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)
“It’s morning. I think the time for beer is over.” The last thing he should do is start drinking. A couple of beers in and he would be sitting outside Harlow’s bedroom door, begging to be let in. Hell, if he thought for a moment that begging and groveling would work, he would get on his knees now.
“And I think we’re probably going to need one if we’re going to deal with the Valkyrie in there.”
Jensen huffed. It was an apt description of Harlow Dawson. At least he was aware. Harlow also seemed so sweet and kind and nice. She was kind, but he would argue about sweet and nice. “Did she lock herself in? I mean it’s nothing we can’t get through.”
“She slammed the door in my face, and then I heard the sound of her moving something. Probably the dresser,” Niall admitted. “Hope she doesn’t throw out her back. Although at least then we could be sure she’s not going to run away.”
“The good news is there’s not a lot of places to go to. The nearest town is five miles away. The rest is all ranchland,” Jensen explained like he needed to. Niall lived here from tenth grade until they left for the military. Even before he moved in, he had slept in a sleeping bag on the floor on the nights his dad got too drunk and decided to take it out on him. Jensen sighed. It was hard to stay angry at the man who was seriously the only family he had left. “Why did you have to date her? You knew how I felt, man.”
Niall had the grace to flush slightly. He popped off the top of his beer and took a long drink. “I didn’t mean to fall for her but she’s…she’s pretty much my dream woman, and I include all the yelling she can do in there. The truth is I want a woman who isn’t going to let me walk all over her.”
“You’ve never walked all over a woman in your life.” Niall was one of the best people he knew—poaching aside.
“No, but I have taken a couple for granted. Look, I’ve never felt for anyone the way I do Harlow, and part of it is how fucking fierce she is. Tell me that wasn’t what attracted you to her,” Niall challenged.
He couldn’t. It was exactly why he’d fallen for her. “She was mine first.”
“She isn’t a possession, Jensen,” Niall said quietly. “She’s a unique woman who deserves to get everything she needs.”
He wasn’t going to pretend to not understand what his friend was saying. “She has never once mentioned to me she wants a relationship like her parents have. In fact, I’ve never seen her flirt with two guys, much less ask them on a date.”
“I’ve seen her with her friends who are in those relationships. You know her when she’s under pressure. I know her when she’s relaxed. Your entire relationship with Harlow was about adrenaline and lust. I’m not saying you don’t love her. I’m saying the time you’ve spent with her is incomplete. You know the highest highs and the lowest lows, but you don’t know what it means to sit around and watch TV with her. She likes home improvement shows and the worst reality dating crap known to man. But she makes these cookies with toffee chips and then I don’t care that I’m watching a bunch of people potentially breed who should not. They should not.”
He wanted to laugh because the idea of his manly buddy hanging out watching dating shows with his girlfriend was pretty funny. Except he should have been the one watching with her. Also, she’d never baked for him. Probably because they spent every night undercover, and the days had been about going over and over their case. Or fucking like bunnies.
Was Niall right? It wasn’t like there had been quiet dates. They didn’t sit around watching movies. They had talked a lot. Way more than Jensen normally talked. “So you think because you watched some TV with her you have more of a claim?”
“I think you need to stop using words like claim, brother.” Niall sat down on the fairly uncomfortable sofa. “I also think you know a part of Harlow and I know a part of Harlow, and we should team up like in the comic books. Come on, man. Team ups were your favorites. We would save up quarters and sell cans and crap so we could see what happened when Superman and Batman took out a bad guy together. What would have happened if they took down Wonder Woman together? I’m sure it’s out there somewhere. Let me tell you in my time at The Hideout, I’ve seen some crazy shit.”
“You liked it? The lifestyle?” It was the first time he’d truly thought about what he’d asked his friend to do. He told himself Niall was doing his part to help avenge Tommy, but what Niall had really done was uproot his whole life and throw himself into another. One he had never contemplated before.