Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
“Nope. And once we know who’s left, I doubt we’ll even have to get teams together. At this point we’re assuming the herd’s been thinned enough that we can whack them as they pop up.”
“Like Whac-A-Mole.”
Crew chuckled. “Who knew a stupid child’s game like that would come in handy when it came to our adult careers?”
“Well, since the game helped with hand-eye coordination, I’m sure it also helps you whacking off.”
“Oh, look at you, telling a joke,” Crew huffed.
“I was completely serious. All right, so basically, you called to tell me that you don’t have any real updates.”
“Did you ever consider that I just wanted to hear your voice? Now that I’m not seeing you daily, I miss your shiny, happy face, Nox.” Crew sniffled loudly and dramatically.
“You’ll survive.”
“I’m not sure I will. I might need a hug.”
“Or therapy.”
“Speaking of—”
Nox swiped his finger across the screen to abruptly end the call. “Oops. Now that was a damn shame.”
Aaliyah had left a voice message telling Nox she was on her way over to his apartment. He texted her back saying he’d be waiting.
That response made her pulse speed up and her heart thump a little faster as it always did at the anticipation of spending some alone time with him.
Despite his issues, the man had quickly burrowed his way into her heart—not to mention, how he affected some other key places on her body—whether he meant to or not.
Whenever she wanted sex, the man obliged. And, of course, did so with gusto. It was a far cry from when they first met, and he’d beat himself up over being interested in another woman.
Nox had come so damn far since she met him at that first Wednesday night group meeting. He claimed it had a lot to do with her. While she might have nudged him somewhat, he had to make those real changes himself. If he hadn’t been ready to start the healing process, nothing she said or did would’ve made a difference since grief could not only be crippling but could cling to a person like plastic wrap.
One thing Liyah learned throughout the years of grief groups—whether she was just an attendee or she led the meeting—no one’s fight to free themselves from the pain of a devastating loss was the same.
As she drove down the main street running through Rockvale, she smiled and hummed along to Usher’s U Got it Bad as it began to play on her favorite satellite radio station.
“You definitely got it bad, girl,” she whispered.
As a real estate broker, she saw a lot of potential in the ghost town where Nox lived. A lot of properties were vacant and fenced off to keep people out. The rest were full of run-down warehouses and factories, making them true eyesores. In her professional opinion, some of those buildings could be rehabbed into cute apartments and condos. Others could be demolished, and affordable housing built in their place.
When she got a chance, she could check with some of the developers she knew about building a whole community in the area, giving locals a place to live and work.
It would be a win-win for everyone.
But for now, she needed to get her mind off work. She was ready to push all real estate-related thoughts filling her gray matter out of her mind for the weekend and concentrate on the man she couldn’t get enough of.
The sex was fulfilling. The conversation engaging. The man was smart, funny and caring. He also knew when to speak up and when to stay quiet. That alone was priceless.
He might not be wealthy but none of that mattered to her. She did not judge a man based on his paycheck or his success, as long he was a decent human being. Plus, she made plenty money of her own. She wasn’t the type of woman that needed a man to provide for her.
She was her own woman and had her own ambitions. All she needed was to be happy and loved. Respected and appreciated. As well as stimulated, both physically and mentally.
Liyah also needed the person to love and accept her sons because, for her, they would always come first. No man would ever trump her own children.
Luckily, her boys really liked Nox. Even better, he seemed to really like them and treated them with kindness. He didn’t talk down to them. He also helped them with homework if it was a subject that wasn’t in her wheelhouse. One weekend, he even helped Keenan build a really cool pinewood derby car for Cub Scouts.
While they worked on it, Liyah leaned against the doorway of the garage and watched the two of them with their heads close together. If that didn’t make her heart melt or cause her to fall more in love with the man, nothing would.