Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
When I get close, I hear the red-haired woman laugh. “Sorry honey, we’re not interested. We’re here to have a good time.”
One of the guys moves closer to her. “Oh, no worries there. We can show you a good time.”
“Again, we’re not interested.”
The man starts to say something as I stop next to the three guys, putting myself between them and Abby. “She said they’re not interested. Move on.”
The guy turns to me, and when he has to lean his head back to look up at me, I stare down at him with a grimace. I widen my stance to be ready in case he and his friends get stupid, but they slowly start to retreat.
I turn to Abby, and her mouth is hanging open. “Davis? What are you doing here?”
“Davis! Zach’s friend? That Davis?”
I ignore her friend, and so does Abby. She points at the two other women. “This is Olivia and Chloe. Guys, this is Davis. My brother’s best friend.”
“Well, well, well,” the redhead says.
“Hi,” I grunt at them and swing my gaze back to Abby. “You okay?”
She nods, and the one named Chloe says, “Hey, Abby, Olivia and I are going to walk around. You good here, or you want to come with us?”
She looks at her friends and back at me. “I’m going to hang here for a minute.”
Her friends grab their drinks and giggle as they walk away. I nod my head at Abby. “You care if I sit down?”
She points at the chair, and I slide it closer to her before I sit down. “You didn’t answer me. You okay?”
Confusion fills her face. “Okay? Yeah, I’m okay. What are you doing here, Davis?”
I lean across the table. “Don’t be mad.”
All at once, the expression on her face drops. “Zach.” She puts her hand to her forehead and shakes her head. “Of course! Zach sent you here.” She leans back in her seat, putting some distance between us. “Well, you can go. I’m a grown woman, and I don’t need my brother—or his best friend—to watch me like I’m some child or something. Oh my God, I’m so mortified.”
I reach for her, and she jerks back. I let my hand fall to the table as I plead with her. “Don’t be mad. It’s not like that. Trust me, I know you’re a grown woman. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn’t know anything about this place, and there’s no way I could have stayed away, knowing you were here.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, and I hate seeing the hurt on her face. “I’m sorry, Davis. I’m sorry that Zach got you involved. I’ll talk to him and make sure he understands that he shouldn’t have done this. I’m not your responsibility.”
I scoot my chair closer to her, and this time when I reach for her, she doesn’t pull away. “Abby, will you listen to me? And then if you still want me to go, I will.”
When she doesn’t respond, I plead with her. “Please?”
She nods, and I take the hand that’s clasped to her chest and hold it between the two of mine. “Yes, Zach told me about you coming here tonight, but he didn’t ask me to come. When he told me you were going to be here, I told him I would be too. He said he didn’t want me to embarrass you, and I promised him I wouldn’t, but I had to come. I couldn’t stay away.”
She huffs out a breath and shakes her head. I rub my thumb along her wrist. I shouldn’t be touching her, but the temptation is too hard to resist. “Yes, I’m your brother’s best friend, and I’d do anything for him. But I’m here for you. I needed to know that you’re okay.”
Her face softens, and she blinks at me. I squeeze her hand a little tighter, hoping she gives me the answer I want. “Now I can leave if that’s what you want me to do, but I’d like to stay with you.” I hold one hand up. “But I won’t interfere with anything you want to do. I just want to make sure you make it home safe.”
She’s shaking her head. “Davis, I know you have other things to do—”
I cut her off. “I want to be here.”
She looks around the room that is starting to fill up. “Is this your kind of thing?”
I lean toward her. “I’ve never been to a place like this before, but if you’ll let me, maybe we can explore it together.”
Her voice is thick with emotion. “What do you have in mind?”
I reach for the menu on the table, open it, and lay it down on the table in front of her. “Check it out. Does any of this interest you?”
She peers down at the menu and then looks up at me. “Excuse me, Mr. Jones. Are you asking me what kind of sexual fantasies I have?”