Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 83211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
But here I am with my stuff in tow, ready to carry it into his home.
Breathe, Sara.
Banks’s forehead wrinkles. “Are you all right?”
“Me? Yeah. I’m fine. Why?”
He shrugs it off, but my answer wasn’t satisfying.
My phone rings, interrupting anything he’s about to say. I reach into my middle console and grab it. The number on the screen is generic. Probably a salesperson. I click the button to send them to voicemail.
He jogs down the steps, and it takes every bit of self-restraint I can muster not to watch his muscles ripple in the sunlight.
“Let’s get your stuff,” he says. “I bought new sheets for the guest bedroom.”
He did? “You did? That was very nice of you, and you didn’t have to do that.”
He grins. “Well, I shopped at Mom’s. She has a closet full of clean linens that she never uses.”
My phone rings again and the same number flashes on the screen. What the heck?
“Let me grab this real quick,” I say. “They’ve called twice back to back and I don’t know who it is.”
“Go for it.”
“Hello?” I say, walking toward the front of the car.
“What are you doing, Sara?”
The words are sarcastic, filled with exasperation and misplaced self-grandeur. Joshua.
A knot forms in the pit of my stomach. How did I ever think this guy was fuckable?
“Was that a real question or rhetorical?” I ask.
He scoffs. “I just got a call. Would you like to guess who from?”
“It doesn’t interest me enough to guess who called you this afternoon. And, as a matter of fact, talking to you doesn’t interest me enough to continue this conversation.”
Banks watches me as I wander around the driveway and try to control my frustration.
Why is Joshua calling me? Why does he think I care who called him? Why is it necessary that we ever talk again?
Banks lifts a brow and folds his arms over his chest.
Don’t look at him. You’ll get distracted.
“Myles Petterson,” Joshua says, spitting the words. “Myles Patterson called me this afternoon.”
“I’m not sure why you think that pertains to me.”
“Because he mentioned that you will be attending the gala this weekend.”
Oh, I see. I grin. “I’m not sure what I do with my time warrants a call from you.”
Banks’s jaw sets in a firm line. God, he’s hot.
“It warrants a call from me, Sara, because there’s absolutely no reason for you to be there. You’re no longer employed at Eubanks and Fields and therefore have no business at the gala. Period.”
I laugh. “You’re right, Joshua.”
Banks’s eyes blaze with the mention of Joshua’s name.
“What? You’re not going to fight with me about this?”
“I’m no longer employed by Eubanks and Fields,” I say sweetly, aiming my face to the sky. The sun feels so good against my skin. “And I have no business at the gala. You’re correct. Do we have anything else to discuss?”
He sighs. “I’m glad you came to your senses.”
“Me too. But I can’t help wondering if you were always such a prick or if this is a new quality of yours.”
My attention switches from the sky back to Banks. His arms are dropped to his sides; his eyes are glued to me as I pace the edge of his lawn.
The feeling of his gaze on me fills me with a warmth that makes my insides wobble. But I can’t think about that now. I have Joshua to deal with.
“Listen, sweetheart, I know you’re upset that we ended things. I know you’re jealous,” he says.
“What?” I laugh out loud. “You think I’m jealous?”
“Of course you are. And I understand. I’m quite a catch and you’re … well, you’re you.”
Steam rushes from the top of my head. “You’re a catch and I’m … me? You got a part of that right but probably not the part that you think.”
Banks walks slowly toward me like a predator stalking its prey. His posture makes me shiver.
“Try to manage without being bitter,” Joshua says. “You’ll be fine. You’ll find someone who fits your life better than me.”
Banks stops a few feet away, peering down with questions written all over his face. His cologne breezes through the air and his energy ripples across the lawn and dances around me—lifting me up. God, the man is sexy.
“It wasn’t as hard as you might imagine,” I say, licking my lips as I stare up at my new roommate. I don’t know where I’m going with this, but I know I’m not letting Joshua think he got one over on me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I reconnected with an old boyfriend a while back. Thank God I ended the extraneous fling with you because things are getting serious.”
Banks makes a face like he’s surprised. The look makes me giggle.
“A month ago, you were with me,” Joshua snarls.
I smirk. “A month ago, I was fucking you. I was never with you, Joshua.” My words are met with a silence that turns my smirk into a smile. Asshole. “On that note, while it’s been a pleasure chatting with you, I need to go. I’ll see you at the gala.”