Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 47107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
“Roger.”
His eyes lit up. He liked that I knew his name.
“Heard you got a lady. Is that true?”
A lady? I grinned at the terminology but nodded. “Yep. I do.”
“That Ava girl, right?”
I frowned, just a little. In general, dudes didn’t bring up another dude’s woman unless there was a reason. And if that happened, usually the reason wasn’t a good one, or it was going to go in a not-good place. I was waiting for Roger to tell me which way this conversation was going to go.
“Uh huh.”
He nodded, a little bit too eager for my liking. “She’s a pretty one. Her mother is staying at a facility where my girl volunteers. Says Ava comes in and sees her mom every other day. Does lunch with her before she goes off to her job at Manny’s. I always thought it was a shame that she’d not gotten scooped up by someone. Girl like that. Pretty. Quiet. Real pretty. Hard worker too.”
I was starting to see where this conversation was going to go. The more he talked, the more eager I was getting for that end result. “Really.”
“Oh, yeah.” There it was, a nice dirty gleam in his gaze. He licked his lips and hitched up his pants. Bending over, peering at home plate, he shook his head. “I gotta ask—”
I grunted, “No, you don’t.”
“—what’s she like in bed, man—”
He didn’t heed my warning.
He kept on, but I stopped listening because I’d heard enough to hear him talk about shit he shouldn’t be talking about. Bed. Positions. Energy. How her legs felt wrapped around me.
All calm-like, as the batter struck out and I was up, I tossed my bat in the air.
Roger was still talking.
I had a fleeting thought that it would’ve been nice if Blaise was here for back-up, and I caught the end of my bat and swung, just like I was going to hit a grounder. A nicely aimed grounder where I still had follow-through, but the ball was directed to hit immediately down but with a bounce. Not where I took the bat and bunted. Not that kind, because that wouldn’t have been satisfactory, but this guy, this Roger, he should’ve heeded my warning.
My woman. She didn’t deserve to be talked about like that, and as I swung, as I clipped him clear across in the face, I heard yells in the distance. There was a whistle sound. People were shouting. Then running. Roger was on the ground. I got him clean, not in the front, to the side. I’d aimed it just right, but he was bleeding and he was unconscious, and my teammates were shoving me backwards.
His team members were up in arms, yelling.
Someone was threatening me. More than one, actually.
I didn’t care. I walked backwards, letting my teammates push me back, but I kept watching Roger. If he woke, I wanted to see him. I wanted his eyes on me.
“What the fuck, Allen?! Why’d you clock him?”
“He was disrespecting Ava.” Seemed simple to me.
My teammate swore. “Cops are coming. That’s Roger Mitchell. He could sue you.”
I dug into my wallet, and pulled out a card, handing it up. “Call my lawyer.”
He cursed again, but took it, and swore a third time. “Logan Kade?”
I grinned. “Something tells me he’ll be happy to represent me. Make sure to tell him the reason.”
He shook his head but took the card. He was pulling his phone out as a squad car was turning into the softball fields. I knew the officers who were getting out of the car, and as one headed my way, the other one cut across to check on Mitchell.
“What the fuck, Zeke?”
I grinned. “Still think it’s funny you decided to go law enforcement after college, Ryerson.”
Race Ryerson shook his head at me, his mouth all tight-lipped as he liked to get when he was worked up. I knew him from when we were in high school, but the better connection was because he’d married Blaise’s sister.
He sighed. “It was this or doing custom race cars.”
“No. I think it’s funny considering your family lineage.”
His partner was coming over, shaking his head. I also knew him from high school. Branston Strandling. Before Blaise, he and his brother were considered my closest friends. He cursed at me. “Why’d the fuck you do that? They’re saying you just all-out swung on him? He wasn’t even looking at you.”
“He was being disrespectful toward Ava.” I gave him a warning look because his brother had been close to doing the same not that long ago as well.
He stilled but swore under his breath. He got the look. “Brian’s an asshole.”
“You’re considered an asshole as well.”
Race cursed. “Zeke. My God.”
Branston shot back. “Fuck you, Zeke. You were the king of assholes back then.”
“Hence, why I swung. I’m also loyal and in love with Ava—” I stopped because holy fuck. I blinked a few times, letting the surprise filter through me. I was in love with Ava. I—I’d never loved a chick before.