Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 126580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
I couldn’t suppress a shiver as he disappeared around the turn, going up the last set of stairs.
Thump!
The door opened. Sounds from the hockey game filtered into the stairwell, and then they were muted again.
I waited, but nothing.
He’d gone.
What the hell had just happened?
Also, I was still locked in.
CHAPTER TWO
JESS
“Girl.” Kelly was laughing when she opened the door for me. We’d had a good chat while I navigated her to where I was. It had been an elaborate game of Marco Polo, with Kelly laughing as she’d called out the Marco part and me half growling when I’d answered the Polo part. We were in our older twenties, and even though my bladder wasn’t amused, it was a fun game. I guess some part of us would never grow old.
I stepped through, the sounds of the game coming full force.
“How did you end up in there again?”
I’d already explained, so I ignored her, tossing my now-empty beer cup in the recycling bin. “Where’s the bathroom?”
She kept laughing as she showed me, and since we were smack in the middle of the third period, the place was empty.
And filthy. Paper towels were everywhere, some hanging half out of the garbage and a huge pile around the bottom. There was water pooling under one of the sinks.
Kelly went toward the sink area while I grabbed the first clean stall I could find.
It was the sixth one.
“You said there was a guy in there with you?”
I grinned. “In here?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Who was it?”
I didn’t know what to say. This was Kelly. Recently divorced and heartbroken, but she was a romantic at heart. I mention anything about him, his reaction to me, and she’d be building him up to being some wealthy Romeo.
“No one. He thought I was a cop.”
“Why’d he think that?”
“He saw my badge.”
“Why’s your badge out?”
I finished peeing, flushed, and came out. She was waiting at the end, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. I felt sheepish about this, but I didn’t know why. “I saw an old parolee and wanted to scare some of his coworkers away.”
She burst out laughing.
I went to the sink, washed my hands, and did a cursory hair fix.
I was a mess on a normal day, but there was an extra sparkle to me. My skin glowed a little more. I had a little bit more pink to my cheeks, and my eyes were crystal clear, which said something because they were normally dark almond.
“I don’t believe you.”
“What?” I shot Kelly a look, taking my badge off and putting it back in my purse.
Then I studied myself.
I was normal weight, normal height. Five six. I kept myself in shape and conditioned, because it would be stupid not to be for my job. Especially being a female. Since I’d decided to go this career route, I’d been married to my job. Had to be, but I also had to roll with the punches, or the caseload.
A decent rack.
Some ass behind me.
I liked my body. I liked that it wouldn’t break if I got into a situation, but I knew I was easy on the eyes too. A heart-shaped face that was a little long but fresh. Guys tended to like how I looked. An ex once told me it was my eyes, how dark they got, and he groaned every time I walked into a room. Said my legs were the type that guys longed to have them squeeze around their waist.
I became aware of Kelly studying me as I had been studying myself. “What?”
She shrugged, a secretive grin tugging at her mouth. She shifted, resting one shoulder against the wall. Her eyebrows went up. “Nothing. You wanna finish the game or get out of here?”
“What’s the score?”
“Kansas City scored two while you were in there. It’s going to be a blowout.”
Shit. “Yeah. Let’s take off.”
“You want to head home?”
It was Thursday night. I had a full day tomorrow. Normally, yes. I’d be in bed by ten, but something different was in me tonight. It was that guy, I knew it, but I was going to ignore it.
“Nah. Let’s go to Octavia.”
“Nice! Why not Katya?”
I shook my head. Being a PO didn’t pay all my bills, so I bartended at Katya every Friday and Saturday night in Manhattan. I didn’t want to go where I worked; I wanted a full night off, and Octavia was just that. It wasn’t a new club, but it was dark and sinful and anonymous.
I was thirsting for some of that sin tonight.
Or maybe it was the guy I just met.
CHAPTER THREE
TRACE
We were heading out to our Escalade when Caleb asked us to hold up. “I need to double-check something real quick. My apologies, Mr. West.”
Ashton came to stand next to me. We were best friends—had been all our life and would be when we both left this world. Every step of the way. It was how we were.