Total pages in book: 191
Estimated words: 182070 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182070 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
I felt like an idiot.
“Whatever you saw, darlin’, it had to be an old picture. Is that what Trev called me rantin’ over? Tellin’ me I needed to get my head outta my ass before I ruined my life?” He reached forward and took my hand, his fingers big and strong around mine. “I swear it had to be an old one. These girls take pictures and hoard ’em for a while and randomly share them. Sometimes they’ll even ask for a picture, you’ll say yes, and then they’ll come and sit on your lap without askin’.”
I stared at him. He pressed his mouth together as his gaze bounced from one of my eyes to the other.
“Cross my heart,” he told me, his face serious. “You know I wouldn’t lie to you, don’t you?”
I stared at his face, at those blue-blue eyes for so long I was pretty sure he was squirming.
His fingers were warm around mine. “Bianca… I know I’ve done some things in the past I wish you didn’t know about, but I’m not like that anymore.”
Well, shit.
“Yeah, yeah. I know you wouldn’t lie to me. The picture just looked recent; that’s why I thought…. You’re always surrounded by girls, Zac. You used to go out all the time. It just seemed to make sense.”
“I used to, yeah, but I don’t want that anymore. Only one thing I want. One thing that makes me happier than a million other people combined,” he said. “I deleted all those numbers weeks ago. I changed my number so nobody would be callin’ in the first place. I didn’t wanna give you a reason to second-guess me. I want you to know I’m in this for real. None of that other shit has ever mattered. But you always have. Always will.”
I took a deep breath.
“It had to be an old picture, I promise,” he swore. “I know you believe me.”
I did, and maybe in a way, I should be glad that I knew so much about him. There weren’t secrets left between us. There wasn’t a reason to doubt this scary thing that seemed like it was pulled straight out of my dreams and dumped into my lap. Him loving me wasn’t new.
But this different kind of love was. Love 2.0. More like Love 5.0.
I had no reason to doubt it. Or him.
And I sure as hell wasn’t going to run.
Zac loved me. Me.
And… I was going to milk this shit for the rest of my life, if I could. Maybe I hadn’t been around the block like he had, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to terrorize him. Because I was. Because I could.
“I do,” I agreed. I lifted my chin and curled my fingers around his, ready for this. I’d been ready for this forever. “Just to make sure though, if some guy posts a picture of me sitting on his lap in a year, it’ll be an old one too, okay?”
His fingers jerked, and I just about laughed at the incredulous face he made. “What guy?”
“Some guy I don’t remember. I’ve met a lot of them, so….” I glanced at him with a smirk.
He wasn’t smiling.
But I was.
“You’re not funny.”
“I’m super funny.”
It was his turn to side-eye me. “You believe me then?”
I groaned. “Boy, I said yes. If you want me to pretend like I don’t and pitch a fit for a second, I will though.”
Just like that, his smile was back, out and beautiful and everything in the world. “You’ll stomp your feet for me?”
I nodded, feeling a smile creep over my face. “Just for you. But I swear to God, someone puts their titties in your face and you don’t push them away immediately, I’ll kill you, then bring you back to life and kill you again. I’ve already been cheated on, and I’m not doing that again.”
“I’d never do that. Never.” He smiled, and it grew and grew, and the next thing I knew, he was leaning forward and taking my hand, pulling it toward him. Pulling me toward him. “Come here.”
“Why?” I asked him even though I wasn’t putting up a fight.
“Because,” he said as he kept on tugging me to him.
I had a hand on his thigh as I said, “For the record, you told me you were crazy about me before you even kissed me. What if I don’t like the way you kiss?”
He laughed with his face inches away from mine. “Is that what you’re worried about?”
“I mean…” I shrugged, teasing the hell out of him. It was like the best of both worlds. “What if?”
He shook his head, still grinning. “You’re a real sweet pain, kiddo.” His breath brushed my lips. “Let’s see. If you don’t like it, I’ll try again until I get it right. I ain’t scared of practicin’.”