Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“How did it go?” Hollis asks, coming down the steps to stand beside us. I can feel the heat of his stare as he takes in how Jordy still grips my hands.
“Fine. I kicked Cuntingham out of the party. His loser friends too.” Jordy nods at the house. “How did it go here?”
“Dad’s coming,” Hollis replies.
“Same dad who ran you out of Vermont?” Jordy asks.
“Same one. He’s working on his issues,” Hollis says with an exhausted sigh. “Are you going to take Roux home? I wanted to talk to Mom about this stuff. But if you have somewhere to be—”
“I can take her,” Jordy grunts out, interrupting him.
Hollis sweeps his eyes over us once more before turning on his heel and going back inside. Jordy tugs me toward the Camaro. He opens the passenger side door and waits for me to get inside before closing it. As I wait for him to join me, I skim my gaze over the expensive interior. I’m not sure I want to know how he got this car.
Probably same way Kayden got his.
Sickness roils in my belly. Jordy gets in the vehicle and fires up the engine. The drive to our apartment at Mike’s is only a minute or so away. We remain in silence until he parks in the driveway.
“Come on,” he grunts out, reaching over to pat my thigh. “We’ll talk inside.”
I follow him up to the garage apartment. He makes his way into the kitchen and starts to rummage around.
“Grab a shower, Roux. I’ll fix you something to eat.”
I nod and escape his intense presence. Everything about Jordy is so heady and intoxicating. He makes me forget about all the bad stuff and only focus on him. Problem is, I can’t afford to forget about the bad stuff. I need to fix it.
After a quick shower, I pull on some of Hollis’s old sweatpants he gave me and a hoodie that used to be Roan’s. The clothes swallow me, but they’re comforting and warm. I find Jordy in the kitchen, at the stove, making something that smells too good. No one cooks anything good at our house. Mostly, we reheat whatever stuff Karen or Kelsey make and send our way.
Needing to touch Jordy, I make my way over to him, hugging him from behind. He’s tense at first, but relaxes in my arms. I love the way he smells. A hint of citrus mixed with a slight leather scent. Considering I’ve never seen him with leather or a bag of limes, I wonder if it’s just his unique smell. Regardless, it’s my favorite. I think it always has been.
“Whatcha cookin’?” I ask, gently running my palm along his hard abs over his T-shirt.
“Grilled gouda and tomato sandwiches.”
I scrunch my nose, pulling away to peek around him. “Did you rob a Whole Foods while I was in the shower?”
He laughs. “Nope. Surprisingly, your brother had this stuff on hand. Not sure why since all he knows how to do is make white people grilled cheese he probably learned from his old man.”
White people grilled cheese?
Jordy’s mom is Mexican, but their dad is white. He’s always claimed his Latino roots only while pretty much ignoring the fact he’s a product of both Hispanic and Caucasian parents.
“They’ve been working out a lot lately and have been eating strange things,” I admit. “But Roan still makes the best grilled cheese ever.”
Jordy rolls his eyes as he plates two sandwiches. I grab us a couple of cans of Pepsi from the fridge and sit down with him at our small kitchen table. The sandwich is rich and savory, something I wasn’t expecting. I groan because it’s really good.
“That was an mmmm,” Jordy says with a knowing smirk. “Told you.”
“Don’t tell Roan,” I say while chewing. “Keep this between us.”
His eyes darken, roaming down my face to my lips. “We’ll have to. Otherwise he’ll kill me.”
We’re not talking about grilled gouda and tomatoes anymore.
Conversation ceases to a halt as we eat our late dinner. My mind drifts to Kayden and how he scared the hell out of me. Then, how my fears ratcheted even more seeing Charlotte passed out with three guys around her.
“This was good,” I murmur as I stand. “Thank you.”
He follows me into the kitchen, also depositing his plate into the sink. I turn and face him, gnawing on my lip. His dark brown eyes skate down to my neck and his nostrils flare. Absently, I touch the tender spot that was worsened by Kayden’s brutal grip.
“About last night,” Jordy starts. He lets out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry. I was drunk, but that’s no excuse.”
“I liked it,” I whisper, stepping closer. “A lot.”
His jaw clenches when I tentatively reach up to press my palm to his chest. The thundering of his heart thumps against my hand. He rests his own hand over mine.