Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Kelsie laughed. “Well, I don’t know your brothers, but I can imagine it gets a bit… rowdy around here, so I’ll drink to that.” She grabbed the bottle back from him. “To peace and quiet.” Then she took another big swallow.
They sat before the fire long into the night, talking, laughing, and passing the bottle. Her fingers tingled, and her limbs buzzed with energy. The alcohol and the company had her feeling lighter than she had in ages.
Ty was funny and handsome and drew her like no one else had before.
Too bad he saw her as a damaged kid he had to entertain for the night.
That depressing thought was almost enough to kill her happy buzz. But then the conversation lulled, and they were left staring at each other with the heat of the fire crackling and something just as hot sizzling in the air between them.
Or maybe her brain was swimming in so much tequila she’d imagined the connection.
That had to be it.
She was too damaged to draw a man like Tyler.
“Don’t fall asleep,” he warned, interrupting her depressing monologue.
“I won’t,” she mumbled. “But I am getting tired. I should probably head back.” She stood only to have the world dip and swoop, taking her stomach along with it. “Whoa,” she said, reaching out for the arm of the chair.
Ty chuckled. “Easy there, killer.” He stood, only slightly steadier than her.
Giggling, Kelsie said, “Maybe I should just sleep right here.”
“Nah, c’mon. Let’s head inside and drink some coffee. Once we sober up, I’ll walk you back to the shelter.”
“Inside? The clubhouse?” Where all the men hang out? No way. Even drunk, she knew that was a dreadful idea. She blinked, trying to slow the spinning, but the effort fell flat. Ugh. She’d never make it back to the shelter at this rate. Maybe she could crawl.
“No one’s around tonight. Promise.”
“I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ll just head back now.” She took a step and listed to the left, right into Tyler. “Okay, maybe for a few minutes.”
Laughing, he slung an arm around her shoulders. “Shoulda known you’d be a lightweight.”
She’d have bristled at the comment, but his arm felt nice, and he smelled so damn good she forgot to be offended.
“You steady?” he asked.
“Not sure. Hang on to me until we get inside, okay?” She peered up at him through blurry eyes.
His gaze took on the same intensity it had earlier. The one that made her shiver and wish for impossible things. “I won’t let you go, Kels. Swear it on my life.”
If only he meant something other than keeping her from falling flat on her face from drinking too much.
And if, while wobbly, she could have made it on her own but didn’t want to deny herself the pleasure of his body keeping her stable?
Well, no one ever needed to know. She was damn good at keeping secrets.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“THEY’RE ALIVE, RIGHT?”
“Of course, they’re alive, asshole. Why the fuck wouldn’t they be alive?”
“I dunno. I’ve known Ty for years and never seen him with a woman.”
“He was fucking married for a long-ass time.”
“Yeah, I heard she was a real bitch, but I mean, I’ve never seen him with a woman. Like this.”
“Like what? They’re fucking fully dressed and sleeping.”
“Yeah, but they’re close.”
“You’re an idiot.”
Jinx and Spec made the shittiest alarm clock in the universe.
“You’re both fucking idiots,” Ty said without opening his eyes. Aside from annoyance at the unwanted visitors, the first sensation he woke to was a wicked ache in his back.
Fucking forties.
“Why the hell are you in my house?” he asked without peeling his dry eyes open. “Did my shop burn down?” How hungover was he that he didn’t even care that much?
Jinx snorted a laugh. “You ain’t at home, Sleeping Beauty.”
What? It was then he realized he wasn’t lying flat, which meant he wasn’t in a bed, and the couch beneath him was leather instead of the microfiber one he had in his den.
What the hell?
A warm, soft weight shifted against him. Ty frowned once before memories of the evening came crashing back with the force of a semi-truck.
“Oh fuck,” he whispered as his eyes flew open.
Jinx and Spec stood over him, wearing matching smirks and eye twinkles.
“Good morning, VP,” Jinx sing-songed.
“Fuck,” Ty whisper-yelled. “Go! You gotta go. Get the fuck outta here.”
“Excuse me?” Jinx frowned.
For fuck’s sake. The biggest man in the club, standing alongside the man Kelsie almost stabbed a few months ago, would be the first thing she saw when she woke up in the clubhouse she’d only agreed to enter because no one else was around. He’d meant to pour some coffee down their throats and give it an hour for the caffeine to replace some of the alcohol in their bloodstream before walking her back to the women’s shelter.
But they fucking fell asleep on the new couch right there in the main area of the clubhouse.