Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
If all he needed was basic equipment, Niall could help. “Sure. Have him come by.”
“Thanks, man,” Luke said with a grin. “He’s a good guy, and he can probably give you a cut of what he makes. Though he’s paid through the VA, so it’s not a lot.”
He believed in some serious karma. “He can use the place for free. You, on the other hand…”
“Can pay a full rate,” Luke agreed. “And hey, I heard all of your clients are either dudes or women who play here, so how much trouble can I get into?”
One of those clients was Harlow. When she found out his gym was two blocks from her office, both she and her partner Ruby had signed up. After that a bunch of the women from The Hideout joined. He made sure they had a safe environment to work out in. One of his personal trainers was a friend of Harlow’s.
It struck him how comfortable he’d gotten here. How much he depended on these people as his community.
Would he lose them all if they found out why he was here?
It wasn’t like he was with Harlow.
Guilt bubbled up. She didn’t belong to him. Of course she didn’t belong to Jensen either. She had never once mentioned his name, but he knew she still thought about him. It was precisely why she hadn’t dated, but he couldn’t figure out if it was because she was still tender over what had happened and didn’t want to get hurt again or if she still loved him.
And he wasn’t sure it mattered since it was so clear to him that Harlow needed more than Jensen could give her. Jensen could give her the dominance she craved. He could be strong and handle the dark shit, but he wasn’t tender. She needed tenderness, too.
Lately, he’d started wondering if maybe she needed them both.
“So much trouble.” Seth kept ragging on his cousin, but that was their love language.
“Like you’re any better,” Gabriel pointed out. “You’re every bit the man whore he is. You are seriously risking your futures, young men. What woman is going to have you when they find out you have a triple-digit body count?”
Seth’s hand came to his chest like he was deeply offended. “I thought we weren’t supposed to use words like whore and body count because we all know it doesn’t matter how many frogs you kiss. It’s about settling down one day with the right one. At some point, the right one is going to stop running and everything will be fine. Now, while I’m waiting, I have more frogs to kiss. Someday my princess will come and all that.” He grinned salaciously. “She will, you know. Come that is.”
Gabe shot Seth his happy middle finger. “You are talking about my sister, you pervert.”
“I offered you mine.” Seth was completely unimpressed. “You lost out on Tash. You escaped Kala. Only Kenz is left. If we were in the olden days, I assure you my father would give you many goats if you would take her off our hands.”
“Yeah, well, my dad probably has some things he would love to give to you,” Gabe threatened.
“And yet, I still try,” Seth replied. “At least I’m not this one. He’s not waiting for his true love. His true love is a perfectly cooked branzino.”
“Hey, that is a hard fish to handle,” Luke shot back.
He walked to the lockers, his cousin still arguing with him.
Gabe sighed as he watched the Doms leave. “I’m afraid his princess is trying very hard to escape her fate.”
“We talking about Chloe?” Niall knew he should keep on moving. He shouldn’t sit down and gossip with a dude who was rapidly becoming his friend.
It felt good to have friends. For so long there was only him and Jensen, and then he hadn’t even had Jensen. It felt right to be in this place, to help out the people around him. To be a good friend and a good Dom.
Gabe nodded. “Yeah, my sister is…I don’t even know. She’s in denial and trying so hard to please our parents, who don’t need to be pleased. I think she’s afraid. And she’s not the only one. I can’t fix anything with my sister. I honestly don’t even know if it could work between Seth and Chloe. Seth is a goofball, and I think she needs something else, but I might be able to help you out.”
“I need help?”
A brow cocked over Gabe’s dark eyes. “You think no one notices how you look at Harlow?”
Fuck. He slumped down on the sofa across from Gabe. He was deeply aware that Gabe was on the board. He made membership decisions. Had he found out why Niall joined? Was he about to get kicked out?
Although he had said he wanted to help him. “She’s…special.”