Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 62737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“No, but thank you.”
“I’m thinking we may need more sustenance than bagels. What else do they have today?” Winnie asks absentmindedly but speaks my language. I see her peeking around the many people to look at the menu. “Sorry, what were you going to ask?”
“How is it that every last one of these men in the group is as hot as Jude?” I ask. One by one, we laugh, loud, boisterous, and not a single one of us restrains herself.
“I mean, we’re no slouches, either, though I have to say there must be something in the water,” Lennie says.
“Speak for yourself. I grew up with all of them, and the only hot one is my husband.” Kennedy takes a gulp of her coffee. I’m sure Trent, her husband, would be all too pleased to hear her speak these words.
“Honey, they didn’t even have awkward stages when they should have been gangly teenage boys morphing into young men. The world is cruel.” Lyric holds her coffee out, signaling for everyone to join.
“Are we making a toast to hot men?” I tease.
“And hot women,” Shae states.
A comfort sets deep in my bones, one where I know this group of people, well, they’re my kind of people.
19
JUDE
“You have a good breakfast with the girls?” I ask Ronnie. She came in a few minutes ago with a fresh coffee in her hand for me and a kiss that had me gripping the back of her head and taking over. By the time it came to an end, we were both breathing heavily, the desire written in her eyes more than likely a mirror of my own. I didn’t take it further, and neither did Ronnie. Instead, she darted to the bedroom to put her bag away, kick off her shoes, and change into more comfortable clothes.
“Of course. We drank caffeine, ate carbs, and talked about everything under the sun.” We’re on the couch, Ronnie’s head on my lap, both of us playing a game. She’s between my legs, sitting on the floor in her usual position, and has her arm propped up on her knees. Her gaze is locked on the screen, and her fingers are working the controller effortlessly. It’s making my concentration go to shit.
“Glad for you, Foxy.” I bend down to kiss the crown of her head. Ronnie called me on her way from The Social to Oak & Brew, a mixture between upset and ready to cry. She didn’t say anything of the sort, it was in her tone of voice, saying nothing yet everything. The last thing I want to do is wade into the business, where I don’t have a stake, but if she needs me, I’ll make a call to both her dad and brother.
“Thanks.” She takes a long, steadying breath before saying, “I’ve decided I’m not going to push anymore. Dad’s right. It’s his bar, and while I’ve worked there for years and will eventually have a stake in it, that time isn’t now.” She pauses the game to spin around and come up on her knees. Her bright blue eyes peer into mine, and I’m beginning to think she’s waiting for me to give her some kind of stamp of approval when that’s the last thing she needs from me.
“Whatever you need, I’m here whenever. Still might talk to Zane about better security cameras in both areas. The shit you all have now is just that: shit.” I met Zane the first night when he tried to close the bar down. Allowing Ronnie to handle her brother took a shit ton of restraint. She did it, though, then she introduced us, we talked for a few minutes, and after we sized one another up, Zane gave me a quick nod, then walked back into his side of the storefront.
“Zane will one hundred percent go for that. Dad might, too, but you’ll have to lay it on thick. Make a really good point about protection.” I’m just about to drag her into my lap when the doorbell rings. That’s fucking weird. Everyone in our group is doing their own thing today. The girls hung for a bit, and we guys did similar, except it happened at Matthew’s office. We had numbers to run, shit to look over, and this way, he could stay after we left to work on other shit. Now, everyone’s dispersed, and I’m not expecting anyone.
“You know anyone who would be stopping by?” The alarm is off when I’m here with Ronnie, and my phone is in the other room, checking to see who it is, is off the table.
“Uhh, no. You?” I shake my head. We stand up together, my hands settle on her hips, and I drop a kiss to her lips.
“Stay here. I’ll figure it out.” I adjust my bulge. Greeting someone with a hard-on wouldn’t go over well, especially if it happens to be one of the neighbors. I walk to the front door, unbolt the lock, and turn the handle.