece of herself to me. Starting with her secrets.
Because Nash was right about one thing. She is up to something. It's the only reason I can figure that she's so adamant about not wanting me around. I just need to convince her that she can trust me not to go running to Nash. That should be easy enough…right?
"You're kidding me," Aspen growls ten minutes before the shop closes, her hands propped on her luscious hips as she spears me with a dark look. "I thought we agreed you weren't coming back today."
"Did we? Huh. I must have forgotten," I lie cheerfully, sliding onto a stool in front of her. "But since I'm here now…" I place the to-go bag on the counter in front of me. "We might as well have dinner together."
She flicks her gaze to the bag and then back to me, spluttering.
Fuck, she's cute when she's pissed. Her eyes practically shoot fire at me, and her cheeks flush a deep pink. Why anyone is intimidated by her, I don't know. She may have claws, but she's a harmless little kitten.
"You didn't forget at all, did you?" she accuses, her hands still planted on her wide hips.
"Nope. Told you I'd be here when you got off."
She hits me with a withering glare that makes my dick hard. "You're taking this entirely too far, Noah. I don't need a babysitter!"
"I'm not here to babysit you, Dimples. I'm here to have dinner with you." I tap the to-go bag for emphasis. "I wasn't sure what you liked so I called Nash. He suggested Broadway Steakhouse."
"You called Nash?" She gapes at me like I've grown a third head.
"Twice, actually." I slide the bag across the counter toward her, holding her gaze. "The first time, I let him know that I would not be spying for him."
"You…what?"
"He was cranky about it, but he wasn't entirely surprised." I slip plastic utensils out of my pocket and place them on top of the bag. "He wasn't even surprised when I told him that I think you're gorgeous."
For the first time since I met her, she actually cracks a smile. "You told him that?"
"Mmhmm."
"And he isn't flying here right now?"
"Might be." I shrug. "I didn't ask."
She stares at me for a long, silent moment, then shakes her head, her tense stance easing. "You're a crazy person, Noah Diamante; I hope you know that."
"Does that mean you're having dinner with me?"
"Yes."
I grin.
"But only because I'm hungry," she quickly adds.
Chapter Three
Aspen
"Holy shit." Noah's gaze flies to mine, his eyes wide.
"I told you," I say through laughter. "They're amazing."
He chews the blueberry scone before swallowing. "Fuck me. You make these?"
"Every morning."
"No wonder this place is always packed when I drive by," he says, staring at the crumbs on the plate I just set in front of him. "That's fucking amazing."
"It was my mom's recipe."
"Yeah?"
I nod, not sure why I'm telling him this. Maybe because talking is less awkward than him staring at me. He did that the first ten minutes of dinner. I think he would have kept doing it had I not started chattering. He's…intense. Or maybe it's simply that I'm intensely attracted to him. Either way, my panties are soaked, and it's his fault.
I'm determined to keep my distance since he's here as a favor to Nash, but he's so outrageous, it's endearing. Most guys get mad when you tell them no. They get offended that you dared to reject them. I can't count how many times I've been called a bitch for declining an offer I didn't ask for in the first place. Or how many times I've been told I'm not actually their type and they were just being nice. As if the fact that I'm plus size means I'm somehow unworthy. Miss me with that mess. I may be a big girl, but I learned a long time ago that fat doesn't mean ugly, and thin doesn't mean beautiful.
I was bullied a lot when I was younger. When you're chubby, and you're named after a tree, kids get inventive with the name-calling. I was Fat Forest for a while, or Bigger Than an Aspen. The ones doing the name-calling were usually thin. I'm not sure why they made me their target—maybe because I was the girl with no parents. But it taught me that people say a lot of mean crap when they're jealous. Hurt people hurt people, and insecure people love to lash out.