Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 107077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Hopefully.
If they can stop making googly eyes at each other long enough to order their food and eat.
Her expression softens as she shakes her head. “Sorry, I really need to get home and shower before I head out tonight. If I didn’t already have plans, I’d stay. I could use the extra money.”
Damn.
Once she loads up the rest of the food, she swings away without another word.
It’s just my luck to get stuck dealing with that guy after an already long day. I don’t have much in the way of patience left. Although, that doesn’t seem to matter when it comes to Asher. All I have to do is look sideways at him and my irritation skyrockets through the roof.
With no other options available, I straighten my shoulders.
Maybe I’m worrying over nothing.
So what if we’ve had two explosive run-ins?
That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll recognize me. Asher is a major player on campus. Every time I catch sight of the guy, there are different girls hanging all over him. Western is a large Division I college and there’s a ton of athletes who go on to play professional sports, but only a select few are treated with his celebrity status.
It’s a little sickening.
All right, maybe more than a little.
I spend the next thirty seconds giving myself a silent pep talk before forcing my feet into movement. The smile pasted across my face feels brittle as I stalk through the dining room before grinding to a halt in front of their table.
Just like when I caught sight of them a few minutes ago, they’re all wrapped up in each other. It takes effort to swallow down the acidic taste of bile rising in my throat. If I’m not careful, I’ll spew chunks everywhere.
It’s doubtful that would be appreciated.
Which makes it tempting.
“Hello,” I mutter. “My name is Lola and I’ll be waiting on you today. Can I start you off with something to drink?”
The girls barely glance at me. They’re way too busy pawing the six-foot, golden-haired man sprawled out in the semi-circle booth between them.
Like a sandwich.
Gross.
He stares straight at me as a slow smile spreads across his handsome face. It’s obvious that he remembers our encounters.
He only reinforces that suspicion by saying, “If it isn’t taco girl, my favorite waitress. What a surprise to find you here.”
My jaw locks as I grit my teeth. Keeping the faux smile firmly in place is no easy feat, especially when all I want to do is bare my teeth and growl.
“How about we skip the pleasantries, and you tell me what you want to order?”
The last time he showed up here with a group of friends, I might have called him a dick in front of my uncle and ended up getting my ass chewed out. I have zero interest in being treated to another lecture. Plus, my tía and tío have been good to me. I don’t want my behavior to be a reflection on their restaurant. Trust me, I was obsessively checking Yelp reviews after the incident occurred.
So…if that means I need to be cordial to this knuckle-dragging jerk, then that’s what I’ll do.
But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Or that it’ll be easy.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that he has a brawny arm wrapped around each girl. With his bright blue gaze pinned to mine, he hauls them even closer. The smile turns into more of a smirk as a strange sizzle of electricity zips through my veins before settling like a heavy stone in my core.
As soon as the unwanted desire bursts to life, I ruthlessly stomp it out like it’s a kitchen fire that has the potential to burn down the joint. Asher Stevens is the very last guy on the face of the earth I want to find myself attracted to.
Other women might be taken in by his handsome face, chiseled body, and athletic prowess, but not me. I see him for what he is—a muscle-bound, steroid-infused meathead who drinks like a fish, smokes weed, and screws like he’s being sent to prison for life without the possibility of conjugal visits.
When you live paycheck-to-paycheck and have to continually worry about having enough money to pay for groceries and utilities, along with all the little necessities, you don’t have the luxury of getting caught up in frivolous things that don’t matter. At that point, life becomes very black and white. There aren’t many shades of gray.
“Now, where’s the fun in that?”
Fun?
There’s nothing about this situation that even resembles a good time.
I narrow my eyes before shifting my weight. Is it really too much to ask that they give me their order so I can get the hell away from this table?
The less interaction I have with him, the better off we’ll all be.
What’s funny is that I’ve waited on my fair share of conceited jerks while working here, and I’ve always been able to smile and take their order without incident. Even the ones who hit obnoxiously on me.