Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
A flash of white-blonde hair and a pink workout shirt coming out of one of the yoga classrooms gets my attention—right as Rio plants a hit straight to my eye.
“Shit!” I bark and back away into the corner. At this rate, I’ll really need to brush up on my skills if some chick in a tight top is all it takes to lose my focus.
I look back to the hallway, and my heart pounds as I realize it’s Delaney—I know it from the Princess Leia buns she likes to wear. I haven’t spoken to her since the library, and that was a few days ago.
She strides toward the gym foyer, and it looks as if she’s been crying.
“Delaney! Wait!”
She pauses and looks over her shoulder at me, and once again I’m floored by how gorgeous she is. Wearing black yoga pants and a pink tank her breasts strain against, she is damn amazing, even with a tear-streaked face. Her cheeks are red, and she hurriedly wipes at them as I grab a towel and jump down from the boxing platform.
Her eyes widen as she watches me.
I call over my shoulder, telling Rio I’ll catch him later, and I give Leslie a quick nod. I’ve gotten enough sparring in today and I’m done.
“Why are you crying?” I ask as I come to a stop in front of her, still breathing hard from the boxing.
“I’m not.” She sniffs and turns her head away, giving me a view of her long neck, the soft lines of her jaw. My eyes greedily eat her up. I’ve missed her like crazy in class, and I’m a heel for not trying to explain things to her, but with the fight looming over me, I think it’s best I keep my distance. Even so, that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about her a hundred times.
“Why did you bolt out of the yoga class?” It’s an activity I didn’t even know she participated in.
She seems to gather herself slowly. “I know it seems silly, but Han Solo’s been missing the past two days. I’m sure you don’t get it…” Her voice trails off.
“What happened?” I take her arm and lead her over to a group of chairs in the foyer. Grabbing a box of Kleenex from the desk, I press them into her hand as she sits down.
She cleans up her face. “A couple of days ago, I let him out to stomp around like he likes to do, and he just never came back. I called for him and put out tuna fish on the back porch—nothing. It’s not like him.”
“Maybe he found a girlfriend?”
She shakes her head. “He’s been spayed. What if he’s in a ditch somewhere and I can’t find him?”
“So why are you rushing out?” I glance back at the yoga room. “I didn’t even know you took a class here.”
“The campus rec center has the worst yoga classes. This one is much better, and I needed to get out of the house and let off some steam.”
I nod.
“Anyway, my neighbor, Mrs. Wells, just called me. She thought she saw him on campus today near the fine arts building, and it’s the first ray of hope I’ve had. I’m on my way there to look for him.” She stands and holds out the box of tissues. “Thank you for asking.” Her voice is shaky yet cool, and I sigh. I don’t blame her for being standoffish with me.
“I’ll go with you,” I say, and she blinks.
“What? Why?”
I ignore that. I’m in take-charge mode, and when I see the coat she wears to class hanging near the door, I stride over to get it. Slipping it off the hook, I wrap her up in it and button it carefully.
She stands there watching me as I dash back to the boxing area and grab my gym bag.
I jog back to where she waits. “Now, let’s go find Han Solo.”
A smile briefly appears on her face and she gives me an odd look. “Are you sure? You’re…” She clears her throat, her gaze lingering on my pecs. “You’re half-naked and it’s cold outside.”
I grab my North Face off a hook and slip it over my bare chest. “I’m fine, Buttercup.”
Delaney
Maverick ushers me out into the cold and straight to his truck, a Toyota that looks like it’s seen better days. He opens the passenger door for me and gives me a hand up into the cab. He gets in on the other side, looks over at me, and squeezes my hand, surprising me. He’s being so…sweet and helpful. “You okay?” he asks.
I nod. I’m worried about Han, but I’m also discombobulated by seeing Maverick at the gym, even though Skye casually mentioned this week that she heard a lot of the football players come to Carson’s during the off season to take advantage of their programs.