Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
I sit at the table with Ariella and Jaxon for a bit before they get up and get home to the sitter. “Lunch tomorrow.” He points at me, and I nod my head. “You bringing that guy?” He points over to Zane, who is talking to Aaron and Eric at the bar.
“Why would you ask her that?” Ariella snaps out. “If she invited me to her house and said don’t bring Jaxon, what would you say?”
“I wouldn’t say anything,” he retorts. “It’s my sister’s house, I’m going.”
“Exactly.” She pushes him out of the door. I sit back in my chair, looking around and seeing that most of the players have left. I get up and make my way to Zane, who catches me walking to him and looks over at the table, seeing that no one is left. “Hey,” I say when I get close enough.
“I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “We were—”
“Talking business,” I fill in, looking at Aaron, who leans on the bar, and Eric, who smiles at me.
“Are you ready to head out?” Zane asks me and I nod my head.
“Unless you want to stay,” I quickly add, “to finish business. I don’t want to interrupt.”
“You aren’t interrupting,” Zane assures me. “I’ll see you guys on Monday,” he says and then he slaps Aaron’s shoulder. “Good game tonight.”
“Thanks.” He nods his head at us. Zane slips his hand in mine, and we leave together. There are a couple of the guys who I hear whispering as we walk out.
“Well, that was uneventful,” I state as he brings our hands to his lips and kisses my fingers. “There was not even a drop of blood shed.” I make a joke as Zane laughs at me. “It’s almost as if no one cared.” He stops by the passenger side door, pushing me against it before he kisses me. “This is when you tell me I was right.” I slide my arms up his chest and around his neck.
“Victoria,” he says my name, “you were right.” He kisses me softly. “You are always right.” He pulls open the door. “Now get in before I forget where we are and fuck you against the car.”
“Don’t tease me with a good time, Zane.” I tap my hand on his cheek before getting in. He shakes his head and walks around the front of the SUV, getting in. He leans over, grabbing my hand, and lets it rest on his thigh as we make our way to his house.
I’m on my stomach in the middle of his bed when the phone rings. I groan as I turn my head to the side. “Hello,” he grumbles, “yeah.” I close my eyes, hoping I fall right back to sleep. “What?” His tone changes and the sleep I was hoping to get back to slips out of my grasp. “Where?” I get up on my elbows and look over at him as he sits up. “Fuck,” he swears, looking over at me. “There is no fucking comment, Ken,” he hisses. “Give me twenty minutes and I’ll call you back.” He hangs up. “Where is your phone?”
“I don’t know.” I turn on my side. “Probably in my purse.” I bring the covers to my neck. “Is everything okay?” I ask him as he looks down at his phone.
“The press posted a story about us,” he says and I get up.
“What do you mean the press posted a story about us?” I throw the covers off me, grabbing the white shirt he took off last night when we finally made it into the bedroom. I run up the stairs to the entrance of the garage where my purse fell out of my hands after he fucked me against the door. It’s right next to the pair of jeans that was left there. I pull the phone out of my purse and see the dreaded missed calls; five from my father, fifteen from my mother, and two from Jaxon.
“Oh shit,” I mumble before pulling up the story on my phone. I don’t have to even search far, it’s the first thing on my social media.
Hockey coach Zane Gilmore dating much younger woman, who just happens to be his captain’s sister. Sources close to the pair have been speculating for months that he has been grooming her.
“That’s a little extreme,” I say, walking down the stairs and seeing him standing at the bottom. He’s wearing a pair of boxers, and his face is ashen white. “Are you okay?”
“They said I’ve been grooming you.” His voice is a whisper. “Do you know what that means?”
“I’m twenty-five,” I remind him, “not a child.” I shake my head and his head hangs. “It’s a fake article, obviously filled with shit since I didn’t even know you months ago.”
“They found a picture of us at the community garden,” he says, turning his phone to let me see. It’s a picture from when I went to bring him a water bottle. “We weren’t even together.”