Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 51122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Maybe it was just normal to hug women back…
Cursing myself and my inability to stop second guessing everything that was said and done by that man, I hurried into the first bathroom I got to and headed to the hand dryer.
Stupid luck.
Stupid hopes.
Stupid dreams.
God, sometimes it sucked when you didn’t get what you wanted.
CHAPTER 3
I cannot brain. Today I has the dumb.
-Text from Titus to Slone
TITUS
“How are you?” I asked, smiling hopefully in a friendly, but not too friendly, kind of way.
“I’m great,” Jumper beamed. “I saw that you were here, and thought I’d come say hi, and thank you for the donation to my charity.”
A couple months ago, she’d shared a charity that meant a lot to her. Seeing that I had the money to spare, I’d donated a large amount, and had gotten a tax break on it.
But the way she was smiling at me right now, she might’ve read more into it than she should have.
She stepped back and twisted a lock of hair around her finger as she stared at me.
That’s when I noticed the blonde chick with a mop wearing the ‘staff’ polo cleaning up a spill.
“Whoa, what happened?” I asked, just now noticing that Blue was gone, and everyone at the table was now glaring at me, even Banner and Slone.
“Jumper knocked over the drink you bought for Blue, right into her lap, and she left,” Tempy drawled.
I nearly groaned.
“Shit,” I said. “Where’d she go?”
I was already looking around for her.
“Likely home,” Banner murmured right before he took a sip of his drink.
I felt my stomach clench.
God, I sure the fuck hoped not.
Feeling stupid for letting her get away already, I said, “See you later, Jumper. Gotta go find Blue.”
Jumper looked shocked as I disappeared.
I also didn’t miss the way Tempy and Rebel were glaring at me.
Groaning to myself, I started toward the first bathroom I got to, then began to lean against the wall and wait.
It took her ten minutes to come out, and the dejected look on her face had my heart clenching.
“Of all the luck,” she was grumbling as she held the dress away from her body as best as she could. Which, admittedly, wasn’t much.
“I’m sorry,” I said to her the moment she was close enough.
She snapped her head up and stared at me with wide eyes. “What? Why?”
And the fact that she wasn’t mad at me made me feel even freakin’ worse.
I gestured toward her dress as I said, “That was my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, Jumper hit the drink with her ass,” she grumbled, face closing down, becoming unreadable. “Sadly, I have to go home and change this. I’m freakin’ freezing now, and the blower in the bathroom only blows cold air.”
I was already shaking my head. “You can’t leave yet!”
My blurted answer had her eyes going wide as she said, “I’ll come back.”
Before I could control myself, I said, “I’ll come with you.”
She blinked a few times, almost unsure what to say, which had me grinning. “I brought my own ride. I heard Rebel mention that you caught a cab.”
She opened her mouth to deny it, then shrugged. “I thought I’d be getting a ride home.”
I want to be giving you a ride home.
“With Tempy?” I asked as I jerked my head toward the back door that I’d come in through.
She walked with me as she bit her lip, looking as if she was battling with something to say.
“Um, no.” She shrugged. “Which one is yours?”
I pushed through the door and came to my bike as I said, “This.”
Her mouth opened in a cute little O, then she said, “Ummm…I’ve never ridden on a bike with anyone except my uncles and Dad.”
The grin that split my face at that was comical. “Come on, Blue. We both know that’s not true.”
Her eyes narrowed as she said, “That was like, for five seconds from the band hall to the auditorium! It didn’t count.”
It totally counted.
I thought about it at least once a month, still to this day.
“Sure it does,” I said. “I was the first non-family member you ever rode on.”
She was already shaking her head. “That’s not what I meant!”
I knew it.
But I loved seeing her riled up.
It did something to my blood.
Made me feel like I could fight a thousand men when she focused all her attention on me.
“Come on,” I said. “It won’t be that bad.”
She sighed as she stared at it for a few seconds before saying, “My dress.”
“Your dress will cover everything vital,” I said. “And everything that won’t be covered will be blocked by my body.”
She bit her lip, and I chose to straddle the bike and hold my hand out for her to urge her on.
She took my hand, and my heart started to pound a million miles a minute.
I didn’t even get this excited when I found out I’d be playing professional ball with my best friend.