Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“How’s things in Eric-ville been?” I asked as he tucked his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. They were rolled at the ankle so that his colorful blue-and-yellow socks were showing.
“It’s been… well, pretty wild, actually. It’s a long story, but basically, one of my best friends was being stalked and ended up being kidnapped. I helped rescue him and his fiancé.”
It was my turn to get knocked off my orbit. “Holy fuck, seriously? When was this?”
“A few months ago. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Well, besides the stalker, who got a bullet to the shoulder as a souvenir for all his troubles.”
I arched a brow and shook my head. Aside from Eric’s investigative skills, he also had excellent shooting skills, which undoubtedly came into play when he was saving his friend. “Damn,” I said, “And here I was thinking you were going to tell me you settled down behind a white picket fence and opened up a bakery or something.”
“Nope, no fences for me. I live in a high-rise,” he said with a wink.
I chuckled at that, wondering briefly if that apartment was shared with anyone.
Just then, the barista called out that Eric’s online order was ready. He turned and went over to the counter, giving me a moment to appreciate the way he filled in his jeans. Eric had always had a body that made my core light up and my briefs tighten. He was tall and built like a sturdy bear—broad shoulders with a juicy chest and thick thighs that could easily crush my head between them. He was just my type—if only he hadn’t already broken my heart into a million little pieces.
Damn.
Eric smiled as he took a sip of his coffee, his soft brown eyes settling on mine. The warm light from the cafe made them glow like they’d been sprinkled with golden glitter.
Damn, damn, damn.
“Alright, well, it was great seeing you, Colt. Really.”
I scratched the back of my neck, suddenly wondering how I could prolong this chance meeting, but before I could invite Eric to come sit with my sister and me, he said, “I’ve got to get going. I’ve got a book club meeting to prepare for tonight.”
“A book club, huh? So maybe that white picket fence thing wasn’t too far off?”
He laughed and took another sip of his coffee, his top lip coming back coated in whip cream, which he quickly licked off. “That book club was what got my white picket fence shot up. We all got involved with helping find Noah’s stalker while also getting drunk and reading great books.”
“It sounds like a fun time.”
“It is,” Eric said, flashing his pearly whites. “You know, we’re starting a new book this week. Want to join in? It would be a good way for you to connect with some people in Atlanta. And you always loved to read—you had that closet full of books.”
“I joked it was the only reason why I couldn’t stay in the closet, because my books didn’t leave me any room. I’ll have you know I’ve gotten a bookshelf since then.” I puffed out my chest and acted proud of my evolution, dusting off some invisible dirt from my shoulder. “That does sound like a great time. Minus the stalker part… I’d love to join.”
“Good, perfect. I’ll text you all the details, then.”
I went to shake goodbye, but Eric moved in for a hug, arms wide. I took it gladly. Eric’s arms wrapped around me tight, and I got a good whiff of his oaky cologne, making that spring in my core tighten even further. I was half-tempted to kiss him on the cheek, feigning some European influence from a recent trip to Italy, but managed to hold myself back.
“Where did you disappear to?” Jen asked as I sat back down at our table. My sister threw a curious look around the corner of the wall she sat behind, but Eric was long gone. “I was about to call the cops and report a missing person.”
“I was making a business call.”
Jen pursed her lips and gave me a sisterly glare. She knew damn well I was lying but didn’t pursue it any further. We went back to discussing the matter at hand, except my mind continued to replay that chance meeting over and over and over again.
5
ERIC RUIZ
There was no way I could help Colton.
My schedule was packed, and beyond that, I just wasn’t sure if I was mentally prepared to handle being in a fake relationship with the one I felt got away. Especially not now that I was out and honest with myself. Back then, I was able to blunt some of the pain by lying, by telling myself it didn’t matter if Colton was out of my life because we would just never work out together. It was a deep and festering denial that corrupted almost all aspects of my life and made me push away the man that had been able to effortlessly make me happy on a daily basis.