Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
He shoves off the wall. “I have four brothers and a sister. Moss, Jess, Maddox, Paige, and Banks.”
Banks. Okay, that makes sense now. “What does Banks have to do with the chickens?”
“Everything.”
“You know, Foxx, I’m not asking you to engage in deep, thoughtful conversation here. But if you could use more than a couple of words at a time, I’d appreciate it.”
He sits in a chair at the small table on the other side of the room. “Fine. Banks is a little shit who can’t be satisfied until he pisses someone off. He was into it with Jess a while back. I don’t know the specifics because I don’t ask. But that huge metal rooster that you see when you turn onto this road?”
I nod.
“That was Banks. It was sitting in Jess’s yard. And the parade of chickens that act like they run the place? That’s also Banks’s doing. There are about a hundred of the little fuckers running around here.”
I cover my mouth with my hand and try not to laugh, but I fail.
Foxx rolls his eyes.
“He’s your Tate then, right?” I ask.
“No. Tate has common sense. Banks has a death wish.”
He stands, stretching his arms overhead. The hem of his shirt slides up, and I catch a glimpse of his abs.
It’s going to be a long few days.
“We need to get you a few essentials,” he says. “Do you want me to take you to the store or what?”
“Crap. I didn’t even think about that.”
He shrugs.
Him and that damn shrug. “Well, I could rent a car while I’m here. That might make things easier.”
“Since you’re supposed to be laying low, it would probably be a good idea if you weren’t out gallivanting around by yourself.”
“I hardly think going to the local grocery store is out gallivanting around.” I put a hand on my hip. “And, when you put it like that, it makes me want to do it even more.”
“You are such a pain in the ass.”
“I can go to Vegas …”
The look he gives me begs me to try it. I know it’s supposed to make me have second thoughts about Vegas, but all it really does is turn me on.
“I can have my assistant send me things,” I say. “But I won’t have them by morning.”
He glances at the refrigerator. “We probably need to get some groceries, too. I don’t have any Greek yogurt or bananas.”
I grip the edge of the counter as my insides melt. He’s just stating facts, going through a list of what he has and doesn’t have to eat. But the fact that he just named the two things I eat for breakfast every morning has me in my feels.
I need a few minutes to get myself together …
“If you don’t mind, I need to make some calls before we do anything else,” I say. “I need to check in with Astrid and let her know I’m not returning right away. She can get a package together to send me. And I need to call Mom and make sure she’s okay.”
Foxx buys it. “Not a problem. I have a couple of things I need to do, too.”
“Great.”
He furrows his brow. “Are you good with hanging out here while I take care of something?”
“If you’re good with it, I’m fine with it. It’s your house.”
“Make yourself at home.” He clears his throat and gestures to a doorway. “There’s a bathroom through the living room and down the hall. It’s the second door on your right. The third door is the guest room in case you want some privacy.”
Fabulous. “Sounds great.”
“I’ll give you a tour of the place later.”
I nod.
We watch each other for a few seconds. The room shrinks around us, and the air gets hotter. I can hear my heartbeat as it pounds steadily and feel my chest rising and falling rapidly as I work to keep myself calm.
“I’ll be back,” he says finally.
“I’ll be here.”
He dips his chin toward the floor and leaves through the garage door.
As soon as he’s gone, my knees buckle. I exhale a harsh breath and fall back against the counter.
How am I going to survive this? How can I possibly stay at Foxx Carmichael’s house for a few days and come out on the other side unscathed?
Lord, help me.
CHAPTER 4
Foxx
“Back to square fucking one.”
I step onto the driveway and tip my face to the sun.
When I was a little boy, I was obsessed with the sun. Its size. Its power. The color and eclipses and the way it could light the sky with purples and oranges just before sundown—it all felt magical. I loved everything about it.
If only life were still that simple.
“How did I wind up here?” I ask, the question carried off by the breeze.
I did the right thing, the hard thing, and separated myself from Bianca. I ensured she had someone undistracted and focused watching her back.