Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 119852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
But Riggs and Maddox represent something to me on a subconscious level, an escape from everything I’m supposed to do… as a woman and as a Harrington. They’re another night spent on my own selfish needs, letting them worship and please me, a play at a future that’s doomed before it begins but still feels so possible when I’m in their arms.
The steps toward the door are heavy with intention. I’m walking away from rules and expectations as much as I’m walking toward something. But I’m strong and certain as I lift my hand, my finger poised over the doorbell.
Wait. What if they’re not even here? They have lives, routines of their own, and schedules I don’t know.
But then I see a shadow moving inside and instantly recognize Riggs’s hulking figure. He’s here. They’re here.
And this time, I came for them.
RIGGS
“Did that asshole order dinner without me?” I mutter to myself. It seems like it considering the doorbell’s ringing and we’re sure as fuck not expecting anyone.
But when I swing the door open, it’s not dinner. Well, not the DoorDash sort, anyway, but it’s definitely something I’m wanting to eat tonight.
My lips lift in sly grin. “Hey.” It might sound like I’m playing it cool, but in the next instant, I’ve swooped Kayla into my arms. She makes a whooping cry of surprise and I swallow the sound, stealing her mouth with a kiss. When I have to come up for air, I stare at her like she’s a mirage for a second before touching my nose to hers. “You’re here.”
“I’m here,” she echoes.
Her version of the two little words seem much heavier than my foolish excitement and I search her face, looking for some clue to what she’s thinking.
“Did you order dinner without me, fucker?” Maddox shouts from somewhere in the house. And then, from close enough to spot our surprise guest, he drawls out, “Well, hello there, Miss Thang. What’re you doing here?”
Kayla is pulled from my arms, and I watch as her smile grows before disappearing as Maddox kisses her. He’s smooth with it too, walking backward as he leads her deeper into the house. I close the door with a jagged breath, a smile trying to form on my lips.
Kayla’s here. No chasing necessary. That’s got to mean something, right?
Slow down, asshole. Don’t go putting meaning onto shit for other people just because it means something to you. The reminder doesn’t work. Hope is already starting to work its roots in deep, making its way through the scarred layers of my heart. And hope is the most dangerous emotion as far as I’m concerned.
“Riggs’s room or my room? Or you looking to get fucked right here?” Maddox is asking her as I follow them into the living room. He’s in full charmer mode, eyes bright and cocky smirk in place, even teasingly giving the back of the couch a little pat like it’s a used car on a sales lot.
Smart man is downplaying what I’m already building up in my head, keeping the mood light and sexy. It’s probably for Kayla’s benefit, a way to show her that we’re not putting pressure on her, but it’s as much a warning for me. He understands me too well and knows how hard I was already falling. And now she’s here, and I’m falling harder.
And yeah, I’m also hard at the idea of Kayla bent over the couch, so thanks for that imagery.
“Hot tub,” Kayla tells Maddox, but then she holds up a finger, “to soak. I had another one of those shitty days. Do you have scotch?” She looks around like a liquor cabinet might materialize.
“On it,” I answer, already opening a door to pull out a bottle.
“Want to talk about the shitty day or leave it in the dust of your past?” Maddox asks Kayla a few minutes later, waving his fingers through the air like the dust is floating away as he speaks.
We’ve all gotten naked, slid into the heated, bubbly water with her seated between us, and have a drink in our hands—Kayla, scotch and me and Maddox, beers. Across the back yard, the patio lights are on, the warm glow letting me see Kayla’s face even though the night is dark, with the moon nothing more than a sliver in the black sky.
“I came here thinking I wanted to rehash it all out and hear you agree with how I handled things, but the truth is, it’s just the same shit, different day.” She waves a hand dismissively, slinging a few water droplets with the move. “Some guy thinks women, myself included, should be grateful to be in his presence simply because he’s got a penis and a fat wallet. And no amount of talking about it is going to rid the world of assholes like that.” She huffs out a heavy sigh, her eyes rolling in annoyance.