Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 121887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“And maybe you should bust my chops for acting like your bitchy, judgy big sister when I’m not. I’m your edgy, loyal best friend,” she retorted.
“I guess the fact it was based on both you and Raye wanting something special for me makes it hard for me to expend any effort on busting anyone’s chops.”
Her pretty blue eyes shone with all the love she had for me, which was a lot.
And all was forgiven.
She let me go.
I hugged Shanti.
With Javi dogging my steps, I walked them to the door.
He closed it on them and locked it.
He then turned to me and stated, “They missed the part about telling you they brought some of your stuff.”
He jerked his chin toward the couch.
I looked that way and saw my big suitcase resting on its rollers, along with my roller carryon, which didn’t say “some” of my stuff, but quite a bit of it.
Even if that was slightly alarming (I had an apartment to put to rights—I was okay with staying with Javi after the initial shock of it all, however, that was not going to continue), I had no doubt they packed my cleanser and moisturizer, which I desperately needed. I’d slept in my makeup, now two nights in a row, which was a massive no-no for me.
“You forgive easy.”
At Javi’s words, I turned back to him.
“Well—” I began.
“You’re here, in my tee, after giving me the best first kiss I’ve ever had.”
Oh my God!
I loved that it was the best first kiss he ever had, because it was the same for me.
Sadly, I didn’t have time to revel in that love. Javi continued talking.
“Instead of saying what you should have said to me yesterday. To go fuck myself. Yeah, you forgive easy, mi Lolita.”
Ulk.
This was embarrassing.
Why was this embarrassing?
I felt the heat in my cheeks even if I didn’t understand it.
Therefore, I strove to change the subject.
“You said something about breakfast?”
His beautiful lips split into a smile. “I got bagels and cream cheese, or bagels and cream cheese. Which one you want?”
A giggle escaped me, which upon hearing it, put an adoring expression on Javi’s face that I instantly cherished, and I said, “I think I’ll have a bagel and cream cheese.”
He slung an arm around my shoulders and started guiding me to the kitchen, saying, “Then that’s what you’ll get.”
We separated in the kitchen so he could man the toaster, and I could make coffee.
Something I learned about Javi.
He toasted an exceptional bagel.
And he had the perfect touch with cream cheese.
NINE
“SPRAINED ANKLE”
(JULIEN BAKER)
As I sat next to Javi in his truck while he idled in the suicide lane outside The Surf Club, I tried to decipher what the white shoe polish on the front window was depicting without reading Tex’s white slashes that formed words.
I gave up, read the words Tex’s Daily Special: Mexican Mocha and decided the curves and jags beside it were supposed to be a sombrero…with tassels.
Javi made the turn, and my mind skipped from that to what I’d been struggling with since Javi finished the bottom half of his bagel, then took a break from breakfast to carry my suitcases up the stairs.
Nerves.
See, even before I finished breakfast, I noticed we’d slept in. So, not only was I in Javi’s space, and I didn’t have the accoutrement for any of my morning rituals (which meant starting two days without grounding myself in my rituals, something that was not good), I also didn’t have the time to do any of them without accoutrement because I had to get a move on in order to get ready for work.
But, onward from that, Javi was taking my bags up to his room.
And we’d only had one very weird date I didn’t claim as a date until after it was over (and still wasn’t committed to that claim).
When Javi returned, he sat on the stool beside me and murmured, “You get the bathroom first.”
That was when the nerves kicked in big time.
Sure, I’d been sucking face and rolling around on his bed with him not half an hour ago.
But calmer heads were prevailing, which every girl knew when she learned the boy she was really into was really into her meant one thing.
It was time to panic.
This, I did.
“We should talk about that kiss,” I blurted.
He slowly turned his head to me, and when I caught the sexy-hot fire of memory burning in his eyes, I squirmed.
“What about it, baby?” he purred.
I wish he hadn’t purred, because now I wanted to suck face and grope him at his kitchen island.
Even so.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with it, I just…I don’t know. It’s important for me that you know I’m not that girl.”
He tipped his head to the side. “What girl?”
“I like for things to go a little slower.”
For a second, he didn’t move.