Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
That made me feel more comfortable. “You travel a lot?”
He nodded. “At times, or when I want. I can do stocks anywhere.”
That was true, and also, a whole new way of living that I wasn’t used to. “That’s nice.”
He frowned a little, and I knew he heard a note in my voice that I wished hadn’t slipped out. There was some envy, I couldn’t lie about that. Being wealthy had perks. Living was easier, or it seemed that way.
“Wha—” He laughed, a little hitch in there. “I’m sorry. I…” He got all the way serious. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”
“You don’t need to say anything. That’s a nice thing you can do, traveling anywhere and whenever you want. But it is a reminder of how different we are. I can’t do that. I have to stay where I have a job.” I took a sip of my drink, hissing from the vodka’s burn.
He nodded, still watching me in his way. “I remember that you were supposed to go to grad school at one point. What happened? Can I ask?”
I needed another drink for that conversation. “Life happened. That’s all.”
“Ava—”
I looked away, taking a long draw from the drink now. The burn was getting less and less. Thoughts were starting to come in, piling in, but the basic bottom line was: what was I doing? Moving into this giant house? Sleeping with my roommate? He was not in my league. He was so far out of it, skyrocketing out of it, and I knew, even though I’d been fooling myself out in the party, that there would be actual mean girls coming in at some point. Kit. There were others. There had to be. For Zeke to be who Zeke was, of course there’d be bitchy women coming into our lives. My new life? And they’d be there, looking down at me, because who were we all kidding here? I was the help.
I’d be more comfortable being hired to either tend bar at this party or be waitstaff.
A hard laugh rippled up my throat. “What are we doing here?”
“Oh Jesus. Are you serious?” he bit out.
I did a double take, not expecting that from him, and seeing my look, he leaned forward. His own face was hard. “Is this the part of our story where you realize you’re poor and I’m not and you decide this is going to go nowhere so you should move right back out?”
His words pierced me, but there was some truth in them. “It would make sense. Yeah…”
He cursed. “Fucking please.” He stood up, going back into the room and added to his drink.
“You’re mad? At me?”
He didn’t answer, but his eyes were trained right on me as he came back outside, sitting down in the chair beside me.
I asked, “Is this our first fight?” I was in the twilight zone. We’d only fucked twi—more than twice, more than three, four actually, but this was happening too fast. Way too fast. I should’ve known. I began to stand up.
“Where are you going?”
“Leaving. You’re right. I shouldn’t be here.”
His eyes were angry, blazing. “I didn’t say that. I said that’s what you were going to say.”
I couldn’t deny that. “It’s true. I mean, what is this? What are we doing? I didn’t even ask about rent. I have no idea if I can pay for it.”
“You really think I’d make you pay me rent?”
I flushed. “You better! I’m not a freeloader. I have never been one.”
“Maybe that’s part of the problem.”
I fell silent. My whole insides were twisted up. “What does that mean?”
He half-glared at me, taking a pull from his drink.
“Zeke. What does that mean?”
He still didn’t answer, taking another draw from his drink. Still glowering too.
“Zeke Allen, answer me right now.” I would’ve folded my arms over my chest if I didn’t have a drink, so I folded one arm across my chest and tried to look intimidating.
“I want you with me, and I’ll keep saying it as many times as you need me to hear it.” He sighed. “You look at me like that, and all I’m thinking is how I want to throw you on the bed, peel off your pants, and sink so far inside of you that you forget everything we were just talking about.”
My body got insta-hot. Like, heated to boiling hot.
And, well, damn.
“What?” I could only mutter, feeling the throb burst deep inside for him.
He saw it. He did. He knew the effect he had on me, and just like that, the whole feel of the conversation turned. It took a one-eighty, and he was giving me a wolfish look, one that had my toes curling, and I could only let out a shaky sigh because I knew he was two seconds away from doing just what he said he wanted to do.