Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“I’ll help,” Max said, bumping me as he swung off the seat at the same time. His sway was real, but he did lead the way to the cleaning part of the kitchen. Dirty glasses were everywhere. No dishwasher insight. I popped on the rubber gloves and began doing what my guy asked.
My guy.
The possession was new too, only developing since I’d made the decision to come tonight.
=♥=
Mace
“You didn’t need to stick around until we closed,” I said, trailing after Slade. He carried a loaded trash bag in one hand, and so did I. He pushed through the back door, hanging a hand back to keep it open for me. We were alone. It had to be at least three o’clock in the morning.
“I thought you needed help,” Slade answered, lifting the awkward top of the dumpster before tossing his bag inside. Mine followed. “Do your parents always give people rides home?”
“Yeah, the police help too. So do my aunt and uncle. This community has a habit of overdoin’ all the time. We’ve been ride-sharin’ for as long as I remember. My dad had an old-school bus for a while.” The memory was special, causing me to grin as I watched my steps over the broken concrete.
“I wish I could have met your parents. Are they worried about Lori?” he asked.
Unfortunately, the night was so busy, I had to think back to whatever happened to Lori. It took a second, Lori was a diva, dramatic all the time. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably not. She dealt with swellin’ and high blood pressure in all her pregnancies. She doesn’t have too much longer before the baby gets here. I’m guessin’ her doctor will put her on bedrest.”
I didn’t follow with a celebratory yeehaw, which I counted as a win. She wouldn’t be back for several months. The peace was going to be amazing.
“You were a boss sending her home that way,” Slade said.
“You have to be assertive with her. She’s hardheaded and goes the opposite direction of what’s right,” I said, opening the back door wide.
“A trait you all must have. What does that mean for the bar?” he asked, grabbing the edge of the door, and ushering me inside before him.
“My parents’ll come back to work more often. I’ll take more hours and likely move to mid days. I’ll work double shifts when needed. It’ll be a kinder environment without her here.”
“You mean you’ll have the nights off during the week?” Slade asked.
“I guess,” I said, chuckling at the direction Slade had taken.
The one thing I learned about Slade over the last week, the man could have sex many times a day and be perfectly fine to go at it again. We were versatile, but my ass on the other hand, needed a break now and then. No matter how many times Slade tried to get me to change my mind.
“What else do we gotta do?” Slade asked.
“We? You washed every dish in this place twice, I bet. You can go home,” I said, walking straight down the hall, turning the overhead lights off as I went.
“Did you drink tonight? I’ll get you home,” Slade said, following behind me.
“Yeah, right,” I said, a bark of laughter followed, startling the two older women who were dubbed the overnight cleaning crew. “I haven’t had anything to drink. I haven’t had much since I woke up in your house, not exactly sure where I was.”
“The morning you snuck out without saying goodbye,” he reminded me, continuing the trail we made to the front door. Out on the street, litter was everywhere, but I bypassed it, heading to my truck.
“Who cleans this all up?”
“Those women,” I said, starting to push my key inside the door lock of the truck. “Why’re you followin’ me?”
“Ride home with me. I’ll bring you back in the morning,” Slade offered.
After the briefest pause, I decided not to argue because I needed to know what Slade and Max had talked about. When I pulled the key out and tucked it into my front pocket, Slade’s brows narrowed. “What?” I was literally doing what he asked.
“You gave too quickly,” he said.
“Want me to drive?” I asked and stopped at the hood of the pickup, waiting for Slade’s decision. He stared at me until he shook his head and started the other way. I spotted his Jeep in the last parking spot on the street.
“No, come on.”
There were so many things about Slade that shouted he no longer belonged in this area, and his decked-out Jeep was one of them. Maybe it could go off-road but it was a fancy vehicle, made for rugged comfort. Actually, everything in Slade’s life was designed to offer a subtle relaxation.
Slade also made me lose my inhibitions. All this friendly comfort was addicting. I hadn’t been home in a week. Once we were tucked inside, Slade pulled out of the parking space, taking a wide swing into the road. Clearly, he thought we were alone. We weren’t. Hopefully the people hanging around were too drunk to put two and two together. Until recently, I’d been one of those kind too. That was how I knew I had a solid chance of going unnoticed.