Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
I gape at him.
He puts his finger under my chin and closes my mouth. “So do you want something to fucking drink or no?”
I burst out laughing, and it doesn’t stop until I’m sobbing on his couch, curled into his side. He sits with me the whole time, his hand warm on the back of my neck and soft words murmured into my hair. When I finally pull myself together, it feels like a wound has been lanced. Not healed, but better.
“You’re right.” I wet my lips. “Thank you.”
He throws me a weird look. “For what?”
“For trying. For saving me from the people at my house. For standing by me even though I’m a mess. I wish I could say I’d do things differently if I could go back, but all of my options sucked. I picked the ones that felt the least wrong at the time. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you three hadn’t been here to help. If it were up to Shadow, I think I’d be back in the Pit.”
“It’s not personal, baby. He’s not a bad guy. He just has a lot on his shoulders right now. His old lady will be devastated if Lightning doesn’t pull through, and Lightning’s twin brother is also part of their family.”
I’m so confused. “If it’s not my business, just tell me to butt out, but explain their family to me like I’m five.”
He chuckles. “You saw Emily’s house. She’s King, Wild Child and Hero’s old lady. Same thing, but one more guy. Harper belongs to Shadow, Outlaw, Lightning, and Thunder.”
“Lightning and Thunder?”
“Twins,” he supplies.
Huh. Lucky girl. “I would’ve thought you big, strong alpha males were too territorial to share.”
He snorts derisively, making his opinion of so-called alpha males pretty damn clear. “Did we look like we hated sharing you?”
No, they definitely did not. The memories of how they shared me flash through my brain. They worked like a well-oiled team, no jealousy or competition—unless you count trying to be the one to first get me to go over the edge.
“Rebel told you about how we work in teams, right? It was before my time, but Emily was the first to be claimed by all of the guys on the same team. It wouldn’t work for every group, but it makes a lot of sense. The ladies love it, for obvious reasons.” He winks. “But it’s practical for the men, too. Women, families, they can divide a brother’s attention. If all the guys on a team share the same woman, they stick together and can share the responsibility of keeping the family safe. As devastating as it would be if Lightning died, Harper wouldn’t be alone.”
When he puts it that way, it makes a strange sort of sense. I pull my feet up and into the huge shirt. “Would you guys do it? Hypothetically speaking.”
“Right, hypothetically. I don’t know. The opportunity hasn’t really come up.” He shrugs.
“If it did?”
“Then I think I’d want to give it a shot, yeah.” Mad Dog’s grin is hard to resist. “Shit, it’s hard to believe I said that. I was a fuckup for a good long time before I realized I had to choose something or the world would do it for me. I was a snotty little asshole, and I nearly washed out of my prospect period here at the club.”
“Really?”
“Nah, I just like lying to make myself look bad in front of pretty women.”
“Interesting technique.” I struggle to keep a straight face. “Does it always impress the girls when you tell them that?”
“I don’t know, this is my first try. Is it working?”
“It’s not not working,” I admit.
He stands up and walks over to the frame with the bullet that I noticed earlier. “I prospected for the Eagles because it sounded fucking cool. Ride all day, do whatever the fuck we want, sexy women on tap. I learned fast that nothing is free. Becoming a member of the Screaming Eagles was the first thing I’ve ever really had to work for and I don’t regret it for a second.” He taps the frame. “Earned this defending one of our women. Violence is part of our life, but when something happens like with Lightning, in a place that promised safety, and for no fucking reason, we have to hit back hard or we’re all at risk.”
When he comes back, he sits down right next to me. Right up close.
And despite what I’ve just been through, I put my hand on his thigh for comfort. “I understand. I wish I wasn’t caught in the middle of it, but I get it.”
“For what it’s worth, I doubt your father was the shooter. It doesn’t feel right. You don’t get to his position by making moves like this.” His voice is low and a little rough. He’s so close that it wouldn’t take much for him to kiss me.