Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 72669 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72669 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“You don’t like beer,” he noted, crossing his thick arms over his chest.
Carlos and my dad had been friends since I could remember.
Carlos had a son my sister’s age, and they’d always joked that Carlos’ Junior and Daniela would get married and have lots of babies.
However, Daniela died. Then Carlos Jr. had died in Afghanistan two years after Daniela, due to a horrible mission gone wrong.
Now they only had me, and they let it be known that they were both my father, even though Carlos was by choice.
“I like beer tonight,” I countered, walking to the back to grab a couple of silver bullets.
That was all it would take.
“That Booth’s truck you’re driving?” Carlos walked to the window and looked out.
“Yeah,” I muttered, setting my drinks down on the counter and pulling out my wallet from my back pocket.
It was one of those cute little zipper pouches that was usually made to carry change. Except I used it as a credit card holder since it fit into my pocket really well.
“I didn’t know it ran,” he looked at me. “It looks pretty good.”
It did.
“Why are you drinking?” Carlos pushed. “And your money’s no good here, sweetheart.”
I sighed and dropped my head, chin to my chest.
“You know, you were like this when you were younger, too,” he murmured softly.
I inhaled a huge gulp of air and lifted my head.
“Yeah?” I asked, my eyes filling with tears.
I hastily wiped them away when a firetruck pulled into the parking lot.
“Yep,” Carlos said. “All the time. Y’all fight, and the whole damn world has to listen to you do it. Then you make up, and everyone realizes just why y’all are together in the first place.”
I laughed humorlessly.
“Yeah,” I said softly, slapping down a dollar onto the counter.
“That doesn’t even begin to cover the cost of those beers,” Carlos said to my retreating back.
I shrugged and said, “I’ll bring back what I have left.”
He snorted but didn’t say anything more as I walked out to the truck, mindful of the eyes I could feel on me from the firetruck.
My eyes, however, stayed on Booth who was leaning against the door of the truck.
I could barely see his face, but I could definitely see his eyebrows rise when they got a look at the two 32 ounce beers that were in both of my hands.
“Bad night?” He probed.
I lifted my lip at him in a silent snarl.
“Move,” I ordered.
He didn’t, of course.
“Now,” I said as firmly as I could.
He laughed.
I sighed and went to turn around to head back inside the door, but he caught me before I could, looping his arm around my waist.
“What’s your fucking problem,” he questioned, pulling me until I faced him once again.
My mouth dropped open.
“My problem?” I shrieked. “You really need to ask me that?”
His mouth thinned as he clenched his teeth.
“Yes, or I wouldn’t have asked,” he shot back through gritted teeth.
“Fine,” I said, pulling away from him and walking away, putting some distance in between us. “You really want to know?”
He nodded once.
I smiled, and it wasn’t a pretty smile either.
“What would you have done if you’d come to my house, unexpectedly, and walked into my house to find a man who used to be my ex-husband naked in my bed?” I asked him.
“I would’ve understood that you didn’t love him, and that she was getting married tomorrow,” he growled, raising his voice.
I laughed bitterly.
“Bullshit,” I snarled. “Bull-fucking-shit.”
He growled at me in frustration.
“She doesn’t mean anything to me, Masen. You’ve been it for me for the last ten fucking years. No one but you have had me since we met,” Booth growled.
I crossed my arms over my chest.
“So you’re telling me that you haven’t fucked one single person since we broke up?” I asked incredulously.
I mean, he’d said it when we were first together, but a man like Booth was viral. There was no way he could remain celibate for that long of a time.
He nodded. “Yes. There’s only been you, and you fucking know it.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You’re lying,” I hissed.
“No,” he said, crowding close to me now. “Because once you’ve had that little taste of heaven, nothing ever compares. You’re like a shot of Jack to my system. You ravage me. You’re like a fucking savage. Everyone else is like a watered down beer in comparison to you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“You’re comparing me to alcohol?” I asked, shaking my beer at him in frustration.
He sighed.
“And what the fuck else am I going to compare you to?” He lifted his brows. “It wasn’t meant to offend you. It was meant to prove a fucking point. When someone wants the best, and has had the best, nothing else will ever compare. And you’re the best. Emily’s nothing compared to you. So yeah, if you want to compare yourself to her, you’ll win. Every goddamn time.”