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)
Molly’s gaze flicks from me to the guys. I shrug slightly. Who knows what those jackasses are laughing about. I pat the spot she’d been sitting in earlier. “Sit with me, birthday girl. You barely touched your burger.”
“I forgot napkins.” She squeezes my shoulder. “Want anything else?”
She’s standing so close, I “accidentally” brush my knuckles against her leg. A faint scent of vanilla teases my nose again. The cake on the table isn’t the one I want to get my mouth on.
Eraser narrows his eyes and stares at Torch for a second. “You good, cuz?”
“I’m fine.”
Eraser slaps my shoulder and pulls himself off the bench. “I’ll be right back.”
Molly follows him over to the table where all the supplies are.
“Yo, yo, Griff?” Buck waves one of his hands in front of my face. “You call her Muffin?”
Spoons ducks his head and coughs into his elbow, but it sounds a lot more like a laugh.
“Don’t worry about what I call my girlfriend,” I warn.
“Muffin?” Buck brings two fingers in a V shape to his lips and wiggles his tongue between them. “As in, you go muffin diving?” He grins and laughs like he’s some sort of genius.
“What?” I stare at him in confusion then frown. “No. Shut the fuck up.”
“Seriously…” Buck reaches around Spoons to tap Torch’s shoulder. “He butters her muffin gooood.”
“Bro, I’d stop if I were you,” Torch warns.
“Take his advice.” I growl. Under the table, my hands curl into fists. I really don’t want to start a fight at Molly’s birthday party. Maybe I can get Eraser to sign Buck up for a fight at The Castle next weekend. There’s gotta be half a dozen guys eager to knock him around the cage for a few rounds.
“You’re the one who calls her Muffin,” Spoons says to me. “What’re you gettin’ so pissed about?”
Buck shifts his gaze toward Molly. “I’d lick her muffin—”
Blind rage seizes me from the inside out.
I jump out of my seat, shaking the entire table, and reach over the wide, wooden surface, then hook my fingers into the neck of Buck’s shirt. I yank hard until he’s balanced on my arm, hanging in the air, caught between the bench and tabletop.
I press my face close to his. “Wanna say that again?”
“Dude, chill, chill!” Buck flails his arms in the air. His sneakers thud against the underside of the bench as he tries to free his bottom half. “Muffin’s slang for pussy,” he hisses. “How do you not know that?”
Horror washes over me.
That’s not true. Is it? The sweet nickname I’ve been calling Molly since she was little isn’t something perverted. It can’t be. Remy would’ve told me to knock it off if it was. Someone would’ve said something by now, right?
People are staring at our table. Just what I don’t need—more attention drawn to the situation. I definitely don’t want Molly to overhear anything this deviant says.
I throw Buck into his seat. He flies backward, almost falling off the bench. I lift my shoulders in a casual shrug, even though I’m feeling anything but calm. “Guess I’m not familiar with all the creepy pervert lingo like you are.”
“You’re an idiot.” Pip glares at Buck. “You’re thinking of muff, not muffin. They’re two different words with completely different meanings, you absolute fucking dolt.”
“Thanks.” I frown in Pip’s direction. “Couldn’t have piped up sooner?”
“And miss you choking him? Nah.” Pip holds out his fist to me, and I tap it quickly with my own.
“Shut up, Pipsqueak,” Buck grumbles. “You’re just mad girls don’t want you to eat their muffins.”
“That’s what you think,” Pip mutters.
Relief replaces my previous horror as I tune out their back-and-forth insults. What if Buck’s the only asshole stupid enough to say that to my face? There are plenty of dumb fucks walking around the planet. Maybe I shouldn’t call her muffin anymore in case it gives someone else perverted ideas about my girl.
Molly
“Why are boys so weird?” Juliet says, staring at Griff and Pip’s table. “I wish Spoons would stop inviting Buck to stuff. He never knows when to shut up.”
“Yeah, they both creeped me out.” I shrug and turn away. “That’s why I’m staying here at your table.”
“Eraser threatened to drag Buck behind his truck if he didn’t watch his mouth.” Ella rubs her hands together with wicked glee. “Maybe tonight’s the night.”
I snort with laughter and poke my fork into the corner of Juliet’s slice of cake.
“Sooo…” Juliet nudges me with her elbow. “You and Griff? Finally.”
Ella titters with laughter and slaps her hand over her mouth.
Juliet shoots a glare at Ella, then returns her big sister eyes to my face. I brace myself for whatever’s coming.
“Seriously,” Juliet says. “How’s it going?”
“Good.”
“Everything’s…okay?”
I turn my head and stare her dead in the eyes. “This convo’s giving your changing body lecture vibes, Juliet.”
“Do you need a birds and the bees talk, Molly?” she asks in her most serious mom tone.