Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
When he didn’t say anything, I crossed my arms defensively. “I mean, it didn’t all fall off, obviously. But I’m fine with the way I am now.”
His gaze snapped back up to my face. “You’re fine with the way you are now?” he said slowly.
Gritting my teeth, I tried not to be offended, but my weight was something I was sensitive about. When you grew up being called names like Tubby, Beached Whale, and Fatty Fatty Two-by-Four, it kind of stayed with you.
“Yes, I am.”
He studied me. “Why do I get the feeling you’re thinking about throwing a blunt object at my head?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you might have forgotten that my size is something that plagued me in my youth, and that sticks to a person. Having someone point out that I’m not actually considered thin makes me a touch defensive.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, and we just stared at each other. Then he uncrossed his legs and pulled them back before resting his arms on them as he leaned forward. “Yeah, we need to clear something up. Then … then we need to set some boundaries. But first, let me say this one time, and then I won’t mention it again,” he told me as he looked straight ahead. His head turned then, and his expression was serious, to the point that it verged on severe.
“Your body is fucking perfect. I struggled to keep my eyes off your tits throughout dinner the other night, and when you got up and walked off, the sight of your ass had my dick so damn hard that it was painful,” he said with a raspiness in his voice that sent chill bumps down my arms and caused my nipples to pebble.
“Now, I hadn’t planned on telling you that because I want to keep the friendship we’ve held over the past ten years. But it seems you’ve got some shit in your head about your body that needs to go. Yeah, I was looking at it, but not in the way you seem to think.”
A soundless chuckle left his lips, and he shook his head as he looked at the ground between his legs, hanging his head slightly.
“You turned into a successful, extremely fuckable, smoking hot babe.”
When he cut his eyes back up at me, there was a crooked grin on his face. “Now, there is my honesty. That’s what I was thinking. But if we are gonna keep this friendship, that will be the only time you hear me say it. In fact, I plan on imagining the cat lady you described from now on when you text me.”
A laugh bubbled out of me. More from my disbelief at what I had just heard Ransom Carver say about me—ME—Noa Raines. Never had I imagined that in the many scenarios I’d come up with. But if he thought I was going to forget he’d said it, then he was very wrong. I might replay that in my head several times a day until I died.
“Good. I prefer you laughing. I’m not a fan of having you scowl at me. Now, why don’t you go make your ugly ass presentable and let me take you to lunch? I’m starving.”
Eight
Ransom
I was going to have to handle Arden Neilson. Opal would eventually forgive me. He’d called Noa two times in a row, then texting alerts began when she finally silenced her phone and shoved it in her purse after we placed our drink order. She hadn’t told me it was him, but I could tell. Her expressions didn’t hide much. That was what had been familiar last weekend. Even with her transformation, I’d seen the girl she had once been, but I couldn’t place it. That made sense now.
I’d thought of little else since that background check had landed on my desk two days ago. I also had a list of questions I wanted answered, and that was what had pushed me to buy a plane ticket and head to the airport this morning before the sun came up. Asking Linc for use of the family jet would have caused questions to arise, and I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about Noa. I might never be. I liked that she was mine alone. No one else knew about her role in my life.
Although whatever that role was now, I couldn’t be sure.
Especially since I was going to be picturing her when I got off next time. That was going to be an issue I didn’t think I could control. I hadn’t been kidding about picturing her as the cat lady.
Once we finished eating, I needed to get my ass on a plane back home. Being around her would not help me keep her in the place she belonged in my life. As my friend.