Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 33998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
“Well, look what the fucking cat dragged in,” Ink drawled, looking up from his phone. He grinned at me. “Good to have you back, fucker. Joey said you were here for good.”
I nodded and took a seat beside him, knowing one of the girls would bring me a beer in a minute. Thankfully, Joey had made sure no one made a big deal out of me coming back, so there was no welcome home party or bullshit along those lines. I didn’t have the energy for it.
The old me would have been the first one to suggest a party. Now…
Tragedy had changed me. And not for the best.
I was a mere shell of the man I used to be. I looked the same, but the man these men knew was gone.
A new girl with fire-red hair and icy blue eyes walked up, handing me a beer. She popped the top off and shoved it into her pocket before eyeing me, a smirk curving her lips. She was pretty as fuck, her body covered in freckles. I had the sudden, insane urge to taste her skin and trace every single one of them.
Fuck. I’d obviously been too long without a woman because I wasn’t the kind of man who cared about prolonging shit. But I had sudden visions of this woman writhing beneath me as I pinned her to the mattress and lavished attention on her curvy body.
“Whiler, right?” she asked me. I grunted in response. She trailed a finger over my chest. I gave her hand a pointed look, wanting her to remove it, but she just shot me a saucy smirk. “If you need some relief, baby, I’m available.”
Yeah, I needed some fucking relief. But preferably with a woman who didn’t make me feel all strange inside like this one. Someone I could just dip into, get off, and send on their way. This woman was raising all kinds of alarms in my head. They were blaring, and red flags were flapping in the breeze.
I might have been sort of looking for love and to get tied down before I lost my little sister, but now…
Love and relationships were off the table. I didn’t deserve happiness. Not after I hadn’t been able to save Helena.
“Not interested,” I told her.
She shrugged, not seeming the least bit bothered. She trailed her fingers through my dark hair with a small hum. “If you want me, come find me. My name’s Cannon.”
With that, she strutted off. I frowned after her, watching the way her hips swayed and that ass jiggled in the leggings she was wearing.
“What’s her story?” I asked Ink once I managed to tear my eyes off her backside.
He shrugged at me, his eyes focused on his game. “Only Joey knows.”
I sighed. Of fucking course. Which meant she was here for protection. Which also meant I couldn’t somehow drive her away and make her leave.
Fuck my life.
She was going to be trouble. And judging by how she’d just toyed with me, she was enjoying it.
Vern wiped his towel down his face after he stepped off the treadmill. “How the fuck are you still running?” he wheezed, dropping onto a metal chair against the wall. He guzzled down some water, his chest heaving.
“I went running every morning and evening while on the road,” I told him, barely breaking a sweat though I’d run almost three straight miles now. “You telling me you can’t hang, brother?” The teasing came off dry, but fuck, I was trying at least.
He flipped me the middle finger before dragging himself out of the chair. “I’m going to shower,” he grunted.
I watched him go through the mirror in front of me that covered the entire wall from floor to ceiling. When he walked out, I gritted my teeth, hating the fucking silence that rang out around me. The only noise was the air conditioning, the treadmill, and my feet pounding. Snarling, I hit the stop button and used the bars on the side to lift myself so I could place my feet on the sides while the machine came to a stop. I should’ve done a cool-down session, but I needed to get the fuck out of here.
I stepped off the treadmill and stared at myself in the mirror, swallowing past the sudden lump in my throat as I stared at myself. I was in the best shape of my life, but one look at my eyes, and anyone could tell I was suffocating myself.
It’s not your fault, Whiler, Helena whispered in my head as she appeared beside me in the mirror. I didn’t look down, just met her gaze before finally shaking my head at her.
“It is my fault,” I rumbled. “You called me. I didn’t make it in time.”
“Are you talking to yourself?” Cannon suddenly asked. I blinked, drawing myself out of my head. The faint image of Helena disappeared from beside me. Cannon was standing a few feet behind me. She was wearing another pair of black leggings with a crop top that showed her belly. It wasn’t flat—curved out a bit—but it just made me want her even more.