Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
I grinned smugly because after watching the video, I properly got a look at how dazed and flushed Maia was after our kiss. She was into it. “Aye.”
“Okay, I know you cannae talk, so I’ll let you go. Call me.”
“Will do.”
We hung up just as Maia wandered back into the living room in a pair of leggings and an oversized T-shirt tied at the waist. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she’d popped her glasses on.
I wondered what it was that made a person the most beautiful human you’d ever seen. Like, I’d met a lot of attractive women, but none of them made my fucking chest ache like this.
“What?” She cocked her head quizzically.
“Nothing, babe. Just making sure you’re all right after that scene with the ex.”
Maia moved into the kitchen to grab us beers out of the fridge. She handed me one, and I sat down beside her. “You know, I think it was a good thing. I told you on Monday that I started to recognize upsetting things about my relationship with Will. Him coming here just drove it home … he isn’t the one. Marrying him would have been a huge mistake because everything you said to him about how he saw himself in the relationship was true. He thought he was better than me and that I was lucky to have him.”
“Imagine calling me an ill-educated Neanderthal when he thinks that.”
Maia scowled. “He’s wrong.”
“I mean, I’m not exactly educated.”
“You don’t have to have a college degree to be smart or educated, Baird. You’ve seen more of the world than Will has. You’ve met people from all walks of life doing what you do. You know how to treat people because you had a mother who taught you well. The only thing Will’s mum taught him was how to look down on people. Thankfully, he missed his dad’s lessons on how to be a lecherous perv.”
I went from enjoying her kind words to readying myself to punch an old man in the face. “Please do not tell me your ex’s dad came on to you.”
Maia shook her head. “Not, like, overtly. But I’d catch him staring at my breasts all the time. When we talked one on one, he’d stare at my mouth. Once he helped me out of the car and he ‘accidentally’ groped my arse.”
“That’s coming on to you, My.” I seethed, taking an aggressive swig of beer. Some men were fucking animals. And that was an insult to animals.
“Hey.” Maia soothed a hand over my shoulder. “Good news is, I never have to see him again. Better news”—she turned into me—“I’m completely over Will.”
My heart jumped. “For real?”
“For real.” She smiled. “I just … our relationship was so surface level. It never would have lasted. He didn’t make me feel safe to be myself, but I’m to blame for staying with someone like that too. Now I feel like this massive weight is off my shoulders. Like … I’m free of something. It feels great.”
“I’m glad, babe.”
“I’m also starving, so let’s order food.”
Triumph made me restless, like I needed to burn off the excess. Part one in this plot was to make sure Maia was over the ex. Part two was to make Maia fall in love with me. I was ecstatic part one was completed so much quicker than anticipated.
However, Maia wanted to chill, so I had to contain the restlessness.
Not long later, I’d kicked off my boots and switched to water because I’d ridden my motorcycle over. We were watching a crime show on Netflix and trying to make a dent in our huge order of Chinese food—I’d have to work it off in the gym tomorrow. Like always, it was comfortable and easy hanging out with Maia.
But I wanted to show her that I was the one and that she could really talk to me. That our relationship was not surface level.
“Kath, my agent, she called today about media interviews. A big morning show wants to interview us. I shut her down.”
Maia paused the TV show, turning to give me her full attention. She was curled up on the end of the sofa, her knees to her chest. Her toenails were painted pink and she wore a gold toe ring on her right foot, second toe. It was sexy as fuck. She drew her arms around her knees, almost protectively. I shifted on the couch to face her.
“Wow. That’s a lot. So quickly. Just one video.”
“Aye, I know.”
“How do you feel about it?”
I decided to be honest. “On the one hand, I’m used to it. I’ve had clips from games go viral. And this one girl put together a montage of me without my shirt on that went viral.”
Maia’s lips trembled with laughter. “Of course it did.”
I grinned. “I can’t help that I’m a sexy beast, awright.”