Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Good work, people. I’ll touch base as soon as I have next steps, Stone,” Justin says as we’re getting ready to leave. “In the meantime, we all just play it cool. Tank, keep your head down, work hard, and play dumb. Steph, teach a kick ass yoga class tomorrow, resist the urge to kick Garcia in the nuts while he’s in downward facing dog, and we’ll get this handled ASAP.”
I place my free hand over my heart. “I promise. I have no urge to get anywhere near that lying jerk’s nuts. Not even in the name of being an agent of karma.”
“Speaking of karma,” Stone says, rising from the booth with a groan. “I’m feeling every weightlifting session I skipped this summer. I need to get home and ice half a dozen muscles.”
“And I need to get home to rub my wife’s feet as an apology for leaving her on solo parent duty all day,” Justin says.
We say our goodbyes before Tank and I head out the front door, while Stone and Justin move toward the parking lot in back of the still busy pub.
Outside, the breeze has calmed down, leaving the air feeling warmer than it did before. Tank and I wander back to my apartment, our fingers intertwined.
“You okay with all this?” he asks after we’ve gone a block or so.
I squeeze his hand. “I’m okay with anything that helps you keep what you’ve worked so hard for. I just hope it works. And I hope they don’t get caught. I don’t know Garcia well enough to know if he’s a gullible guy, but if he’s not, this could still end badly. At least for Justin.”
Tank nods thoughtfully. “Yeah, but Garcia wouldn’t be able to fuck with the team captain. He’d have to suck it up and make nice.” He shrugs. “And knowing that someone is on to him might be all it takes to get him to back off the quest to ruin me.”
I growl softly beneath my breath. “That still makes me so mad! How dare he lie about something this serious? Your sobriety should be sacred.”
He sighs. “I don’t know. I mean, he’s an ambitious, scheming little asshole, no doubt. But maybe he doesn’t realize what overcoming addiction is really like. How fucking hard it is. He might just be ignorant, not an evil turd crapped out of Satan’s asshole.”
I snort, then sigh, loving that he’s funny, as well as brave and driven and sexy as ever-loving heck.
And mine.
I really love that he’s mine…
“I’m so glad you’re coming home with me,” I say as we near my front steps.
He pauses on the sidewalk, his hands coming to frame my face, as gentle, but intense, as always. “I’m glad you invited me, beautiful. And I’m glad I get to say I love you tonight before we go to bed without worrying it’s too soon.”
“Nope, not too soon,” I whisper back. “Not even close.”
Back at my apartment, Mr. Sniffles greets us with his usual enthusiasm, circling our feet and snorting happily. Tank scoops him up, giving him the kind of deep, thorough ear-scratching he loves, until my snuffly old man is practically melting in his arms.
And I’m a little jealous…
“I would also like to be petted, you know,” I say breezily as I amble toward the bedroom. “I mean, if you have any pets left to give.”
Tank’s eyes darken as he sets Mr. Sniffles down. “I have anything you want, Teach.”
I bite my lip. “Good. Then, you’d better get in here and close the door before Mr. Sniffles tries to come in and watch. You know I don’t believe in exposing his sweet eyes to the filthy things you do to me.”
“And you do to me,” he echoes prowling across the room with a predatory grace that instantly has my blood pumping faster.
He shuts the bedroom door behind him before backing me slowly against the wall. “What do you want, baby?”
My breath catches as he presses against me, solid and warm, his cock already hard against my stomach. “I think just some basic missionary, actually,” I whisper, tilting my head back to meet his gaze. “Sweet and slow, with lots of you kissing me like you mean it. Is that too boring?”
“Nothing’s boring about you naked and under me,” he rumbles, just his voice enough to make me throb. “And that sounds perfect. I’ve been wanting to make love to you like that for a while, actually.”
There’s something so vulnerable in his admission, a touching honesty that makes my heart ache in the best possible way. I rise onto my tiptoes, pulling him down to me, claiming his mouth in a kiss that’s as sweet and real as it is steamy.
His hands span my waist, lifting me until we’re eye to eye, my back pressed against the wall for support. I wrap my legs around his hips, gasping as he grinds slowly against me, the friction delicious even through our clothes.