Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 644(@200wpm)___ 515(@250wpm)___ 429(@300wpm)
This new man, the one who somehow looks better with age, could be totally different. He could be well prepared, but his surprise at my appearance last night tells me otherwise. Besides, both our lives could be on the line at any given moment, and I'd rather not die because pride stood in the way, keeping me from explaining to my new partner how these guys operate and exactly what they'd expect from the backstory we give them.
"We'll have another meeting this afternoon to go over the finer details," Hemlock says when I wrap up. "The other guys will load all this shit up for us. Tomorrow, you'll become two very different people. Spend a little time wrapping your head around that, and I'll see you in the conference room in two hours."
Chapter 6
Zeus
I hate everything about this entire situation.
I hate that I took so much of the information Zayne had to share and locked it away for this upcoming job because when I think about it, it’s going to be his voice in my head.
I hate the easy smile on his face when he answers questions from the other guys, because the damn thing hasn't changed in all these fucking years.
I hate this stupid fucking attraction I've always felt for him because it came back with a vengeance last night, and the distraction is the very last thing either one of us needs.
I hate the idea stuck in my head that I can't be the first of the remaining four to leave the room. That's how I ended up in here with only Zayne, as he repacks a box of MREs—meal, ready-to-eat—after pulling out the Chili Mac, because, as he explained, these would be eaten on a night no one wants to cook, and it's a favorite. That fact got a chuckle from those of us who spent time in the military because the guy wasn't wrong.
I gauge the distance between him and the wall, trying to figure out if I'll be able to squeeze past him without him noticing, but I know just how stupid that thought is. The guy is just as fucking aware of my presence as I am of his.
I chance it anyway, walking with determination toward the door, only to be stopped with a warm hand on my arm.
Refusing to look at the other man, I keep my eyes locked on my escape route.
I could easily shrug him off and tell him to get the fuck away from me, but we're going to have to work together. Even I know that isn't the right way to handle any situation with a teammate, regardless of how I really feel.
"Can I help you?" I ask with as even a tone as I can manage.
When silence swirls around us, I chance a look in his direction, regretting it instantly.
The man has gotten taller since I last saw him, growing at least four or five inches. Whereas I used to tower over him, I find myself looking up slightly to meet his eyes. I hate the way it makes me feel, but before he speaks, I almost convince myself that it's irritation and not attraction that stirs inside me.
"You can actually," he says, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"What?" I ask, taking a step back and breaking the contact between us.
"I need help moving furniture."
"Hemlock said the other guys were going to load all this shit, and I plan to let them because we'll have to unload it all by ourselves tomorrow."
"Not this," he says, waving his hand to indicate the room full of stuff. "My bed."
I narrow my eyes, knowing this has to be some fucking ploy of his, but then again, we're alone now. If he wanted to have a conversation, he could do so now. We don't have to relocate to a whole different cabin for that to happen.
"Fine," I mutter against my better judgment because we're supposed to be adults, and at a minimum, we're teammates who have to get along for this shit to work.
I walk out of the room and arrow straight to the door. The sooner I can get this shit over with, the sooner I can have a little time to myself. I only have the rest of today and part of tomorrow to wrap my head around the idea of being a piece-of-shit loser who hates women, people of color, and anyone who isn't as straight as an arrow.
I key in the code for the cabin he's staying in and do my best to try and stay in motion, but I have no fucking clue which room he picked. He passes me on the staircase. I swear the man knows exactly what he's doing because for the briefest of seconds, it puts his muscular ass right in my face, and my cock begins to take notice, something that makes me hate this man even more.