Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Peaches knew this. That’s why she did it.
Rollins shot me a look, then very deliberately checked her out. Mostly to piss me off—because he was an asshole—but also because he was a guy with a dick. And it was hard to blame him for appreciating a sight like that. The girl had an amazing rack. One I’d spent no small amount of time thinking about over the years.
High school had been hell for me and Gus both, although the reasons were different.
Peaches had started popping out of her shirts the summer before ninth grade. I could still remember my uncle telling me we needed to have a talk that August. He’d grabbed us a couple of beers, and we’d found a shady spot out back. Then he’d explained that it was my job to protect her from all the guys who’d be trying to get into her pants once they saw those new tits.
He’d also told me what’d happen if I touched her myself, starting with a casual comment about how many bodies were hidden out in the forest lands.
Bodies nobody would ever find.
Keeping her safe from the boys at school had been easy. Keeping my own hands off her was the hard part. Wasn’t the only hard part, either. Most days, I’d jacked off two or three times thinking about that girl.
“I’d be thrilled to fetch you another drink,” Peaches cooed at Rollins, all sunshine and flowers. “And it’s good to see you again. How’s Bella doing? I sure enjoyed meeting her last year.”
Rollins’ face softened. A chill touched my spine—the same one I’d felt in the darkness when Peaches and I had shared a room all those years ago. Guy like that shouldn’t be so easy to manipulate, yet she’d just turned him from horny dick to whipped pussy with one question. “She’s due any day now.”
“I didn’t know you had a baby on the way!” she squealed, and her eyes lit up. Jesus Christ, we were all fucked now. Peaches loved babies, and she never got tired of talking about them.
Some nights in prison, I’d have nightmares about another guy knocking her up. Other nights, I’d wake up shaking and covered in cold sweat because I’d flashed back to the time she’d suckered me into giving her a ride to a baby shower.
This was truly terrifying shit.
“I’m ready for another drink,” I announced, cutting off the conversation before things got ugly.
Peaches turned on me, fury flashing in her eyes before she tamped it down. In an instant, her face was blank again. Still, it’d been enough to give away her new game.
She’d decided to give me the silent treatment.
“Draft this time,” I added, wondering how long she’d be able to keep it up. Her smile reappeared, but I sensed the effort it took. Perfect. Time for another jab. “And try to pour it right so there’s not too much head on it.”
She stilled, her smile tightening. I could almost hear her arguing with herself. Would she stay quiet or go on the attack? Then her eyes narrowed.
Attack it was.
“Don’t worry, I’d never give you head, Eli,” she said sweetly. Rollins snorted, and I blew her a kiss. Goddamn, but I loved pissing her off.
“Hey, Eli!” Gus called out across the room, his raspy voice disrupting the moment. He sounded older every day. Old and tired.
“Looks like they’re ready for you,” Rollins drawled, his laughter fading.
“Yup,” I agreed, keeping it casual. Couldn’t be one hundred percent sure what was about to happen, but I could make an educated guess.
If that guess was right, I’d spent half my life waiting for this moment.
Pushing back my chair, I stood, pausing to survey the room. The Starkwood Saloon hadn’t changed much over the years, at least not on the surface. Menu had gotten better while I was gone, though, and profits were up. That was all thanks to Peaches.
It’d be a shame to fire her, but I’d do it if she couldn’t show some respect once I was her boss. Still, I’d rather have her working under me. Or just under me in general. I swallowed… Yeah, this was gonna get complicated.
Gus slapped my back when I reached him, although I couldn’t tell anything from his expression. Following his gaze, I realized he was watching Peaches as she collected the empties. Then she started walking toward the bar with her hips swinging. That’s when it hit me again—the same feeling that’d made me break that teacup and steal that stuffed animal of hers all those years ago.
Got me every single fuckin’ time.
“Hey, Peaches,” I said, well aware I was playing with fire. Gorgeous, glorious fire. Totally worth the burn. She pretended she hadn’t heard me, but she was listening. Time to push more buttons. “You know, you’d be a lot prettier if you smiled.”