Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
The playfulness in her eyes shifts into surprise, then desire.
I curl my arm around her waist. Just for a minute. No one’s watching. Remy’s busy talking to Jigsaw, trying to secure him as our bouncer at a few upcoming fight nights at The Castle.
Atlas doesn’t seem bothered by my intrusion. The little guy’s the best of both of his parents—Juliet’s sweetness and smarts mixed with Vapor’s curiosity and fearlessness. He happily returns to passing his toys to Molly while charming her with lengthy descriptions of each item. Molly seems to understand his toddler chatter and converses with him easily.
My arm’s still around her waist. I like it there.
Someone slaps my back, jostling me forward.
Busted.
Twice in one day. What are the odds?
Pretty good if you keep groping Molly when literally everyone you know is within fifty feet of you.
My body tenses. Let’s do this. I’ll have it out with Remy here and now.
But as I glance over my shoulder, it’s Eraser’s big, bearded face—and he’s grinning like a devil—not Remy’s fist furiously flying at my jaw. “Hey, we’ve got a hornet’s nest Uncle Pax can’t get rid of out back.” Eraser points toward the shacks where I’d been with Molly earlier.
Confused, I frown and stare at him. “Yeah, so?”
The fucker taps a finger against his bushy beard. “I was thinking, maybe it would be easier on you to just stick your dick in the hornet’s nest?”
Vapor walks up behind his son and scoops him into his arms. Judging by the smirk on his face, he either planned this ambush with Eraser or caught the highlights of the conversation on his way over.
Molly snorts in disgust and wiggles out of my hold. “Is Juliet still on the track?” she asks Vapor.
“Yup.”
“I’ll take him to his mama,” Molly says, holding out her arms for Atlas. He eagerly goes to her, wrapping his arms around her neck. “Since it seems you three have important wasp maintenance to discuss.”
“Hornets!” Eraser corrects her.
She throws a quick smile at me, then takes off. Atlas waves at me over Molly’s shoulder. If toddlers were capable of sarcasm, I’m pretty sure the smirk on his face would say, Sucks to be you.
“Why are you like this?” I turn toward Eraser and pull a sad puppy face. “Who hurt you?”
Vapor chuckles.
Eraser curls one of his python-sized arms around my neck and hugs me to his side. He points toward one of the food shacks. “Seriously, there’s a hornet’s nest on the overhang of the first shack. I’ll get you a ladder. Drop your drawers and jam your dick in the hole. It’ll probably hurt less than what Remy’s going to do to you if he catches you mauling Molly.”
“I wasn’t mauling her.” I shove him away. “Shut your oversized cake hole.”
“The smarter move would be to, oh, I don’t know, man the fuck up.” Vapor’s shrug takes the sting out of his “advice.”
These two love fucking with me and now they have something extra juicy to needle me about, all because I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.
“Why don’t both of you mind your own damn business,” I grumble, not in the mood for their bullshit today. Not after my talk with Dex, which hadn’t been as reassuring as I’d hoped.
“It is my business,” Vapor says, “when Juliet squeals so loud it makes my ears bleed. She thought you finally pulled up your big boy boxers. Now I’m going to have to disappoint her with the truth that you’re still a coward.” He narrows his eyes at me. “You know I don’t like disappointing my wife.”
Who knew Juliet was so invested in my relationship status? “I’ll talk to Remy when I’m ready.” I grip Eraser’s wrist and unwind his arm from around my neck.
“Then you might want to put those baby-making eyes away, brother,” Vapor says.
“Baby what?” This is the consequence of sharing a cell with guys who end up being your best friends—they know me too fucking well. “I was not.”
“Yeah, you kinda were,” Eraser says. “That’s why I thought the hornets might help.”
“Do you have some deeply disturbing obsession with hornets we should know about?” I ask.
“Don’t try to change the subject,” Eraser warns with a smirk.
“Fine. Yes. I’m planning to talk to him.”
“When would that be?” Vapor asks. “When Molly’s walking down the aisle, marrying someone else?”
I shoot a glare at him. “That’s not funny.”
“Hooo boy!” Eraser throws his head back and laughs at the sky. When he finally settles down, he slaps my shoulder. “You need me to do it for you?”
“No,” I grind out. “I’ll handle it.”
“Handle what?” Remy asks, joining our circle of hilarity.
I glare daggers at Eraser that I hope he interprets as shut yo’ mouth.
“Nothing.” Eraser slaps my back, pushing me forward. “Griff’s gonna help me get rid of that hornet’s nest out by the shacks.”