Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 177690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 888(@200wpm)___ 711(@250wpm)___ 592(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 177690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 888(@200wpm)___ 711(@250wpm)___ 592(@300wpm)
“Moth-girl?” Titan laughs.
“It’s a horrible nickname he insists on calling me. You know, like I call him moron.”
“I like dude better,” I tell her mournfully, to which she sticks out her tongue. This causes my buddies to laugh.
“I do believe you’ve met your match O’Leary,” Titan says and he’s not wrong.
I truly have and I’m keeping her.
sixteen
casey
I’m feeling out of my depth. I won’t lie. The past week with Gavin has been wonderful. But, for the most part it has only been the two of us. We don’t even see each other at work. Because of our hours we don’t even drive in together. I leave way before he does most times, and there are days he doesn’t even have to be on set. This is the first time that I’ve been with Gavin socially and I feel myself panicking a little bit.
I’m sitting at a table with a huge movie star and a football player that gets paid millions of dollars. People are coming over to the table asking for autographs and things and here I am—wishing I could fade into the woodwork.
These men each look like they belong on a runway. You’d expect that with Aden, being practically Hollywood royalty, but Titan is the same. He’s got the athletic build of a football player, or sexy stripper—he could definitely be a stripper. His skin reminds me of milk chocolate and he has a smile that makes you want to sin. If I wasn’t in love with Gavin, I’d be like the other women swarming the table flirting.
Truthfully, the hardest thing is the women. They come over wanting napkins signed, pictures, hugs…one girl even asked Titan to sign her boobs. He did without blinking. They asked what Gavin did and when they found out he was a stuntman they flirted with him too—admittedly not as much as they did with Aden or Titan, but it was still there.
I became invisible.
Which is great. That’s not what is bothering me. In this instance, I prefer to be invisible. What’s bothering me is the fact that this is Gavin’s life. I don’t fit in. It’s the same old story of the nerd and the football star in high school, only it’s worse now. Gavin’s circle is freaking famous. This would be my life no matter where we go.
The women looking Gavin’s way are beautiful, skinny, with perfect figures . Some of them are in pants that I couldn’t put one leg in. Why is he even fooling with me?
Why am I here?
He seems possessive. He makes me feel beautiful. Could he truly be that attracted to me? Is it possible? Me? Plain, Casey Langley has caught the eye of Gavin O’Leary? It seems like that’s what is happening, but why can’t I shake off the nerves and doubts?
“You okay, honey?” Gavin asks, noticing that I’m distracted.
He’s smiling down at me and his blue eyes are warm. He brings his hand to my face brushing it gently. As he looks at me, his features are filled with concern. I do my best to shake off my concerns. Gavin cares about me. He has to, there’s no other explanation for everything that’s happened. I’m allowing my past and the things my mother drummed into my head to affect me.
“I’m good. Lost in my thoughts, I was—”
“Gavin O’Leary is that you?” my head jerks around, because I know that voice. I’ve hated that voice.
“Bella,” Gavin says getting up and confirming my worst fears. “How have you been?”
“Busy as ever. I start shooting in St. Croix next week.”
“Congratulations on the Oscar. I read about it.”
“Thanks. I was proud of that film,” she answers.
I knew of course that she got the Oscar, but I tried to forget. There’s not much happiness to be found when your high school nemesis is successful. Okay so she wasn’t my nemesis, but she was everything I despised in school and she had Gavin. So I mean, it would be nice if she weighed three hundred pounds instead of still being a size zero. I’d at least feel better if she had wrinkles, gray hair, maybe a beard…or a wart…
She’s talking to Aden and Titan now. I can tell they’re all friends. If it was only Aden she was chummy with I’d think it was because they were all in the same business, but it’s clear she knows Titan really well too. They’re talking, the three of them and I’m here…feeling invisible, but not in a good way—not even in the way the fans made me feel. I’m invisible as if I were insignificant. It’s the same feelings I used to get around my mother and I hate those feelings.
“Oh I’m sorry! I’ve been monopolizing the men and I didn’t even see you there. I’m Bella Dupree,” she says, yanking me out of my morose thoughts. I jerk my head up to look at her, noticing she’s reaching her hand out.