Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Wow. I never saw how annoying you were.” He chuckles.
“What’s it going to be, Julia?” he asks, and if I was closer to him, I would be able to see the lightness in his eyes when he laughs.
“Fine,” I huff, trying to be annoyed, “but I’m watching Sister Wives.”
“I was hoping you would say that,” he fires back and turns to walk to the front door of the building, and I hear the buzz come from inside.
“Did you just ring my bell?” I ask shocked, and he presses the button again.
“No,” he says. “I rang Suzie Wong’s bell.”
I shake my head as I walk back into my apartment, closing the door behind me. The doorbell buzzes again as I make my way to the speaker. I press the button at the same time that he buzzes again. “Who is it?” I ask and then press the listen button.
“Chase Grant,” he says his name.
I shake my head. “Sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name.” I roll my lips as I hear him groan.
“Fine, it’s Thor,” he jokes with the nickname I gave him the first time I met him.
“Did you bring your hammer?” I can’t help but fuck with him.
“If you don’t let me in, I’m calling Max and telling him I can’t get in touch with you.” He knows he just won this game. “Then I might even call my dad and say.” He trails off.
“Ugh,” I groan. “Fine, you win.” I press the button to let him up and I unlock the door. I open it and step out into the hallway and can hear him walking up the stairs. He gets to the top of the stairs as he looks right and then left. He does a chin up when he finally sees me standing here. I fold my arms over my chest as he walks to me and I ignore how much better I feel with him here. “That was a low blow,” I accuse when he’s close enough to me that I don’t have to raise my voice and wake up my neighbors.
“It wasn’t a low blow.” His voice is low. “It was the truth.” When he gets within a foot of me, I smell his cologne.
“You would not have called them.” I shake my head. “You would have called Michael for sure.”
“Negative. He wouldn’t even answer my call. Besides, when you want things done, you call in the big guns.”
“Oh, good God,” I huff, turning and walking into my apartment, feeling Chase right behind me.
“It’s so dark in here,” he observes as he closes the door behind him. I walk to the wall and turn on the light. I look back at him as he stands there in my entryway taking up so much space. I’ve never had anyone in my space before. It’s my safe place and I keep it drama-free, which is why I never invite anyone over. “Are you okay?”
I think about lying to him, but instead the word comes out before I can stop it. “No.”
CHAPTER 14
Chase
I watch her turn and walk into her apartment and I follow her. “It’s so dark in here,” I say as I close the door behind me. She walks over to the side where she turns on a lamp. The soft yellow light fills the small entryway. She stands there with her hair tied on top of her head, wearing shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. Her nose is red and her eyes look like she’s been crying. “Are you okay?” It’s a loaded question and I wonder if she’ll be honest with me or try to sugarcoat things.
“No,” she answers me honestly, and I don’t know why, but I want to lean in and grab her in my arms and say it’s going to be okay. She turns around and walks into the apartment, I follow her as she passes a small round table with four chairs. The living room is to my right as she moves down another small hallway. She turns and I stop at the doorway, watching her walk toward her bed. The king-size bed fills up most of the room with a white side table on each side. I spot the flowers on the side table where she sits, wondering if she is actually dating someone. It’s not as if she announces when she dates anyone. My stomach knots at this thought, and all I can do is watch as she pulls the white cover onto her legs.
She looks over at me. “Are you okay with me coming into your bedroom?” My whole body feels as if I’ve taken five scoops of pre-workout. I don’t want her to feel like I’m intruding in her space.
She laughs at my question. “You’ve seen me naked.” She leans back on the pillows propped behind her back. “And given me a bath.” She puts her phone on the side table next to the flowers.