Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 121755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Uh, from what you just said, I’m thinking he’s got the wild in him, Jinx, and he needs a partner to keep life interesting,” Gem replied.
“So what’s he gonna tell his friends about me?” Jinx asked.
“Sounds like he doesn’t give much of a shit what his friends think,” Raye answered.
She shook her head. “I can’t hope. Papá died. Mamá was so damned tired and sad, about losing him, about what became of me and my brother and sister, only a few years later, she followed him. My sister is a junkie. She’s messed up. And I’m twenty-eight and been making a living on my back since I was nineteen.”
She was my age and didn’t look older, but she acted a lot older.
A whole lot older.
That made my heart hurt (more) for her.
Further blurting came from Jinx.
“I come for him.”
We all exchanged glances.
“No, he puts the work in to make me come,” she amended. “Every time. Even the first time. I’d never gotten off with a guy before Noah. Sure as fuck no clients put in that effort.”
Oh my God.
She sooooo had to give this a shot.
“Listen,” Harlow said, sitting down beside Raye. “If you don’t want to do this. If it’s too much for you. You don’t have to do this.”
We all held our breath because we didn’t want Jinx to latch on to that.
“But you’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t do this,” Harlow finished.
Jinx stared at her.
We all waited.
Jinx stared at her longer.
We all waited.
“Okay, linda, let’s do this,” Jinx whispered.
We all let out a collective sigh of relief.
So as not to spook her, we also stayed silent as we walked her out to the cars.
Shanti, Joey, Gemma and I got into one.
Raye, Luna, Harlow and Jessie scrunched with Jinx in the other one.
And we rolled out.
It was with fear, awe and shock when both cars slid to a halt at the curb outside Noah’s house.
“Well, shit, he lives in a mansion with a pool and a view of the mountains,” Shanti muttered.
He did.
Yeesh.
How much did accountants make?
There appeared to be a drama happening in the car ahead, so we sat in ours watching nervously.
Finally, it seemed like Jessie physically booted Jinx out with the way she went flying from the back seat.
But we had another problem.
The door to the mansion was open, and a tall man was standing in it, leaning against one arm held high against the doorjamb.
He was watching all of this happen.
“Okay, right, he is hot,” Joey breathed.
Yep.
We tore our attention from the hot guy to watch as Jinx walked slowly up his driveway in her cute shorts, cute shirt and cute high-heeled wedges.
And, not moving a muscle, we watched her make the front door.
Then we watched as, before she even got that first word out of her mouth, Noah bent, hooked her around the backs of her thighs, lifted her up, and she let out a surprised shriek that carried down to the cars.
Once he had her in, he shut the door.
“Well, all right,” Shanti said, and I didn’t have to look at her to know she was smiling big.
“That was unexpected…and awesome,” Joey added.
I agreed so much, I felt a tear slide down my cheek.
The door to the house opened and we braced.
But all we saw was Jinx poking her head out before she shouted, “Adios, amigas.”
Noah appeared behind her, curved an arm around her chest, she disappeared, and the door shut.
There you go.
We pretty-womaned the hell out of that.
And Mom was right.
It was always worth going all out for love.
Totally.
My hyperventilating this time, as I idled in Gabe’s driveway, waiting for the garage door to go up, wasn’t all good.
This was because his parents’ car was parked behind the man-mobile.
Sure, I could do the meet-the-parents thing when a lot of people were hanging around and drama was ensuing.
No one there to provide a buffer?
Eek!
Since I already ran and hid once, and I didn’t think that was a good look the first time, with no other choice, I drove in next to the Jeep, hit the opener so the door would close, and got out.
When I made it to Gabe’s kitchen, I saw his mom futzing around, as moms had the tendency to do (I swear, I never knew where anything was in my kitchen, medicine cabinet and even makeup stash after Mom stayed, and as such, I was currently bracing for that very inevitability).
She was doing this while the two dudes were out on the deck in Gabe’s square of a backyard, drinking beer illuminated by strings of some kickass outdoor lights.
“Oh, hey there, Willow,” his mom greeted.
I saw Gabe clock me, put his hands immediately to the arms of his (also kickass) deck chair, but I shook my head.
He looked to his mom then me and back again, before he settled in, though he didn’t seem committed to this decision.