Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
He frowned at first, confused, but when I waggled my brows, his shot into his hairline before a bark of a laugh left his chest.
“Are you making a joke about me masturbating?”
I shrugged, noncommittal as I turned back toward the road. “Just saying. I can understand that disappointment.”
Something of a breath of a laugh left him then, and he shook his head, angling himself toward me. “Wow, so all I had to do to get you to talk to me was get injured, huh?”
“Or maybe all you had to do was stop stalking me,” I argued. “It’s been nice to be in the training room without you pestering me. And to practice pole without you gawking from your driveway.”
“I’ve been busy with school and ball,” he said, and his smile dropped with that last part. But then he added, “And be honest — you loved having the audience.”
I snorted. “You would think that.”
“Just saying. You still haven’t installed those curtains.”
“Ah, so you are still stalking me.”
Holden just smirked, and then his phone was ringing. He glanced at the screen before angling himself toward the window again and answering.
Two deep, worried voices filled the car then.
“What the hell happened?!”
“Are you still at the hospital?”
“He’s clearly in the car, Kevin.”
“Well, I wasn’t looking at the background, Nate! And I’m a little too concerned to be accurate right now.”
“What was the diagnosis?”
“Don’t say diagnosis. You make it sound so serious!”
This went on for a solid minute, each one talking over the other as they peppered Holden with questions about what had happened and whether or not he was alright. I glanced at the screen, finding two middle-aged men with concerned expressions. One was tall, broad-shouldered, with salt-and-pepper hair that gave off major hot dad vibes.
The other was a bit leaner, with dark hair and green eyes that looked just like Holden’s. He had the same sharp jaw, too, and the hollowed-out cheekbones that could have given him a career in modeling.
“I’m okay,” Holden finally said when the men took a breath. “Minor tear. They’ve already got a rehab plan outlined for me.”
The men released a synchronized breath of relief. “Oh, thank God. We were worried sick. Do you need to stay here for a while?” one of them asked.
“We can make up the guest room,” the other offered.
But Holden waved them off. “I’ll be good at the Pit.”
I snickered when they both wrinkled their noses, and one said, “Ugh, that is such a disgusting name for a place of residence.”
“Who’s that driving you?” the other one asked.
Holden glanced over his shoulder at me. “Julep Lee. She’s a new part of the training staff.”
The men went so silent that I glanced over, and when I did, I found them with gaping mouths and wide eyes as they elbowed each other and gave Holden some sort of look that I imagined he was supposed to interpret.
“Don’t,” he warned them quietly before angling the phone so they couldn’t see me anymore, and I couldn’t see them.
“Thanks for taking care of our boy, Julep!” one of them yelled.
“You’re welcome to dinner anytime,” the other added.
I smiled, though my brows bent in a mixture of curiosity and confusion as Holden’s jaw tightened and he gave the screen another warning glare.
“I’ll call later when I’m settled in,” he said, and then he cut the call without another word.
I rolled my lips together. “They seem nice.”
“My uncles,” he answered, shaking his head. “Like two mother hens.”
“They care about you.”
“I guess there are worse things,” Holden surmised as we pulled up to his house.
I smiled, considering how much he looked like his uncle. I’d thought it was his dad.
Immediately, I wondered why it wasn’t his parents who had called.
It wasn’t my business to ask, though, so I parked in the driveway across the street from my own, and before he could reach for it, I unclicked Holden’s seatbelt for him.
“Limited motion,” I reminded him, and I thought I saw him roll his eyes as I hopped out of the car and rounded it to open his door for him.
“Wow, how chivalrous,” he commented, swinging his long legs out. He unfolded his massive body from my tiny car, getting out slowly.
I gave him a patronizing smile.
But then, once he was standing, he stepped into me, making that curve of my lips slide off my face like oil.
With how much larger he was than me, that one step should have made me feel small, should have made me feel intimidated.
Instead, it was electrifying.
And his next words were soft, smooth, and sultry, like he’d pin me up against this car right now if he wasn’t injured.
“What else are you going to help me with, Julep Lee?”
I ignored how my heart hammered in my chest as he looked down on me, his eyes sweeping over my chest before they met mine again. Then, I tilted my chin up, defiant.