Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Tossing my phone back on the bed, I glared at it in frustration. That had given me no answers and only made all these unanswered questions worse. It was easy to forget everything when I was with Blaise. He consumed me. Admitting that wasn’t helpful either.
He was coming to get me tonight. I was supposed to take a bag of clothes with me. Although I was confused and unsure of what was going on, I still wanted to go. I wanted to be with him. I was overthinking this. That was what I got for eavesdropping.
I had put on new panties the moment I got in my room, but I’d not changed out of my sundress. Going into my closet, I found a pair of hot-pink shorts and a lacy white halter top that Melanie had bought me when we went shopping that one time after I went to Trev’s. I stopped and looked at my choices, realizing I was trying to dress older. Normally, I’d come in here and pick out the most comfortable items I could find. The pictures of the women Blaise had dated were getting to me.
I waged an internal battle, and in the end, I put on the dang halter top. Yes, I was dressing for Blaise. I had to accept it. I liked him more than a lot. Pushing that thought aside, I put some things in a bag and placed it on the bed, then decided to go eat lunch. I was about to walk out the door when my cell phone alerted me of a text. Stopping, I went back to get it. I rarely got a text or call. Melanie and Trev were the only two who had texted to contact me. Saxon just came and found me.
Blaise’s name was on the screen, and I frowned. I’d not put his number in my phone. I didn’t know his number. We hadn’t exactly been on good terms until last night. I opened the text.
Keep your phone on you at all times.
That was it. That was his message.
Why? And when did we exchange numbers?
I sent that and stood there, waiting for a response. It came almost immediately. As if he had known what I was going to ask.
Because I want to be able to get in touch with you. Melanie gave me your number.
That didn’t explain why his name was in my phone.
But your name is in my phone.
I waited again, and his response came quickly.
Melanie probably added it.
If I hadn’t heard the conversation earlier, I would have found that odd. But he was right. She probably had. After all, she had given me the phone and told me my passcode to it. She could use my phone anytime she wanted. I had nothing to hide, and she paid for it.
I slipped the phone into the pocket of my shorts before leaving the room.
When I entered the kitchen, I hadn’t expected Saxon to be sitting at the bar, eating a sandwich. He looked at me when I walked in and pulled out the stool next to him. There was a plate beside him with an identical lunch. I was glad he had come inside to talk to me. I trusted him, and I felt like he would answer some of my questions.
“Thanks,” I said, taking the seat beside him. “I love Mrs. Jolene’s Reubens,” I said, looking down at my plate.
He nodded while chewing the bite he had taken. I took a drink of my water and waited before taking my own bite. When he swallowed, he turned to look at me. I was hoping he’d start the conversation.
“I think I missed something,” he started. “Last night, what was that?”
Okay, good. We were going to talk. Melanie hadn’t scared him off from discussing Blaise with me.
“Well, it confused me too. At first. Blaise hadn’t been nice to me since I’d arrived. Then, at the gala, things got weird.” I paused. Not sure how much I should tell Saxon.
This was new to me, too, and I didn’t want to share details about Blaise and me with him. That seemed dishonest.
“There was something there. Then, the horse riding lesson. He showed up. You were there.” I shrugged. I didn’t think Saxon wanted to hear how Blaise had affected me from day one. That even when he was a jerk, I noticed him. “Until he came here and we … talked … I’d misunderstood things.”
“I don’t think that’s changed,” Saxon muttered under his breath, but I still understood him.
“What?” I asked, wanting him to clarify.
He shook his head and stared down at his plate of food. I waited. He was thinking about his words. I could tell he wanted to say more.
“Blaise is twenty-five. You’re nineteen. He’s done some shit. He’s dated daughters of some powerful people. Don’t you think his coming over here and taking you to his house like—” He stopped then, and I was glad.