Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
I continued drinking my beer and observing the crowd. Some fifty people were here, all enjoying the snack buffet, the pool, the open bar, and a few games. It was Doms against subs in the pool, a spanking contest on the porch, and naked wrestling in a large makeshift sandbox. Beach sand, meet a bare ass. All with the grand view of a pricey Tudor-esque McMansion.
Two masochists were going at it on the sand-filled tarp, and a dozen or so kinksters were enjoying the show. Personally, I preferred to watch the audience, not the circus.
Meanwhile, River was going to town on his pile of pizza squares.
I snatched a mozzarella stick and took a bite.
“You seem to like your pizza squares a whole lot,” I mentioned. Aside from the fact that he was still scowling.
“The shape doesn’t make them less tasty,” he bit out.
Jesus.
“You need to get laid, brother.”
“I need to sleep,” he corrected.
I shrugged and let it go, ’cause West was on his way over with another kind of smile on his face. He was curious.
His Christmas outfit consisted of regular slacks and a button-down—too hot for the summer—and he’d donned a pair of antlers.
“What’s the verdict, guys?” he asked as he reached us. “It’s a nice party, isn’t it?”
I mean…it was nice I could walk around in my boxer briefs, but the Santa hat was starting to itch. In fact, I removed it and wiped sweat off my forehead, then finished my mozzarella stick.
“I’m enjoyin’ the people-watching,” I said, chewing. “You’re certainly popular.”
Life went on when we weren’t around. On the way over here today, West had mentioned he’d joined a community and everything.
“You could be too, if you didn’t lurk in the shadows,” he pointed out teasingly.
I grinned a little and pinched a few fries next. They felt kinda limp.
Didn’t taste great either.
“You’re on the prowl,” River noted.
West tilted his head. “Am I?”
River nodded once and bit into another slice—square—of pizza. “I noticed that about you. You’re not enjoyin’ the journey. You just wanna find someone and get settled. Eager beaver.”
Nice. A little afternoon profiling when he was dead on his feet and lacked the ability to ease into things.
I elbowed him. “You don’t spring that shit on people.”
He frowned.
West knitted his brows. “I don’t agree with that. I’m far from ready to settle down.”
That one got River going again. With his mouth full. “I didn’t mean it’s gotta be Prince Charming. But you wanna be settled, even if it’s a playtime dynamic.”
I suppressed a sigh and glanced over at the sandbox again. Poor Lucas West. River was right; I’d observed the same thing, but you didn’t fucking say it to someone you weren’t close to. At least, not yet. I wasn’t gonna let my brother push the guy away. I liked him.
West and River went back and forth for a while, and I eyed the two masochists cranking things up in the sand. I’d located their Doms, who stood along the sidelines cheering them on, and they had some friends there too. One of the masochists threw himself toward the other, causing a bunch of sand to fly at the audience. They laughed and brushed it off, all happy and highly entertained—except one dude. I watched him force a smile before he turned away to brush his hands over his face.
I cocked my head. Something was off with his demeanor. He wasn’t annoyed by the sand. It was something else. He tensed up and rubbed a fist at his chest, and he screwed his eyes shut.
He’s military.
I stood straighter and registered his high-and-tight haircut, his posture, and what he wore. Jeans and a tee, a Santa hat tucked into his back pocket, hands balled into fists—he was trying to regain control. Everything about him screamed battle, and as I watched a group of partygoers walk closer, I felt the need to intervene. If he had PTSD or something, there was no way of knowing how he’d react to surprise. Someone bumping into him by accident could set him off, whether he fell into panic or rage.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, leaving River and West to their little eager-beaver debate.
That guy was losing his fight fast; I could see from halfway across the backyard that he was starting to hyperventilate, and he staggered toward the rosebushes below the high porch.
I picked up the pace and strode past the brat brigade cheering for the sand wrestlers.
Once he was within reach, I positioned myself in front of him. “Let’s get you some privacy, buddy. I’m gonna put my hand on your back and steer you to the side of the house, okay?”
He tensed up further and wouldn’t open his eyes, but he managed a quick nod as he sucked in a sharp breath.
I slipped a hand to his lower back and got him to move. The short end of the house was only some ten meters away, with plenty of trees and bushes.