Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 107673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Right, I wasn’t letting that fib slip past. “Don’t lie to me over things I know about. You’re payin’.”
“No.” Dash shook his head innocently. “I’m not lying. They wanted you to play football, but I said you were out.” Whatever expression I had on my face caused Dash to laugh. “I told them that I thought your goals had changed and you wouldn’t be attending college there.”
That was a very good answer. If I needed college, I’d do some night classes or online, I heard that was becoming a thing. My appetite returned as suddenly as I’d lost it. I scooped up a big bite. Dash enjoyed nibbling at his food, savoring the experience. Me? I hunkered down into the meal. My current goal, I wanted the hot fudge that had slipped to the bottom. Whip cream and a cherry came with it.
“How’d you fit all that in your mouth?” Dash asked. “Do you have brain freeze?”
Oh, I definitely experienced brain freeze, but tried my hardest to hide the sharp, piercing pain from my face. Through the effort, I absentmindedly dropped the spoon in the bowl then reached for the remote.
“My schoolmates have planned an end-of-semester party at a nearby swim bar. Wanna go?” Dash swiveled his whole body my way, excitement dancing in his eyes.
So yeah another uncomfortable setting for me. “When is it?”
“After lunch with my family. A group of us rented the club for the day and night. Families in the day, adults at night.” Adult meant he’d have me wearing something skimpy. The few times we’d gone dancing, as the night progressed, my clothes began to fall off. Depending on the situation—no that wasn’t right. Depending on nothing, Dash put maximum effort into everything he did.
I could feel his penetrating stare straight at my profile. Another bite teased at my lips. Of course, I accepted it, but it landed in my stomach differently this time. “I paid my portion to keep the club private and said we’d be there. It’s a pool club environment. I believe I said that. We’ll have a buffet, swimming, dancing, and drinks. It’s the kind of place I feel like we’d enjoy.”
We did have a great time out in the world together, but they weren’t in places I could embarrass him. We danced, got tipsy, and taxied home. It didn’t matter that he had a sophisticated take on everything, while I was more redneck in my approach to life. This one was going to matter. "Dash."
“Beau,” he mimicked. Yup, I was way past tired of that.
Why were we doing all these things at once? I had new clothes, I was cutting my hair tomorrow night, getting a barber shop shave…
My guy didn’t get life. I scrubbed a palm down my face. Why didn’t he adore our cozy cocoon like I did? He needed to handle all this on his own. I’d wait here for his return and listen to everything he had to say about it. “You go and have a good time—”
Dash interrupted before I had the word go out of my mouth. “You fit in my world easily. Everybody loves you.”
“Stop lying. None of your friends know me. I’ve never met them.” Absently, my palm reached for my heart, rubbing there. My guy was trying to give me a heart attack.
Dash erupted into laughter before I finished again. "You're a legend! Everyone's heard about the epic moment you whisked me out of that bar like a hero in a fairy tale."
My eyes did a full-on spin inside their sockets at the ridiculousness of a bunch of competitive law students getting lost in make-believe romantic notions. I aimed the remote at the TV, tapping the power button. With a raised eyebrow, I said, "Not the way it happened."
“You’d never convince anyone of that.” Dash waved away my reality check. “We aren’t what you think. There’s lots of people like you and me there,” he said, his palm coasting over my hair. “Change of subject. You were talking about the new haircut you scheduled. I found something you might like. It’s long, you wouldn’t cut much off the top, and the sides fade. I think it’ll frame your face really well, and this front part can be tied back. It’s a cool look.”
I let him shift gears, because ultimately, I was going to the swim party, just like going to meet his family. “Do you have a picture?”
“Loads. Let me get my laptop.” In a single fluid move, he lifted off the sofa, bowl in hand. My mind went distracted as I scrolled through the television guide, lost to the thoughts in my head. Too much was happening too quickly. Anxiety quickened my heart rate. I hadn’t settled into any of this. Something didn’t feel right.
The crash and burn felt inevitable, and I couldn’t find a way to stop it. As I clicked the channel button, I stared at the enormous screen. The patter of Dash’s feet became louder as he made his way back to me. I let go of a steadying breath, a technique I’d learned for when anxiety became palpable.