Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
I stare into the depths of my wine, wishing I could go back to before I knew. “It changes everything. Not because of what he does—it’s not even bad, just confusing and weird. But because he lied. Over and over, he lied.” I can hear the flat, emotionless tone of my voice, but it’s because shock is setting in, not because I’m not feeling everything so intensely.
“Confusing. Weird. Sells pics online of his feet with his toes stuck in various foods?” she guesses, breaking the vow she made a whole twelve seconds ago.
I shake my head. “Joy.” She holds her hands up in surrender, but she has succeeded in drying my tears with wine, chocolate, and annoying comments. So I tell her the conundrum I’m in. “If he lied about this, he could’ve lied about other things. Or everything. I felt like we had this deep, serious connection, but what if it’s all fake?”
“Does it feel fake?” she asks gently.
I sigh, dropping my chin to hide behind my hair before I confess. “No. It felt like love. But now I don’t know.”
“I’m sure you haven’t told him all your deep, dark secrets either,” Joy points out.
I don’t have any. Maybe that’s the problem. I’ve been completely up front and honest with Ben, telling him things about my relationship with Roy that definitely don’t paint me in a particularly flattering light and sharing my heart and body in ways that terrified me until he made it seem safe to do so. Only to find out that he’s been hiding this big part of himself. And now I don’t trust anything he’s said or done.
There’s a huge question mark looming over it all.
There’s a knock at the door, and Joy jumps up. “It’s Shep. I texted him in case we needed backup. I thought we were going after Roy, but he’ll be happy to commit a little stabby-stab on Ben instead.” As she’s saying the last part, she opens the door.
Except it’s not Shepherd standing there. It’s Ben and Sean, who both look dazed at her casual threat of murder by knife.
“Oh, well, this certainly kills Shep’s element of surprise,” she taunts.
Ben rushes past her, falling to his knees in front of me. “Hope, I can explain.”
I curl up tighter, not wanting him to touch me. “No. I said leave me alone.”
“Over my dead body is the only way you’re taking my sister to some CIA black ops site,” Joy tells Ben from the doorway. She’s blocking Sean, making him stay in the hallway as her eyes jump back and forth like she’s waiting on either guy to make a move. “And don’t think my neighbors aren’t all watching this, recording it on their Ring cameras to give to the news. Twin Sisters Kidnapped by Top-Secret Government Agents has a nice ring to it, don’t ya think?”
Ben looks back at Joy in confusion. “What’re you talking about?”
I’ve decided I’m not talking to Ben, but I am talking to my sister. “He’s not a CIA agent, Joy.”
“Riiight,” she drawls, tapping her nose. “I hear you. Definitely not CIA.”
“Why don’t we let these two fuckers figure their shit out?” Sean suggests to Joy, holding an arm out to invite her out of her own apartment.
“Charming,” Joy deadpans, scanning Sean up and down like he’s dog shit on her designer shoe. But she looks back at me, waiting for instructions.
“I know you have questions,” Ben rushes to say. “I’ll answer anything. It doesn’t matter now that you know.”
“It matters to me!” I roar, my anger returning in full force.
He shoves his fingers through his hair, wincing as he pulls at the strands. “I know. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that I can tell you everything now.”
Joy whispers out the side of her mouth to Sean, “Wanna go to Let’s F*rk?”
“Is that a euphemism for fucking?” he answers hopefully, his right brow lifting as he looks Joy up and down.
She smacks him on the chest, not caring in the slightest that she doesn’t even know him and he looks like the serial killer she worried Ben was. “No, it’s a sandwich place. I’m hungry for lunch and had wine and chocolate instead.”
“Already ate.” His eyes return to Ben and me, watching us with zero expression on his face.
Joy doesn’t take no for an answer and shoves him back a step, though I’m pretty sure he moves out of shock, not because she’s that strong. “Wrong answer, asshole. Let’s leave these two—what did you so delicately call it? Oh yeah, leave these two fuckers to figure their shit out.”
Sean blinks slowly, looking at Joy like he’s seeing her for the first time and liking what he sees. She snaps her fingers in his face. “Don’t get any ideas. I don’t date G-men.”
“What about G-spot men?” Sean teases. Or I think it’s a tease because there’s a tiny hint of light in his eyes that’s new.