Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
It was hard to make myself focus on the lecture, but I tried. Ugh. Boy problems never got in the middle of my responsibilities. This was why it was better just to fuck and not sort-of-like someone…especially someone grumpy, who had a habit of making accusations and then running out on you before you could explain. Clearly, I was still upset.
Somehow I managed to get through the rest of the class. As I was walking back to the apartment, I pulled my phone out, my fingers punching through an angry text. Hey…done pouting now so we can talk?
He replied quickly. I’m not pouting. I’m just…over it?
Over what? OMG, Dane! Are you watching Hailey right now?
Walk away, Jesse…just walk away… No matter how many times I told myself that, I couldn’t seem to do it. What sort of grumpy superpower did this man have over me? Because he was sweet, loved his niece, and fucked really damn well?
No, he replied a minute later.
Come over. Come over to my apartment, or I’m coming to your house, and I’m sure you don’t want me to do that right now. We need to talk.
Fine. I’ll be there soon.
Fine. I’ll be here waiting.
Shit. Why did I make it sound like I was sitting around waiting for him? Because apparently, I would be.
I got back to the apartment, which I knew would be empty since Seth was at school. I paced back and forth like…hell, I didn’t know. Someone who paced. Eventually I found myself back in my bedroom, looking at the lip gloss. That had been so nice of him, and I didn’t want to think about Dane being nice right now. I was too angry…but I also knew that it had taken a lot for him to have purchased it. Things like that just weren’t Dane.
I had no makeup on, but something made me pull the lip gloss out and swipe cotton candy across my lips. As soon as I set it in my vanity again, there was a knock at the door. My heart kicked up annoyingly. I hated that he had this effect on me, but he did, and now I just had to figure out what I was going to do about it.
I pulled open the door, and there he stood, adorably rumpled, with the grumpy scowl on his lips. He had dark stubble along his jaw, and his dark hair was messy, like he’d slept on it and hadn’t combed it, which I found much sexier than I should.
“Are you going to come in or what?”
He sighed but stepped inside. “What am I doing here, Jesse?”
“Oh, gee. Let me think. We had a really awesome day with Hailey. I thought we were becoming friends. You bought me my favorite lip gloss and then ran out on me, all pissed. I think that about covers it.” I crossed my arms, as if that would show him how angry I really was.
“I heard you and Skylar talking! Oh, I would never be serious about Dane. He and Hailey totes love me, or whatever it was you said.”
“And you couldn’t talk to me about it? Oh my God! You always give me shit about being immature, but what did you do?” I yelled back. His brows pulled together, his forehead wrinkled, as if he hadn’t expected that or hadn’t thought about it.
“Shit,” Dane cursed, walking over to the couch and falling down on it. He ran his hands through his hair, then fisted them there, his leg bouncing up and down in what had to be nerves. “I just… I don’t like hearing Hailey pulled into something like that. She’s not a toy or a game.”
I sighed, because he was right. I never should have said anything about her. “Yeah, I get it. That was wrong of me. You know I adore her.”
Dane looked up at me, his blue eyes darkening. “I know. But walking in on that made me feel like I used to, and I immediately got defensive.”
“Like you used to, how? What happened? I’ve shared a lot of stuff with you, and you don’t give me jack shit.”
His leg was bouncing again, and part of me wanted to tell him he didn’t have to say anything. I’d just crawl on his lap and kiss him, and he’d pull my hair and fuck me until we forgot everything else. God, I wanted him.
But instead I sat down on the coffee table in front of him, waiting. Our knees touched, and when they did, his leg stilled.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here, Jesse. I didn’t expect…this…whatever it is.”
“And you think I did? I’m just as fucking lost as you are.”
He sighed. “My ex…he was a real piece of work. Not at first. At first things seemed great. It was a whirlwind relationship, and I fell for him hook, line, and sinker. Even moved in with him pretty quickly, into this amazing apartment. It was only a few months later when I started feeling that something was really wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. He, um…he used me a lot, and I didn’t realize it at the time. He would borrow money often, even though he had a better job than me. It wasn’t like I had much, but he would borrow it and wouldn’t tell me what it was for. We started fighting about it, and he always made me feel like I was wrong for asking.”