Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 164459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 822(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 822(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
I waved at him.
He didn’t wave back, just stared at me.
I laughed, and then I left Buckley’s. And then I giggled because he just didn’t get it.
He didn’t understand why I liked him so much, and worse, he didn’t know why he felt the exact same way.
I couldn’t explain why…I just did.
There was just something about him—something I couldn’t ignore or deny.
Chapter 12
Drake
I kissed her.
And she kissed me back… twice.
What the fuck was I thinking, chasing after her?
That was stupid. So fucking wrong. What the hell had I gotten myself into? I knew better. I was working so hard to push her away, and when it finally happened, I lost my shit.
I wasn’t letting her leave me like that. She and I both knew what we really wanted, but my paranoia was getting the best of me. I knew Jenny well—well enough to know she would never do anything to hurt me.
She’d always had a kind heart, and it was something I admired about her because it reminded me of my mother. And fuck, she looked so sexy in that dress.
That kiss was not what I was expecting. I shouldn’t have done it… but I didn’t regret it. Not a single fucking moment of it.
Damn...
What was she doing to me?
Why couldn’t I stay away?
* * *
Metal scraped.
A door slammed.
Voices rumbled and hissed, one of them light and feeble, the other deep and gravelly.
I groaned, groggily rubbing my eyes as I came to. The sunlight was splashed on the wall across from me. Fortunately, it was no longer gloomy or raining.
I pushed up on my elbows, catching the sound of a familiar deep voice floating through the hallway from the kitchen. Then I heard Grandma Marie’s voice. She was whisper-hissing—that thing she did when she didn’t want certain people to hear what she was talking about.
She most likely had a friend over, maybe Mr. Johnson from across the street, and was probably talking some crazy shit about me coming in late last night. She hated it when I came home late without calling.
I started to lie down again, but when I heard, “He can’t keep staying here with you! You’re dying, bitch!” I shot up, realizing it was Flex’s voice coming from the kitchen.
My knuckles ached as I pushed up on my fists, stumbling off the couch and stomping down the hallway.
Grandma Marie was standing in front of the stove, her usual pale face now mortified. When she heard me coming, her eyes swung over to me and she uncovered her mouth, stepping aside.
Flex stood by the screen door, arms folding, nostrils flared.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” My voice couldn’t come out as anything but a snarl. It was too fucking early for this shit and he was the last person I wanted to fucking see.
“Go back to sleep, Drake. It’s okay. I can handle this.” Grandma Marie stepped to my side, but I shook my head.
“Grandma, go get back in bed. Go rest. I’ll handle this.”
Grandma Marie didn’t react right away. She watched the mini-showdown between me and Flex, squeezing my arm with nimble fingers. She was begging me to look down at her, but I couldn’t. I refused to let her love ease my temper. Not today.
Finally giving up, Grandma Marie rushed around me, slipping out of the kitchen but not before giving me one final glance. I heard her bedroom door creak, but it didn’t shut.
Such a hardheaded woman. I knew she was listening through the crack of the door.
“Why am I waking up to you in my fucking kitchen, talking to my grandmother, like you’ve lost your goddamn mind?” I moved closer. Flex unfolded his arms when he glanced down at my balled fists. I’d had enough of him. He was asking for an ass-whooping now.
“You should be at home, training for that fucking fight tomorrow night,” he snapped.
“I am home,” I said through clenched teeth. My brows furrowed, anger taking hold of every single inch of me.
He laughed. “You call this home? This piece of fucking garbage?”
I wouldn’t have reacted to his statement, but when he took two steps toward me, looking me over as if I was worthless, I snapped. He didn’t have to say shit. His glare alone was enough.
I charged him, forcing his back against the fridge, my forearm at his throat.
The candles and pots Grandma Marie kept on top of it rattled and clanked. A cylinder candle hit the floor, causing a loud thunk.
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I seethed.
“Or what?” he countered, putting on a smirk. “All you can do is threaten me. And why?” He dropped his head, staring me in the eyes. “Because you’re a pussy who listens to his sweet, old grandmother. If you knew what was best for you, you’d drop the old hag and come back to where you belong. Under my fucking roof. You wouldn’t be as good as you are if it wasn’t for me. Sad that you think listening to her is gonna get you anywhere. You’ve got it all wrong, boy.”