Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
But Savage? He’s not only far more detached and clear-headed than me, he also happens to be one of the world’s foremost former fuckboys. True, he hasn’t plied his trade in several years now, ever since meeting Laila, but I have to assume seduction is like riding a bike. So, hell yeah, I’m going to use this opportunity to come clean and seek his expert counsel.
“Hey, Savage, can I get some advice from you?”
Savage looks up from the movie he’s watching on his iPad. “What’s up?”
I slide into the empty seat recently vacated by Laila.
“What I’m about to tell you is highly confidential. You can’t even tell Laila.”
Savage’s dark eyebrows cinch together. “Okay.”
“Promise me, Savage. I mean it this time. If you’re going to tell her, I can’t tell you this.”
He twists his mouth. “I mean, realistically, I’ll probably tell Laila, without meaning to do it. But I swear to God, nobody else. And I’ll make sure Laila doesn’t tell anyone. She’s super trustworthy, KC, unlike me.”
I can’t help laughing.
“I don’t want to keep secrets from her,” Savage adds earnestly. “She’s my wife.”
I pat his shoulder. “Okay. That’s good enough for me. But you have to make sure she understands she can’t tell anyone, especially not Ruby. This is life or death for me, Savage. Promise me that, on your life.”
“I promise on my life. What’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
I take a deep breath. “I’m totally obsessed with Ruby, man. Sexually, I mean. Romantically. In every conceivable way, actually. And if I don’t take things to the next level with her soon, I’m pretty sure I’m going to physically die.”
Savage looks deeply amused. “So, Laila was right. That kiss was for real?”
I run a tortured hand over my face. “No. Well, yes, for me. But not for Ruby, unfortunately. She thinks I was brilliantly playing along to help her mess with Cooper.”
“Shit.”
“What did Laila say?”
“That you two left the party after that kiss to fuck for the first time.”
I shudder. “God, I wish. Sadly, no.”
“How long have you been feeling this way?”
I pretend to think about it, but I’m only doing a bit. “I think, uh, hmm, since . . . the instant I met her.”
“What?”
“Remember how Kai accused me of inviting her to audition because I had a crush on her? He was right. I hadn’t even heard her play yet.”
Savage throws his head back and belly laughs. “What the fuck, KC? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know.”
“I had a feeling you were into her that first night. But then you kept denying it and swearing you only wanted to help the band, so I eventually took your word for it. And then you two became such close besties, I figured . . . Damn, KC.”
“I know. It’s been torture. I mean, the friendship has been real. But I’ve loved that girl for as long as I can remember.”
He shakes his head. “Jesus, Kendrick. I’m sorry.”
“When I dropped out of school, I was determined to come back home and finally tell her the truth. But that’s when Kai told me she’d been desperately in love with him from day one, and not only that, she’d asked him to have sex with her at her birthday party, so . . .”
“Fucking Kai.”
“When that domino fell the other night, combined with her ditching Cooper, I started to feel this crazy electricity, Savage. Add in my kiss with her, and I can’t go back to the way things were. I have to have her, Savage. There’s no other option for me now.”
“Hell yeah. Get your girl.”
“It’s tricky, though. Ruby’s never felt anything but friendship for me. Not once in twelve years. So, the last thing I want to do is get rejected and mess up one of my closest friendships.”
“Yeah. No pressure, but the band would never be the same again.”
“Fuck the band. Sorry, but all I care about is figuring out how to make Ruby want me the same way I want her, without messing up our friendship. The band is secondary to that mission now.”
“I get it. If me having Laila meant I’d fuck up the band, then the band would get fucked.”
I exhale. “Thank you for understanding. I want Ruby. Period. But I don’t know how to make it happen. We’ve got too much history. If she was even capable of wanting me the way I want her, wouldn’t she have shown signs by now?”
“Maybe the stars have never been aligned, like they are now. Also, I wouldn’t count yourself out completely. My guess is Cooper’s lyrics—and the jealousy that inspired them—didn’t come out of nowhere.”
My heart races. “God, I hope you’re right about that, because I’ve got the perfect window of opportunity when we get back. She finally agreed to stay at my place for a week while her condo is getting repaired.”