Total pages in book: 230
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
“My friends are here,” I said.
“Oh.” She straightened and fixed her hair.
David’s eyebrows rose. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I stood to greet him. We clasped hands and bumped shoulders.
“This looks like the exact opposite of what I told you to do,” he said as he patted my back and pulled away to greet Pilar.
“We’ve met,” she said, smiling as she stood. “David, right?”
“That’s right. We met at one of your mother’s Sunday dinners.” He smiled at her, then looked at me. Warren and Camila are parking.”
“Nice.” I looked over at Pilar, whose eyes had widened. I chuckled, remembering that she was actually an avid football fan. “Yes, Warren Silva.”
“Oh my God.” She smiled the biggest smile I’d ever seen. It was cute, especially since Warren was a happily married family man with two small children.
“I’ll get a photo of you with him.” I winked.
“That would be epic.” She took a sip of her drink, seemingly unable to wipe the smile off her face.
“You know who else is coming?” David said, playfully taunting Pilar now. “Alex Scott.”
“No.” Her mouth dropped. She faced me with a wicked smile that turned me inside out. “You may just have some competition tonight.”
“Is that so?” I raised an eyebrow.
I knew she was joking, but I didn’t like where this was going. If anyone else had made that comment, I would have dismissed both the comment and the woman right away. But Pilar saying it made me see red. Alex was one of my best friends and would never come between a woman and me, but he also loved to fuck with me. If he knew how much I liked Pilar, he’d purposely flirt with her to get a rise out of me. I mentally prepared myself for that.
“We’ll have to see how I feel when he gets here.” Pilar winked.
David laughed, thoroughly enjoying this. I scowled. A few things happened all at once. David said he was going to say hi to some people and would be back. The DJ played a rendition of Bazzi’s Paradise, and Pilar started dancing. I watched her for a moment, loving the way she moved her hips, her hands waving in the air, and her eyes closed as she sang along. She was simply beautiful when she was like this, and I felt privileged to see this side of her. Before I could stop myself, I pulled her to me and began dancing with her, my hands on her hips, my mouth near her ear. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made me feel this way, where sharing the same space was excitement enough, and the fact that I’d be taking her home tonight was the cherry on top. When Warren walked in holding Camila’s hand, I looked over and nodded at him in greeting. He did the same, and Camila waved and smiled. She was already moving her hips to the music, and I knew they’d join us dancing in the small area of the VIP section soon enough. When the song was over, I introduced them to Pilar.
“Am I supposed to bow or something?” Camila asked, tentatively holding out her hand for Pilar to shake.
Pilar laughed and stepped forward to give Camila a kiss on both cheeks.
“That’s easy,” Camila said, smiling. “Nice to meet you. I’ve never met royalty before.”
“She’s not royalty this weekend.” I winked at Pilar. She blushed, smiling widely. “She’s just a regular citizen like the rest of us.”
“Cool.” Warren smiled. “I like what your brother is doing in Paris. Not that I live there, but I keep up with the news.”
“Where do you live now?” Pilar asked.
“Ah, a little place called Harlem. It’s in New York.” Warren grinned. “Little gem of a place.”
“It is a gem of a place, actually.” Camila elbowed him hard, but all it did was make him laugh harder. She smiled at Pilar. “You guys should come visit someday.”
“Uh, yeah. Maybe.” Pilar smiled, but I could tell she was thrown by the invitation, mostly because when Camila invited you somewhere, it was obvious that she meant it.
“We’ll definitely go one day.” I grabbed Pilar’s hand in mine and squeezed it. She met my gaze with a look of surprise.
Warren, Camila, Pilar, and I sat down and started talking, leaning over each other to hear over the loud music. David joined us shortly after, and then, Alex arrived, completely charming Pilar and Camila. Both of them were blushing and sharing looks until Warren and I were about ready to kick Alex out of the group.
“Who invited this guy?” Warren asked loudly after a moment.
“Your mother,” Alex said.
I laughed.
The women laughed louder.
“I think it’s great that he’s here,” Pilar said.
“Of course, you do.” I scowled.
Alex’s brows rose, and I instantly knew my mistake. He threw an arm over Pilar’s shoulder.