Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Whatever she wanted to talk about didn’t involve me getting laid. So, when she leaned back against the wall, looking toward the door, I leaned back next to her.
“So this whole time, you were only going to buy half the bar,” she said slowly. “And you always knew that was the deal.”
“Yup. I’ve known it since I turned eighteen. The Reapers have been silent partners since before we were born.”
“And you’re okay with that?” she asked, turning to look at me.
“It is what it is,” I said. “You’re not stupid. You know the Reapers are into all kinds of things. Gus and I are both part of that. I chose this life, and I’m at peace with what it means.”
“And the Reapers had nothing to do with you serving time? They didn’t ask you to do that?”
“No, they didn’t,” I said. “This wasn’t about the club at all. They paid for my lawyer—we have a fund for that—and they bought a pig to roast at the party when I got out. But shooting that guy? That was Gus, all by himself. He called us for help, and we answered because that’s what we do.”
“He may not always be right, but he’s always your brother…” she said, the words trailing off. I nodded, and we both fell silent again. Her hand slipped down, catching mine. I raised it to my mouth, kissing her fingers.
“So, I have this thought,” Peaches said, breaking the silence.
“I’m listening.”
“What if we bought the bar together?” she asked. “If we put our money together, we’d have enough to buy all of them out. Last night, you said you wanted to be partners with me. That it didn’t matter whose name was on the deed. I thought you were full of shit, but that’s the kind of partnership the Reapers have with Gus already, isn’t it?”
“Well, that wasn’t exactly what I was thinking,” I admitted.
Peaches laughed.
“You were thinking more about me putting in my time and energy there the same way I would if I owned a stake. You’d let me make decisions, and we’d be like partners, except your name would be on the deed, and you’d have the power to fire me.”
“When you put it like that, it sounds bad,” I admitted. She offered me her sweetest smile, and suddenly, all I could think about were those lips of hers wrapped around my cock.
“It is bad,” she said. “But I have a different idea. One that could work for both of us. What if I buy out Gus, and you buy out the Reapers? That way, you’re the silent partner, and unlike me, you’d actually have the force to assert your rights if I decided to cheat you.”
I stilled, almost startled by how obvious it was.
“Do you think we could do it?” I asked her. “Let’s assume that the financing works, and the Reapers are on board—and I’m thinking I could make that happen—do you really think you and I could be equal partners in something like that? Without killing each other?”
“Have we killed each other yet?” she asked, her voice softening. She tugged her hand free from mine and then dropped it to my inner thigh, rubbing it back and forth. My dick took notice, and I felt my balls clench. Then her fingers drifted up, cupping me and fondling me through my jeans.
“You came close last night,” I said, trying to follow the conversation. Hard to concentrate, given what she was doing. Peaches touched her lips to mine, just the hint of a teasing kiss. Then she pulled away.
“You’re my best friend, Eli. I’m attracted to you, and I definitely like having sex with you. I’ve spent hundreds—maybe thousands—of hours thinking up new ways to make your life a living hell, yet you still go out of your way to run into me. You like being with me as much as I like being with you.”
“I’d rather be in you,” I said. In a flash, she jerked her hand away from my dick to punch my shoulder. She hit hard, too. Not hard enough to hurt me for real, but she wasn’t playing around, either.
“God, you’re an asshole. I’m trying to have a serious talk here!”
“You know, it turns me on when you’re mad enough to call me names,” I said, which was true. Her eyes had reclaimed their sparkle, and her cheeks were flushed.
“You’re like a two-year-old.”
“And yet you keep coming back for more,” I pointed out. “That’s what you just said, right?”
Peaches opened her mouth to argue, then snapped it shut again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her face was serious.
“Are you going to buy the bar with me or not?”
It was a great question. A complicated one, too. Not because I didn’t think we could work together. I knew we could work together. But there was more at stake here than the business.