Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 123155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“Hey,” Mark said, startling me as I entered the room. He was sitting at the foot of the bed, his feet on the ground and his shoulders drooping. “How you doin’?”
“Tired,” I replied honestly. “A little relieved. How’s your shoulder?”
“Fine,” he replied, brushing off the question. “A couple stitches. Hurts like a bitch, but I heal quick.” He was quiet for a minute. “It’s amazing, huh?” he mused, leaning forward on one elbow, the other resting on his thigh. “Doesn’t matter how long you’re gone, moment you step foot back on Aces’ ground, it’s like you never left.”
“You noticed it, too?” I asked as I put down my purse.
“Hard to miss. Gotta say, I never really thought I looked like my pop, but apparently, I do.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise. “You definitely look like him. It’s the mouth.”
“This damn mouth,” he grumbled, making me laugh.
“Hey,” I said, pushing his shoulder. “I like your mouth.”
“You do, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop fishing.”
“You’re more relaxed here,” he said quietly, reaching out to grab my hips. “I can see the difference already.”
“I’m—” I paused to try and find the words. “I’m relieved. We made it. And inside these walls, it feels like we’re safe.”
“You are safe.”
“For now, yeah. For tonight. After that—” I shrugged. “It’ll all still be there in the morning, like a tidal wave waiting to drown us.”
“Nobody’s drownin’.”
“Not yet.”
“Not at all.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”
“Until you bail again,” I replied, the words out of my mouth before I could stop them. Both of us froze.
“Deserved that,” he said, his voice low as he dropped his hands from my hips.
“I still shouldn’t have said it,” I backpedalled. Jesus, he’d gone all commando and saved me and I was bringing up ancient history. “You’ve gone beyond what anyone would expect from—”
“Don’t start that shit,” he cut me off, rising to his feet.
“Don’t start what?”
“Don’t make this some altruistic—”
“Well, your vocabulary has definitely improved—”
“Goddamn it, Cecilia,” he snarled. “Jesus Christ. I’ve been in love with you since we were kids. You know, you know I would’ve come for you no matter what, no matter where, no matter the circumstances.”
“Let’s not pretend that has ever been the case,” I shot back.
“I was twenty fucking years old!”
“So was I!” I yelled, my hands clenched into fists.
“You want to get into this now?” he asked, his voice scarily quiet. “We both knew it was coming, so let’s get it over with.”
“There is no getting it over with,” I hissed. “It won’t ever be over.”
“Well, you sure as fuck got that part right,” he muttered.
His hands came up to cup my head, and before I could push him away or say anything else, his lips were on mine.
Chapter 12
Mark
It was a spectacularly bad idea to kiss Cecilia, but goddamn did she taste good. I wasn’t sure how she managed it, the rest of her was a mess, but her mouth tasted clean with a hint of chocolate from the candy she’d had while we were driving. It was incredible, and she’d been right about the drowning—I sure as hell felt like I was drowning then.
Her hands came up to grip my forearms, the nails pressing into my skin, and I shuddered. It had been so fucking long since anything had affected me that much. Hell, I’d had sex that hadn’t rocked my world the way one taste of Cecilia’s mouth did. Tilting my head, I pressed deeper into her mouth, the memory of how that used to make her groan swirling in my head—
“Am I interruptin’?” Forrest drawled from the open doorway, making Cecilia tear her mouth away.
I was going to kill him.
“What?” I snapped, not bothering to raise my head. I was too busy staring at Cecilia, who looked like she couldn’t decide whether to bolt or hit me.
“Just lettin’ you know they brought in some pizzas. Time to eat,” Forrest replied, his voice laced with amusement.
“Got it.”
He didn’t leave.
“Is there a reason you’re still standing there?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Nope,” he answered, coughing to hide a chuckle as he walked away.
I sighed as Cecilia stepped away from me, avoiding eye contact as she reached for the diaper bag.
“We’ll finish this later,” I told her as she carefully unwrapped the baby to change her diaper.
“There’s nothing to finish,” she replied. “In a few days, you’ll be back in California, and I’ll be back in hell. Just drop it.”
“You know that’s not going to happen.”
“I’m going to get some pizza,” she mumbled, giving me a wide berth as she headed for the doorway, Olive snug in her arms.
I followed her out to the common area and watched as she was swallowed up by the crowd. No matter what she thought about the club or her place in it—the woman belonged with these people. Most of them hadn’t even seen her since she was a toddler, and they still treated her like a long lost daughter.