Total pages in book: 185
Estimated words: 180510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 903(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 602(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 903(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 602(@300wpm)
She smiles, but damn my unlucky life to hell, if she doesn’t reciprocate the sentiment.
“You used to love me,” I say, but it sounds more like a growl.
“I did. Silly me.”
“Love me again.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Like you’re going to think about moving in with me? Like you’re going to think about marrying me?”
“Disclaimer: I’m not going to marry you. But let’s say you had the slightest chance of marrying me.” She curls two fingers into quotes and lowers her voice like mine. “I say we seize the moment. We should move in together or get married. You know … something like that.” She ends her quote and gives me a tight smile. “That’s not the way to go about it. In fact, it might be the worst proposal in the history of proposals. So now I’m starting to really question your side of the story regarding Katy and the proposal. Did she say no to your proposal because you didn’t love her? Or did you give her a multiple-choice question with marriage as one of the possible answers?”
I don’t give a shit that she’s busting my balls at every turn. She’s in my life, in my arms. Last night she was in my bed. If she made this easy for me, I’d be shocked. Josephine Watts has always been a marathon of mind-games and emotions. I’d be disappointed if she didn’t make me work for it.
I grin. “Do you want to A: go back into the donut shop so I can bend you over the bathroom sink and fuck you before we grab a few more donuts for later? B: stop by the grocery store with me on the way back to my place because I’m out of food? C: marry me? D: move in with me?”
After a few seconds of no reaction, she twists her lips. It thrills me that she’s playing along. We’re going to the grocery store. That’s fine. I don’t expect a miracle today. Then … she gives me a miracle. Just … uh … not at all the one I expect.
Wriggling out of my arms, she sashays back to the donut shop. “Listen, Mosley, if we get arrested for public indecency, you’d better be ready to call in a favor.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
I can’t help but wonder what my life would have been like had Colten not ended us. Would we have gotten married? Would he have gone into law enforcement? Would I be dissecting bodies? Would we even still be together?
“You’re glowing today, Dr. Watts,” Colten says as we stroll through the aisles of the grocery store. “Pink cheeks. Swollen lips. Ruffled hair.”
“Two decades ago, you knew better than to gloat,” I say, tossing food into the cart that’s not for my kitchen. “I liked that Colten better.”
“Nonsense. That pimple-faced kid tripped over his words and fumbled his dick.” He grabs the box of salt-free crackers from my hand and returns it to the shelf before I get it into the cart.
“He was endearing.”
“Embarrassing,” Colten grumbles.
“When do you see Reagan again?”
He tosses a bag of potato chips into the cart. “Hopefully for her birthday in two weeks. It’s a party. You should come with me.”
“Hmm … I’ll check my schedule. I might have a date that weekend.”
“Speaking of that pimple-faced, dick-fumbling kid,” he says, “the one who sat idle while you dated other guys? Yeah, I’m not him. I’m much closer to the version you knew right before we graduated … the one who beat the shit out of what’s his face who took you to prom.”
“Andy?”
“Sure whatever.” Just the mention of Andy’s name seems to irritate Colten. It’s kind of cute.
“I think you’re too mature for that.”
“Try me.”
I grin, finding a unique satisfaction in this conversation.
“Did you?” he asks.
“Did I what?”
“Suck his dick?”
An elderly lady passes us, and from her scowl, I’d say her hearing is pretty good, and she’s not a fan of sucking dick.
“Is it a little sadistic that it brings me joy knowing that question has sat unanswered in the corner of your mind all these years?”
“I wouldn’t call it unanswered. More like unconfirmed. I’m pretty sure I already know the answer.”
“I did it.”
Colten doesn’t say anything, but his body stiffens, and he takes a hard swallow, teeth clenched.
“I didn’t want to start college with so little experience.”
I’m fairly certain he just flinched, but he won’t look at me. He picks up the pace and throws items in the cart that I’m not sure he even wants.
In the checkout lane, he ignores me. When I reach for one of the bags, he grabs it first, carrying all the bags while taking long strides toward his car.
His poor bread takes the brunt of his anger before he slams the back door and climbs into the driver’s seat. I can barely keep a straight face while my ego gobbles up his brooding attitude. Just as he reaches for his seat belt, I lean across the center console. He cocks his arm, giving me his elbow to stop my motions.