Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 85453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
My father’s favorite saying is, “Have some concrete. It’ll harden you the fuck up.”
It is now Cash’s most quoted metaphor.
When I notice Cash’s still appreciative gawk of my outfit, I say, “It was in the back. You must have missed it the other week.”
That’s a lie, and he knows it. “There’s no way I would have missed that dress, Einstein.” He bites on his lower lip while dragging his eyes down my sparkling strapless mini-dress. “Although it is tiny, that is not a dress that can be missed.”
His reply is exactly what I was aiming for. “Good. Because I didn’t go to this much effort for no reason.” When his ego bolsters his chest another inch, I set out to deflate it. It is only fair since he made out wanting to kiss me was the equivalent of a dog humping a fire hydrant. “You made sure Gabriel was invited, right? You said you’d check with Kamil.”
“He’s invited.” His tone is deeper now, more fortified. “Although I doubt he’ll play.” He takes another long glance at my dress. “He doesn’t have the balls for it.”
“That’s okay. I have enough for the both of us.” I curse my lack of interactions with people my age when Cash endures the fight of his life not to laugh.
When he loses, I force out, “Not those balls. I meant gall.” When he continues laughing, I roll my eyes before exiting my dorm and heading for the stairs. “And should you really give anyone hell about their balls? Yours are most likely still swollen.”
“You’d think so,” Cash replies, shadowing my walk. “But inspiration struck earlier today, which deflated them even quicker than the numerous bags of ice you kept dumping on my crotch all week.”
For once, I read between the lines. “You masturbated?” I mentally sign up for etiquette school when his head bob has my mouth speaking before my brain again. “When? Where? For how long?” Shock almost knocks me on my ass. “Never mind. You don’t have to answer any of my questions. That was very rude of me to blurt out.”
Cash doesn’t seem to mind. “It was in the shower this afternoon around three.” Lines sprout on the sides of his nose when he scrunches up his face. “It wasn’t a record, but it was okay.”
I realize the heat on my cheeks is partly from jealousy when I ask, “And your inspiration? Where did that magically appear from?”
He gallops down the stairs ahead of me before spinning to face me. His grin is hot enough to set the world on fire. “Do you remember how unseasonably hot it was on Wednesday?”
“It was Wednesday. Not hard to remember that far back.”
He takes a moment to absorb the full impact of my sassy tone before saying, “So everyone was wearing teeny tiny little shirts with ample cleavage showing.”
I think I am smarter than I am. “You have Professor McNamara? I thought she only lectured history.”
“She does.” He shivers before continuing, “But I wasn’t referencing her.” He stops, furrows his brows, then asks, “Professor McNamara had her titties out in class?”
My gag is real this time around, and the urge to vomit doubles when Cash’s interests pique when I dip my chin.
“Damn. I might need to take up a major in history.”
I whack him in the gut before overtaking him. “You’re disturbing.”
Before he can reply, a man on the lower level of my dormitory wolf whistles loud enough to pierce my ears. “Holy fucking dynamite.” Since he can’t take his eyes off the dress I purchased last night instead of studying, he crashes into the ‘safe campus’ pamphlet table located in the foyer of every building. “I think I might need to skip the second half of level one and move straight to level two. Damn…” He licks his lips before moseying my way. After thrusting out his hand in greeting, he introduces, “Reynolds, and you are?”
“Not interested.” Although those exact words were in my mouth, they weren’t delivered by me.
When Cash bands his arm around my shoulders, Reynolds backs away with his hands held in the air. “Milo… you are sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.” He follows us out to the entryway before once again walking backward. “I thought you were doing a charity gig or something last month. I didn’t know you were holding out on us.”
The way he snickers out ‘us’ makes me sick to my stomach.
Thankfully, Cash hears it in the same manner as me. In quicker than I can blink, he grips the front of Reynold’s shirt and drags him to within an inch of his face. “McKayla isn’t part of the game, Reynolds, so stay the fuck away from her.”
“All right, man. Chill. I was just playing.” He sounds desperate, and it is understandable when you realize how far his feet are dangling from the ground.