Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
She blinked, and her eyes widened. “Oh.” The one word came out in a soft, breathy voice.
This had to be her choice. What she wanted. I had tossed down the offer, and if she didn’t take it, I would leave her to enjoy her night while I waited in the shadows to make sure that dancing was the only time the bastard touched her.
“Tyler mentioned a party after this, and I know there is drinking and drugs involved. I didn’t want to go, but he is my date, so I figured I didn’t have a choice.”
“As long as I’m breathing, you will always have a choice, Angel Face.”
20
Salem
Present Day
Remembering to smile and respond properly when spoken to was a task I feared I might be failing this morning. The scene I’d witnessed when stepping out of the room I’d shared with Pepper last night was in a continuous loop in my head. Taunting me. If only there was a good brain cleanser for things like this. Something that wiped it all away.
“Here you go,” Nina said, taking a biscuit from her cast iron skillet and placing it on the plate she’d given me. “Nice and hot.”
“God, I love you,” Pepper told her, snatching one off the skillet before taking a bite. She’d gone to get another cup of coffee and not made it back to her stool yet.
“As you should,” Nina replied with a grin. “That’s the eighth batch I’ve made this morning. The boys being up early for church had the first few batches wiped out before nine.”
“That bitch Fox brought back last night ate three!” Goldie said, glancing back at us over her shoulder as she stirred a pot on the stove.
Nina nodded. “Yeah, she also lit up a fatty before she even got off the sofa, where he’d left her.”
“That explains the smell,” Goldie replied. “It hit me the minute I walked in, and I thought one of the men had broken Liam’s rule about all weed being smoked outside.”
Nina frowned at my plate. “You sure all you want is that one biscuit?”
I had no appetite at all. It had vanished the moment the stripper swung open the door when I was in the hallway, and not only was she walking out naked, but inside stood Rome, also wearing nothing and drinking a bottle of water. It was a miracle my heart was still beating after the riot of reactions it had suffered from the sight. The only bright spot—if there could be one—was that he didn’t notice me. But she did. She slammed the door shut and glared at me.
“Don’t look at what’s mine,” she had snarled, then strutted off.
The scent of cigarettes and lime snapped me out of my thoughts as Lick leaned over me and took the breakfast casserole that looked like tater tots smothered in cheese, bacon, eggs, and onions from in front of Nina.
“You gotta try this,” he said, then proceeded to spoon some onto my plate.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too much. I didn’t want to be rude, but I knew eating even half of the biscuit was going to be tough.
“Don’t you need to get ready for church?” Nina asked him.
I glanced up to see he was shirtless and covered in tattoos. Much like Rome was. Except his body was lean and muscular, similar to Eamon’s.
Rome had never been built like that. He was thick with cut muscles and wide shoulders. His waist narrowed, along with the V cut in his lower abs, which went straight to his…penis. My memory had not exaggerated that this morning, and that was the first time I’d seen it soft. When we’d been together, I’d only ever seen it hard and erect. But even in the state it had been this morning, it had been intimidating.
Lick had a sardonic glint in his eyes. “I’m just doing my good deed for the day and gracing you ladies with the beauty of my body.”
“Easy there, tiger,” Pepper drawled. “We are mere females and can only take so much this early.”
Nina chuckled and turned to go over to the sink.
His gaze dropped to mine, and then he pulled out the stool beside me and sat down. “You doing okay?”
Not exactly. I had the image of Rome’s naked body and his girlfriend’s perfect one, which men paid to see, embedded in my brain.
I nodded.
“You lose your shirt?”
A familiar voice set off havoc in my stomach. I’d hoped he wouldn’t come in here. I didn’t think I could look at him after witnessing his nudity this morning and knowing that the sex sounds I’d heard last night came from his room.
Lick’s gaze didn’t leave me immediately to shift toward Rome, but rather lazily, as if he had better things to do and couldn’t be bothered. I dropped my attention to my plate as if it were the most fascinating thing I’d ever seen.