Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67644 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67644 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“Except you can’t,” Knox hissed with a jerk of his chin in Griffith’s direction. “Or else you wouldn’t be doing the walk of shame after spending the night with him.”
“Now who’s being the asshole, dickhead?” I felt Griffith press against my back as he growled, “Don’t talk to her like that.”
“Stop it, both of you,” I hissed. “You’re grown men, but you’re tossing insults around like you’re a couple of teenage boys.”
Knox rolled his eyes. "Don't try to take the moral high ground, baby sis. Not when you’re still dressed in the same clothes from yesterday because you had a one-night stand with a fucking rock star of all people.”
“It wasn’t a one-night stand,” Griffith insisted.
“Not a one-night stand?” Knox’s eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Really? That’s the story you’re going with here?”
The suspicion in his voice was super irritating, so I mirrored his stance and backed Griffith up. “Yes, really. Since one-night stands by their very definition don’t include a date the next day, we couldn’t have possibly had one because we have plans for today.”
“You’re going out on a date? With him? Today?” Knox scoffed.
I didn’t get why it was so hard for him to wrap his thick skull around the idea. “Not that I owe you any details, but yes. Griffith is meeting me at the shop to help out with the flowers for a wedding today, and then we’re going out to eat tonight.”
Knox tilted his head in Griffith’s direction and quirked an eyebrow. “Have you been hanging out with Julian Storm?”
“What?” I shook my head, not understanding what the magician who starred in The Lennox’s show had to do with our conversation. “Why are you asking him about Julian?”
Knox shrugged his shoulders. “I just figured that if he’s going out on a date with you today, someone must’ve taught him how to be in two places at once.”
“Shit,” Griffith groaned, his hand gliding up my back in a soothing gesture. My brother must’ve landed a verbal blow of some kind, but apparently, I was the only one who didn’t know exactly what it was.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, asshole.” Knox reached out to grab my bicep, but Griffith stepped in front of me.
“You’ve got it all wrong.”
I tugged on Griffith’s arm until he turned back towards me. “He’s got what all wrong?”
“Yesterday was his last day in Vegas,” Knox answered from behind him. “He’s supposed to be on a plane to LA in a few hours.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. “You’re leaving?”
Griffith glared at Knox over his shoulder. “Nice job hurting your sister, jackass.”
“Don’t blame the messenger for delivering news that you should’ve told me yourself,” I hissed. “Like maybe before I handed you my virginity, or when you were talking about how you’re not going anywhere, and we’ve got more than enough time to talk about stuff in the future and a possible preg—” I broke off suddenly, glancing over at my brother uncomfortably. His eyes flared, but I couldn’t tell if he’d caught on to my slip of the tongue.
Griffith picked up on the awkward tension and led me over to an alcove. Knox followed us until Griffith pointed a finger at the opposite wall and grunted, “You’ve already fucked this up enough. Go stand over there and give us some privacy so I can fix things. Once I’m done talking to your sister, you’re more than welcome to try to kick my ass. But be prepared because I’m not going to just stand there and take your punches, not after you’ve hurt Belle by sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
The promise of a fight must’ve temporarily appeased my brother because he crossed over to the wall and leaned against it. When it was just Griffith and me, he tried to pull me close, but I jerked away from him. Pacing back and forth in the small space, I tried to understand how things could’ve gone wrong so quickly. After I got the tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks under control, I turned to Griffith. “Are you really leaving today?”
“No.” His purple-blue eyes burned with a sincerity that was impossible to miss.
“Then why does Knox think you’re getting on a plane in a few hours? My brother doesn’t make mistakes when it comes to stuff like this.”
I let Griffith come near without jerking away again. “He was half right. I was supposed to fly out today, but I bumped my flight because I’m not ready to leave you. I want as much time with you as I can get before I have to be in the studio with the rest of the band to start recording our next album the day after tomorrow.”
“The day after tomorrow?” I echoed softly as the tears started to fill my eyes again.