Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 158848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
I turn so I can see him and ask the question I shouldn’t. “But you’re famous now. You can have anyone.”
He frowns. His hand cups my cheek. “If I don’t have you, then I’ve got nothing.”
Sincerity resonates in his voice.
What if he’s offered professional fights? He’d have to travel a lot. Train somewhere with bigger and better facilities. Would he want me to come with him, or will I be stuck here, missing him again?
While I’m brimming with worries, Griff’s sleepy, sated eyes hold no fear. Just love as he traces his finger over my cheek. “I don’t want to sleep. I want to watch you,” he says.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Satisfied with my answer, his lips curve and eventually his eyes close.
All the warmth and happiness from getting back together outweigh my fears.
At least for now.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Molly
The next morning, creaking from upstairs pulls me from sleep.
Remy must be awake and moving around in the kitchen. No wonder Griff knew to find me outside last night.
Griff’s warm body’s still next to me. Sometime in the middle of the night I let him have his arm back and it’s now tucked under his head.
I trace my finger over his cheek and brush his hair off his forehead. My stomach clenches as I study the angry red scar over his eye. The result of taking one too many blows in that spot.
“What are you doing?” Griff mumbles sleepily.
“Looking at you. I’ve missed your face.” I’m going to miss him so much when I have to leave tomorrow. The fears I fell asleep with early this morning return with a vengeance. “I don’t want to go back to school.”
His eyelids snap open. “You have to.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
A soothing sound rumbles in his throat and he cups my cheek. “I’ll be right here, Muffin.”
“But I want to be with you.”
He shifts my hand from his cheek to his chest. “You’re always with me.”
“You’re not listening.”
“I’m listening,” he says a little sterner. “But you’re not missing classes to stay here.”
He’s right. I can’t do that. And he can’t come stay in my dorm room every night.
I still don’t like it.
“You’re not that far away,” he continues in a firm no-nonsense tone. “I’ll visit whenever you want.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course I would.”
“I’d really like that. I could show you around the campus some more. And the little town nearby is so cute. They have a bunch of bookstores with shelves overflowing with old books. I love it.”
A slow smile spreads over his face. “Dinner and old books. Sounds perfect.”
Is he making fun of me? That was a pretty nerdy suggestion. “There aren’t any racetracks or cage fights nearby. That I know about, anyway.”
The smile slips off his face. “I mean it. Anything that makes you light up like that sounds like a good night to me.”
“Oh, okay.”
He brushes his fingers over my shoulder. “What about Thursday. There’s a hotel near campus. I could stay there, and you ride home with me after your classes Friday?” he suggests.
“That’ll get expensive.”
“I don’t care.”
“Okay.” Then I remember my promise to my roommate. “Oh, shoot. I promised Denise I’d go out for trivia night with her. She wants me to meet this new guy she’s seeing.”
I study Griff’s disappointed expression for any hint he’d be willing to go with me. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in something like that?” I hate the pitiful, hopeful rise to my voice.
Relief turns up the corners of his mouth and his eyes widen. “You’d want me there?”
“Yes. I’d like you to meet my roommate.” I shrug and drop my gaze. “But I know it’s a long drive for something silly that—”
“Molly, look at me.” He grazes my chin with one rough finger. “I’ll go anywhere. Do anything with you.”
Excitement quickens my pulse and I lift my gaze. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” He touches a finger to his forehead, right above his fresh scar. “You sure you want your bruised up brawler of a boyfriend hanging around all your college friends, though? I don’t know if I’ll fit in with the trivia crowd.”
Underneath the teasing question, I sense something more serious or vulnerable lurking. “You’re not a ‘bruised up brawler.’ You’re my boyfriend and I want you to meet the people I spend time with when I’m not spending time with you.” My words come out sharper than I intended but he needs to know I’m not embarrassed that he’s a fighter, mechanic, or anything else he might be thinking.
“So passionate,” he teases.
“About you? Yes.” I close my eyes, remembering an important detail. “But you’re not supposed to be out in public, are you?” I can see it now. Some jackass uploading a video to YouTube titled “Stonewall from Supreme Underground Fighter Attends College Trivia Night.”
“So I’ll wear my hat.”
I raise my eyebrows. “It’s a hat, not an invisibility cloak.”