Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
I swallowed hard and released a weighted breath. “Gabriel, there’s something I have to te—”
“Sorry if I’m interrupting,” a voice said from behind us, making me abandon my thoughts and slip back into reality. I looked over my shoulder to see Rosie standing there with a big, cheesy grin on her face.
I stood, and Gabriel followed.
“Rosie, hey. What are you doing here?” I asked, walking over to my friend.
“Wow,” she breathed out quietly. “Well, I’ll be.”
“Rosie,” I whispered before giving her a stern look. A look that read, “Act as normal as possible and don’t make this a thing.”
Unfortunately for me, Rosie would always make something a thing.
She poked her tongue in her cheek before saying, “My parents were finally clearing out their garage and found some old boxes you stored at their place during college. I just dropped those off with Ava. She told me you were back here with…?” She grinned from ear to ear, arching an eyebrow as she smiled toward Gabriel.
He stepped forward and held a hand out toward her. “Gabriel Sinclair. I’m the architect on the Hugheses’ project.”
Rosie shook his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Gabriel.”
He laughed. “Hopefully good things.”
“Only the best.” Rosie was staring at him as if she’d just seen a ghost. I didn’t blame her. I, too, was in a state of shock when Gabriel made his return to my life. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head in disbelief. “Wow, you’re handsome.”
“Rosie,” I said, nervously laughing.
“No, really. You’re damn handsome. And built.” She wrapped her hand around his bicep, because the word boundaries was not in her vocabulary. “Do you work out?”
Gabriel kept laughing and flexed slightly. “Here and there.”
“Here and there,” Rosie snickered, nudging me. “Those aren’t here-and-there muscles. Those are always-there muscles.”
“Rosie!” I shouted, smacking her hand away from Gabriel. I felt my cheeks heating up from the whole exchange as I gave Gabriel an apologetic smile. “Sorry. My best friend has a lack of boundaries and tact.”
“Not everyone can be as humble and sweet as Kierra,” Rosie said. “Some of us are a bit more dickish.”
“I appreciate the honesty,” Gabriel stated. “Honestly, I don’t think most people are as humble and sweet as Kierra.”
“Damn straight. That’s why I always have to cuss people out on her behalf,” Rosie stated.
Gabriel smiled, seemingly unfazed by Rosie’s antics. Which only reminded me of how he put up with her when we were younger. It felt odd standing there with my two best friends. It was almost as if I’d stepped into a time machine and been sent back before tragedy took root in my life.
“You look kind of familiar,” Gabriel mentioned, arching an eyebrow toward Rosie.
Nerves bubbled in my gut as those words left his mouth.
Rosie didn’t seem moved at all and she struck a pose. “Well, you are looking at Channel 12’s weather girl in the flesh.”
“Ah, yeah. You remind me to pull out an umbrella every now and again,” he said.
“Keeping humans dry for the last seven years,” Rosie replied.
“I appreciate it. It makes for better hair days.” Gabriel glanced down at his watch and then nodded. “I should probably get going, though. Thanks again for the drink, Kierra. I’ll see you soon. And Rosie, it was a pleasure meeting you.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Rosie sang as I rolled my eyes. Gabriel walked away, and Rosie peered at him until he was out of sight. Then she turned to me and swatted my arm. “Shit! Shit! Shit! Kierra, you didn’t tell me Gabriel got hot. Like supercharged hot!”
“He’s pretty good-looking, yes.”
“No. Don’t downplay this. It’s like Henry Cavill and Kofi Siriboe had a love child and Gabriel Sinclair was born. He’s like a fine wine: better with age and much more intoxicating. My panties literally almost somersaulted off my body and straight to his mouth from just a hello.”
“Rosie.”
“I almost loosened my jaw and asked him to stuff me like a Thanksgiving turkey with his beef sausage.”
“Rosie.”
“I almost begged him to call me a good girl before he spat in my mouth.”
“Rosie!”
“If I wasn’t engaged and your best friend, I would’ve humped his leg.”
I blankly stared at her. “Are you done now?”
She nodded. “Yes, I guess I’m done.”
“Good. And I’m very happy you didn’t hump his leg.”
“I want you to know I thought about humping his leg multiple times within those few minutes.”
“Well, we can stop talking about humping his leg now.”
“Oh.” She nodded. “Okay. But…oh my gosh. He’s beautiful.”
Yes, he was.
It wasn’t only his looks that made him so attractive, though. It was his kindness, his heart. I wasn’t sure how it was possible, but Gabriel was even kinder than he had been when we knew each other all those years ago.
Rosie’s vibrant personality simmered a little as she placed a hand against my shoulder. “How are you handling all of this? Being around him?”