Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“You alright?” Jameson is watching me stir my coffee. I realize I’ve really been stirring the crap out of it. When I’m caught up in his wild energy, I can almost forget what happened back there between Vaughn and that girl. As soon as I have a quiet moment, though, it comes flooding back into my brain.
“I think I’m still processing everything that happened,” I say.
“Vent it out, then. I have time.”
He sits on a stained loveseat and pats the spot beside him in the lobby. I sit, blowing on my coffee. I also don’t like it hot the way most people do, so I have to wait several minutes for it to cool down enough. Maybe I’m the weird one.
“I’m supposed to call my sister as soon as I know something,” I say. “She has been texting me all day and I haven’t had it in me to respond yet. And then there are my friends back home. And my parents. They don’t all know why I came here. I guess I’m just thinking about having to tell everybody how Vaughn and I are over. And I’m thinking about admitting how sad the way it happened was.”
“Sad? Why?” he sips his coffee, eyes intent on me.
He’s watching me so closely it almost makes me laugh. He’s hanging on my words, I realize. This man is full of surprises. I wouldn’t have pegged him as a good listener, but he clearly is.
“Well,” I say. “He always tried to push me to be this other version of myself. I guess when I was being optimistic, I told myself it was a better version of me. You know? Like he wanted me to be better for myself. But when I saw the girl he was with, I realized he was just trying to make me her. He was comparing us the whole time, I think. I don’t understand why he let me keep thinking we were a couple, though. Why bother hiding her from me if he has his perfect girl already?”
“Ego,” Jameson says simply. He doesn’t even ask me to explain more details. I realize I didn’t tell him I caught Vaughn obviously cheating, but Jameson just lets me say what I need to say and doesn’t stop me to satisfy his curiosity. Or maybe he already figured it out when he saw Vaughn and his new girlfriend together back there.
I consider his response, then nod my head. I sip the coffee, but it’s still too hot. “Probably. He’s always so worried about what people think. Anyway, I haven’t really had a moment to let it sink in. I saw them together a few seconds before I interrupted your meeting and then you followed me and now we’re here. It’s just… It’s a lot.”
He nods, drinks more coffee, and then surprises me by reaching over to where my hand is on my knee and gives it a squeeze. It’s a sweet gesture. Given his assurances that I’m not his type and he isn’t trying to “fuck” me, it feels very sweet.
“Thank you,” I say.
“Can I make a confession?”
“I have a feeling you’re going to make one either way.”
“What I said in the rental about my intentions? I made it sound like I don’t want to sleep with you yet. That’s true, but not the full picture. I’d absolutely love to have you in my bed, but out of respect for your recently expired relationship, I’m not making any moves. Just thought I should clarify that.”
I roll my eyes. I’m not sure if I find him charming or off-putting, yet, but he’s at least distracting. It’s hard to mope and dwell on what just happened back at the convention when this human ball of energy is in front of me. I’m still not over the fact that Vaughn’s arch rival is talking to me, either.
I’ve been trying to remember the story between them. I know Vaughn’s dad started Landmark Press and handed Vaughn his position as a literary agent on a silver platter. Vaughn mentioned some kind of beef between his dad and Gray Wolfe, but I can’t remember what it was.
“Thank you for informing me,” I say flatly. “But I’m not interested in that. I’m technically still in a relationship, remember?”
Jameson looks completely unfazed by my rejection. “Speaking of that… Do you want to know my plan?”
“I do.”
“We’re going to get revenge on Vaughn. Revenge for you. Revenge for me. Does that sound palatable, Miss McBride?” There’s a glint in Jameson’s eye that tells me he may seem fun and wild, but there’s a streak of evil in him, too.
“Revenge?” I ask. “I don’t know. I’m not the revenging type.”
He sticks his hand out for me to shake. “Please. Let me show you the way.”
I think about his offer. I don’t know what he has in mind, but I have a feeling his offer to publish my book is somehow tied up with his plans for revenge. I can vaguely understand how that makes sense. It would piss Vaughn off to know that his rival published my book, especially if it did well. But I’ve always said I didn’t want to take advantage of Vaughn’s position to get my book published when the time came. I’m not sure it’s any different if I take Jameson’s deal.