Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91299 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91299 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
I blink, not sure what he means.
He looks at the waitress. “Bring us two shots each, please. Patron Silver—and keep them coming.”
I laugh, feeling more at ease. “Someone else having a rough semester?”
He lowers his face until it’s close to mine, and I smell his cologne, the scent of sandalwood. “My ex dumped me last semester, and I have a class with her. Sucks big time.”
I burst out laughing. “STFU!” I lean into him and give his hand a quick squeeze. “Mike, I’ll be honest, I was worried you might be hard to connect with. No offense, it’s just Dr. A’s guys are never my type—but, dude, we’ve got this date down. My ‘sorta ex’ is also in one of my classes.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t get away from mine. She’s driving me nuts in that class.”
“Same.”
“What the hell are we going to do?”
“Drink,” I say when the waitress sets our glasses down.
He lifts the first one up. “Fuck love.”
I lift mine, murmuring an agreement, and we toss them back.
Three shots plus a glass of wine later, I feel awesome, better than I have in two days. The place is getting busier, the booths filling up. And Mike? He’s nice. He’s fun. He has a nice laugh and hazel eyes with green glints that are pretty.
“You ever get lonely?” he says with a lingering look.
“What do you mean?”
He toys with his shot glass. “Nothing. I mean, we’re both far from home, and it’s tough. This semester is the longest of my life. I just want to get away from here…”
“From her?”
He gives me that cute grin. “Yeah. I haven’t been with anyone since her—shit, I shouldn’t be telling you this. You’re my date.” He grimaces and looks down at the table.
“It’s the liquor. And look, I’m not lining you up as my next boyfriend—even though Ma would love it—so say what you want. Tell me about her.”
His eyes lift. “Damn. You’re cool.”
I laugh.
“And fucking gorgeous.”
Oh.
Well, then.
I did mange to avoid carbs this week. There was that one cupcake, but no one’s perfect.
I stare at the table. “Thanks.”
He clears his throat. “Do you want to order something to eat? Soak up this alcohol?”
“Sure.”
We devour our burgers, and after they’re gone, there’s another glass of wine on the table. My body is loose and relaxed as the restaurant gets louder, co-eds and townies taking up seats until the place is packed. Mike’s arm is thrown across the back of the booth, his hand barely touching my shoulder. He loves model planes and likes to play chess—score. He’s currently taking tennis lessons, and I laugh when he tells me how terrible he is at sports. I tell him about my pathetic attempts at yoga. He chuckles.
I watch him, taking in the square chin and dimples. He’s handsome with a dash of nerd boy. Old Charisma would be on her way to his place by now. She’d be in control, and when it was over, she’d drive back home and maybe call him again if she was interested.
My mind wanders, thinking about Blaze, and I sneak a look at my phone to see if he’s texted me. He hasn’t. I haven’t texted him either.
“You’re thinking about him?” Mike stares at me.
I grimace. “Yeah.”
His hand brushes over my shoulder and makes little circles there.
“We can get out of here and forget them, put them out of our minds.” There’s a questioning look in his gaze. “If you want?”
I suck in a breath. “Ah, uh, I…I don’t think…” I bite my lip.
Mike is perfect—but his eyes aren’t ice blue, and his touch doesn’t make my skin go up in flames.
“Hey, it’s all good. I just thought…well, you know what I thought.” He lets out a small laugh. “We seem to have a lot in common, and I let my head go there.” He shrugs.
I laugh. “No, don’t apologize. It’s not you—”
My eyes land on a group that just entered the booth area, a couple.
Heaviness hits my chest and I suck in a breath.
It’s him with a pretty girl. He’s got on jeans and a blue button-up shirt, and the sleeves are rolled up, his roped forearms taut and muscular. He looks hot, his hair styled back and gelled off his face as if he’s taken care with it.
She’s tall and slender with shoulder-length reddish brown hair that brushes against her pale shoulders in a yellow dress. She’s got her hand on his arm, and she’s laughing up at something he’s saying. She slides into a booth near us, just one aisle over, a bit closer to the stage.
He smiles down at her and then his eyes move up and find me.
His freezes and runs his gaze from me to Mike, his face expressionless. He takes in the table, lingering on the shot glasses, then on my date. His lips go flat.