Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 65939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“That’s what you ask me after all that?”
“Sorry,” she says. “It does kind of explain why you get yourself so many pricey shoes. It’s a business expense.”
“Sure. We’ll call it that.” It has nothing to do with me having an almost orgasmic experience when shopping in a high-end shoe store. Nothing at all.
“How did you get into… that?” she asks.
“Remember my roommate from college?”
“The one you hated?”
“Yeah. She was doing the same thing, so when I needed the money, I decided why the hell not?”
“Why did you need the money?” she asks. “I thought your parents were helping you.”
I sigh. “My parents got into financial trouble shortly after we graduated—a malpractice suit in combination with lapsed malpractice insurance pretty much wiped them out—and I didn’t want to accept handouts from Cameron.”
“Oh. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You had your own money problems. And I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me selling my body.”
“Even if you were truly selling your body—which your little side business doesn’t qualify as—I’d still think of you as my friend,” she says solemnly.
“There’s also the part where you know my parents,” I say, wiping another—this time, relieved—tear. “They’d be ashamed if they knew you’d found out about their financial issues. Dad loves talking about the lawsuit, but how it bankrupted them—not so much.”
“Oh, gotcha. Of course. Next time I see them, I’ll pretend I don’t know.”
“Thanks,” I say. “Now it’s your turn to tell me things.”
“Well, you’re right. Ashton is upset,” she says. “The mere fact that he called Marcus is a testament to that. Apparently, they don’t usually talk about feelings. They use each other as punching bags instead.”
Fuck. “So… you think that means it’s over?”
“Is that what you want?” she says softly.
“What difference does it make? I fucked it up. Whatever ‘it’ was.”
“Well, upset or not, he did want to move in with you—and that’s a serious step. From my experience, marriage follows that, so I doubt he’d give up on you after your first fight.”
“Wait. He wanted to move in with me?” I shout.
“Oops. That was one of the things I wasn’t supposed to tell you.”
“But… move in?”
“Didn’t you tell me he’s been spending the night with you every night?”
“Well, yeah. He and his dog.”
“And he works during the day, right?”
“Sure.”
“So… how would your life be all that different if you did move in together?”
My head spins. “That’s not the point. We weren’t even dating.”
“That’s not how he saw it. He told Marcus you were his girlfriend… until yesterday.”
This is ridiculous. “Why does the ‘until yesterday’ part make me so upset? I didn’t even know I was his girlfriend.”
“Maybe because you want to be?”
Do I? All my conversations with Ashton play in front of my mind’s eye. And the smiles. And the laughs. And the dinners, the massages, the toe-curling orgasms…
“Of course, I do,” I admit with a sigh. “But I was an idiot. I’m not sure if I can fix it now.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Emma says. “And I’ve got an idea of how you can go about it.”
I listen with bated breath, and as she tells me, I know that I’ll try her idea, which will either end with me getting Ashton back or my first-ever concussion.
Chapter 32
Ashton
I kick the punching bag in front of me. Then I jump and strike the bag with my knee, followed by a fake kick that transforms into a punch mid-air.
Where the fuck is Marcus?
I made the usual arrangements to ensure the gym is empty while all that’s required of his billionaire majesty is to show up and let me work off some of my angry energy… using his face.
Once I’ve let off some steam, I plan on stopping by Kendall’s apartment so I can undo what I did by leaving in anger. And once that’s done, I’ll reason with her—and by reason, I mean find some non-barbarian way to explain to her that she’s mine and that I intend to keep her, no matter how many times she ghosts me and denies our relationship.
The door creaks.
“Fucking finally.” I turn to face Marcus and freeze.
The person wearing all the usual gear is not my friend.
No. It’s Kendall, and she makes me realize that fighting accoutrements like gloves, shin guards, and especially foot pads, can be sexy as hell when worn by the right person.
“Hi,” she says, her speech slurred by the mouthguard.
“Hey.” I spit mine out. “What are you doing here?”
She walks up to me and raises her gloves. “I came to apologize and to let you hit me, if that’s what it takes to earn your forgiveness.”
I stare at her, equal parts stunned and offended. “I’d never hit you. Not even if you were about to murder me.”
“Oh.” Looking disappointed, she spits out her mouthguard. “Then you’ll have to forgive me without any violence.” Mirroring actions to words, she lowers her gloves. “And… I’m sorry I thought you were that Ash-hole. Also, I should have told you about Candy Berlin. Most importantly, I’m sorry I didn’t see us as a couple. I should have. I was just worried that you’d break up with me when you learned about my side business.”