Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
February shook her head. “I’m sorry for prying.”
“You should be. You’ve been getting your information from the town gossip, but no one actually knows what happened between my ex and me except her and me.” I slapped a dishtowel against the bar before throwing it over my shoulder. “But let me be clear. Her leaving was a good thing for both of us and had nothing to do with my ability to please a woman, if that’s what you were implying.”
“I wasn’t implying anything. I was just being nosy.”
“You’re an awfully nosy person for someone with her own secrets, who mysteriously shows up in a random town to stay at that hokey wellness center. I’m sure you have a much bigger story than I could ever tell about myself. I bet it’s more complicated than that microphone tryst, too.”
“I might have some daddy issues and be generally fucked up, yeah. But no one is perfect. More people should try to get help for their issues and know when to slow down. I don’t think the wellness center is hokey at all, and I’m happy I came. It’s a good thing for me.”
“Is that why you spend so much time trying to sneak out of it, because it’s so great?”
“Speaking of which…” She looked over at the clock on the wall. “I’d better go.”
“Don’t…” The word came out of my mouth a little too quickly for my liking. As if my dick had decided to speak in place of my mind.
“Why?”
“Bartender working for me tonight has to leave early, so I’ve gotta close. Wait for me. I’ll drive you back.”
“I can’t. I promised my friend Morgan I’d help her with something. I totally forgot about it.”
Her cheeks turned red, and I got the impression she was lying. I certainly didn’t want to force her to accept a ride with me if it made her uncomfortable.
“I’m gonna walk,” she insisted.
That didn’t exactly sit well with me. But it had been a long, frustrating day, and I wasn’t sure I trusted myself to spend any more time with her. Besides, it wasn’t like I could force her to wait for me or carry her over my shoulder to my truck, as much as that sounded enticing.
I let out a long breath. “Can you find some way to let me know you got home safely?”
“Morgan has a phone she snuck in. I can probably text you from her number.”
I grabbed a pen and paper and jotted down my number. “Figure out a way to let me know you got home.”
“Or else what?” she challenged.
“Or else I’m climbing up your ladder and seeing for myself.”
“I kind of like that idea.”
I glared. “No, you don’t.”
“You’re sure of that, huh?”
“You need to not like that idea. You get my drift, February?”
“You’re sending me mixed signals, Brock. Earlier you were admitting to being jealous at the thought of me and another man, and now you’re warning me not to like the idea of you climbing into my room. You’re a cock tease.”
“I didn’t realize you had a cock.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you know what I mean…”
“I’m a tease? You fucking sent me a photo of your tits.”
“What did you think, by the way? You never said.”
I felt my face heat.
“That good, huh?” she asked.
I remained silent for a while, refusing to chime in.
She finally gave up on an answer and started to strut away.
“Hey, Feb,” I called.
She turned. “What?”
“You have my number. Be sure to send photos to the right place from now on.”
“You wish,” she said before disappearing out the door.
Yes.
Yes, I do.
CHAPTER 5
* * *
Brock
I looked down the block before flipping the OPEN sign in the window to CLOSED and grumbled to myself. “Good. Maybe she’ll never come back.”
Though that thought made my chest grow tight. It had been five days since I’d seen or heard from February. The last message I’d received was from an unknown number the night she’d returned my little brother’s phone. It read I’m back, and apparently that was that. Though it hadn’t stopped me from watching the damn bar door every night I’d worked.
“Hey!” my brother Elvin yelled. “Grab me a shot of Casamigos, will ya?”
“Your legs broken or something?”
He pointed to his casted ankle.
“Shit.” I hung my head. “Sorry. I forgot.” A few weeks ago, my oldest brother had snapped his tibia when he fell off a roof at a jobsite. He hadn’t been wearing a safety harness, so the dumbass was lucky it wasn’t his neck.
Tonight was our monthly card game. All the Hawkins boys played except for Axe. I grabbed five shot glasses and lined them up on the bar before filling them with one continuous pour. Two of my brothers weren’t here yet, but they should arrive any minute.
“Tequila for everyone.” I walked over to the table and started passing out shots. “Don’t say I didn’t get you anything at Christmas.”