Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Enjoy it, love.
It won’t last forever.
3
“Hey, there she is,” Angel says when he and Ava walk through my door later that night with arms full of pizza and beer.
I leap up from the sofa and rush over to him. He puts the beer down and scoops me into his arms, squeezing me tight. I like Angel, god, I like all of the guys really, but Angel is probably my favorite. He puts me down and lets his eyes travel up and down.
“It’s good to see you. You look ... tan.”
“Italy did good things for me.” I grin. “How are you, Angel? I see you stole my best friend from me.”
He grins. “I promise to bring her back often.”
Ava rolls her eyes and walks over, hugging me, too. “So ... what did you do to Jagger?”
I shake my head, confused. “What? Nothing.”
Ava snorts. “He was grumpy this afternoon. He smashed four plates in the kitchen, him and Sharleen got into a massive fight, and he stormed off. I figured it must have been something to do with you. You’re the only person that can get under his skin like that.”
He was that upset? I know it shouldn’t make me feel good inside, but it does. Because maybe, just maybe, he’ll understand just how much it hurts.
“He wants to talk,” I say, taking the beer Angel offers me, “but honestly, I don’t see that we have much to talk about. Every time I’m around him, it’s just too damned hard. If I see him too much more, I’ll cave and beg, and I’m not a beggar.”
Ava nods, understanding.
Angel leans against the kitchen counter. “Sharleen has a hold on him, she always has. She’s using him because she knows he feels guilty that he moved on when she wasn’t really dead. Never liked that woman, and I feel the same now. She’s a snake, and we were startin’ to see the best of Jagger come out again after you. If it were me, I wouldn’t give up. The man wants you, Willow. No doubt about it. Make him sweat.”
I laugh. “And you think that’ll work?”
He shrugs. “Treat em’ mean, keep em’ keen – right?”
Ava slaps him on the shoulder and he chuckles.
“It’s true,” he protests. “She’s not falling at his feet and begging, and it’s making him hungry for her. If you want him back, fight.”
I frown. “I can’t compete with Malibu Barbie over there.”
Angel chokes back a laugh. “Malibu Barbie has the personality of a rock.”
“Then why’d he marry her?”
He shrugs. “He was young, stupid, and angry. Jagger believes in doing the right thing—it’s the only reason she’s still there. He might be a hard man, but he’s also a good man.”
“Do you think he still loves her?”
I swallow, not sure I want to hear the answer to that.
“I think he did love her, but now ... no. I think he’s fighting against himself.”
“It seems to me he’s made his choice ...”
Ava grins and waggles her brows. “I’ve never known you to give up without a fight.”
“I shouldn’t have to fight,” I mutter, taking another sip of beer.
“Do you want him, Willow?” Angel says simply.
“Yes.”
“Then you go to my party tomorrow night, and you make him want you in a way he’s never wanted you before. You show him the girl he fell in love with, and trust me, he fell hard for you. Work him, make him desperate, and show him what he’s missing. If you’re just willing to give up the fight, then fine, but you can’t complain and mope around. If you’re not done fighting, then get your ass over there tomorrow and show him what he’s living without.”
I narrow my eyes. “This feels very teenage-y ...”
Angel grins. “Perhaps, but it works. We men are a simple breed, we want what we can’t have.”
Ain’t that the truth.
Ava nudges me, a grin on her face. “Come on, what’s it gonna be, baby? Mope or fight?”
I feel a grin stretch across my face. “You know me, I don’t like losing.”
“Atta girl!” Angel nods, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Now I’m going to eat, I’m starving.”
We eat pizza and drink beer, and then I tell Ava all about Luca and that he’s coming to visit in a few days, and that he might stay for a while. She’s more than a little curious, and when I show her a photo, her eyes widen. “Girl, that is one fine man!”
“Oh, he’s fine, but I’m not interested. He’s a friend, a good one. You’ll love him.”
“You know who won’t love him?”
I chuckle. “Well, it won’t hurt Jagger to sweat it a little.”
Her eyes dance with joy. She’s as evil and twisted as me, and I love it. “Well, you tell that hot piece that he’s more than welcome to stay here for as long as he wants. I’ll be at Angel’s a fair bit anyway, so he can have my room. I’ll stay with you when I’m home.”