Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Knox bit his lip. “You think it looks hot?” He sighed when Liv nodded. “I mean… Maybe we'll tell Ezra we wanted to get burgers in town, he’ll go into a rant about how unhealthy they are, and I’d ask him how to make them better, and he’d show me, and we’ll have burgers?”
Liv wiggled his brows and gave Knox’s cheek a little pat. “Look at you. So smart.”
Knox gave him a playful shove, then took off the jacket. “Okay, go buy it and the hat. I just want to have a look at the cars before we go.” He pointed to a glass cabinet full of miniatures.
“Deal, we’ll both leave happy,” Liv said and headed for the register, toward the tattooed girl, whose eyes settled on him with a touch of interest. “Been here all day? Must be interesting to meet lots of people,” he said, placing both items on the counter.
She smiled, taking her time to pull out a bag from a drawer behind her, and showing off her ass in tight black jeans. “Rarely get guys like you though. It’s mostly teens and grannies. Are you new in town?”
Liv stalled with his eyes fixed on her butt. It suddenly occurred to him that the last time he’d spoken to a woman before tonight had been… on the day Vlad died. The junkyard was a total sausage fest, and it’s been so damn long he craved to extend the interaction, get a bit of validation. “Yeah, we live… away from town but close.”
She scanned the price tags, then folded the jacket, glancing up at Liv every now and then. She pointed to Liv’s neck. “I like your tattoo. You should come see my band this weekend, if you have good taste.” She winked at him with the kind of confidence he liked in women. She knew what she wanted and shot her shot with all the plausible deniability.
“I thought you looked like someone with artistic interests. What instrument do you play? No, let me guess,” he said, noting the guitar strings tattooed on her collarbone. “You look like… a lead guitar woman.”
“Perceptive and handsome, I like it.” She put the shopping in the large bag and pointed to the price on the register.
“And I have good taste in music,” Liv bluffed, because he had no fucking idea what her band played. Not that it mattered. He offered her the cash, holding out his hand and waiting for her to pick it up.
She made sure to touch him as she accepted the note. “Well, you can prove that to me on Saturday."
A giddy sensation spread through his body as he met her gaze. She had such long lashes, and the dark makeup made her blue eyes pop. “Maybe you should give me your number, just so I can ask where I should be on Saturday.”
She smirked, picked up a pen, and urged him to push up his sleeve. “Wow, so much ink. Let me just find a space… here.”
Her touch was warm, with a bit of bite from the long nails, and as the numbers appeared on Liv’s forearm, he knew he still had it. He wasn’t sure what he’d do with the number yet, but just getting it out of her counted as a jackpot.
“Love that yours are music-themed.”
She smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear, and Liv imagined what it could be like to touch her soft—
Knox cleared his throat. When Liv turned, he saw Knox standing a few steps away with hands in his hoodie, and eyes that could kill.
“Are we going?” he asked in a voice as cold as… when Liv had hooked up with Amanda.
Oh shit.
Fuck.
Ice took hold of Liv’s body, and he grabbed the bag with their shopping, focused on Knox’s slack features.
In that moment, he knew that he’d failed at making Knox’s evening special, and a cute jacket wouldn't make up for his mistakes.
Chapter 25
Liv
Liv had done it again.
Anyone would have grown out of acting without thought at this point, but he clearly needed more than twenty-three years. Or maybe he was just too stupid to learn from past mistakes.
The fact that he was now sleeping with his best friend did not mean he stopped being attracted to women, but he should have known better than flirting with one at an outing with Knox. His behavior wouldn’t have gone down well with anyone. Hell, he’d have been rightly upset if Knox started flirting with a server at the diner while out with him, so why the hell had he gone with the flow and flirted with that girl?
He didn’t know her, and while leaning into her attention had been as instinctive as breathing, he was a full-grown adult and should have acted like one.
He sprinted out of the store the moment Knox passed through the door and reached for his shoulder once they were both out in the street.