Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Mary gestured to the guys and girls around her, who all tipped their chins at me as she rattled off their names.
“This is my boss, Nero,” she finished, and sure as shit, it was the guy who’d been blatantly hanging on her all night.
His jaw was hard as he extended a hand for mine. “You must be the roommate.”
“One of them,” I said, reminding him I wasn’t the only guy looking out for her in this bar. I probably should have felt intimidated by how he towered over me, but I didn’t, and I squeezed his hand just as hard as he squeezed mine. “No one to tattoo tonight?”
“Had some appointments cancel, so some us decided to take the night off,” he said, then smiled down at Mary before throwing his arm around her. “Just serendipitous that we ended up at the same bar as Mary J here.”
I thought I saw Mary’s smile slip into something a little more uncomfortable, thought she looked a little stiff where he held her against him. That bomb inside me started ticking again.
“Nero was just telling me that he thinks I’m ready to start bringing in my own clients.”
My anger subsided a bit at her words, and I smiled genuinely at her. “No shit?”
“She’s been ready,” Nero said, beaming. “Every skin she’s had walked away happy. But now, she’ll have her own spot.”
I didn’t take my eyes off her. “That’s… amazing,” I said, wishing I had better words for the pride swelling in my chest for her. “Congratulations, Mary.”
She flushed. “Thank you.”
I felt that same hold on us that we’d both succumbed to in my room earlier, like we didn’t give a shit that anyone else was around us. We just stood there, staring, waiting for the other to say the first word.
I wasn’t going to lose my shot this time.
“Can we talk?” I asked.
But Mary didn’t get the chance to answer before Nero was all but putting her behind him like he was some sort of barrier. “Actually, we were just about to play a game of pool and Mary’s on my team.”
“I’m pretty sure Mary can answer for herself,” I said, still keeping my eyes on her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut in again before she could.
“And I’m pretty sure you don’t need to be an asshole about it.”
“I’m not being an asshole, I just asked if we could talk,” I said, finally looking at him.
He laughed. “Yeah, I bet you want to talk. Your face tells a different story.”
“Nero,” Mary said, tugging on his sleeve. She looked like she couldn’t believe he’d just said that. “It’s fine, I’ll just be a second.”
“No, it’s not fine,” Nero sneered. “Because this guy is pretending to be a gentleman offering you his bed when it’s clear as day he has another agenda.”
“That’s fucking rich, coming from you,” I shot back.
Mary’s eyes grew wide. “Leo,” she scolded.
Her co-workers were tuned in now, and I saw a few of them share questioning glances at my comment. The two girls who’d been watching Nero’s hand on Mary’s back earlier seemed particularly intrigued, and it made me wonder if Nero wasn’t just a creep to Mary.
“What?” I asked Mary, but my eyes were still boring into Nero’s. “Don’t want them to know that your boss crosses the line and puts you in uncomfortable situations when no one else is around?”
I barely got the words out before Nero was rushing me like he was ready to fight. We met in the middle, chest to chest, both of us seething as his friends crowded behind him and my teammates began to flank my sides. Clay and Zeke were the closest, and knowing they had my back only kicked my confidence up another notch.
“That’s enough,” Mary said, slipping between us and shoving me hard until I had no choice but to step back. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“Me?” I almost laughed, but when I looked at her and saw sincere anger, my mouth hung open in disbelief. “Really?”
“I think you’ve outstayed your welcome, kid,” Nero said from over her shoulder. He crooked a smile at the word kid, and when I looked back to Mary and found her staring at the floor, avoiding eye contact, and not saying a fucking word in my defense…
I realized he was right.
What the hell did I expect?
Mary hated me. She’d made that much clear from the moment we met last year when she lived with Julep. It didn’t matter what I did to prove to her I wasn’t who she thought I was. Even now, she tolerated me at best, shutting me down any time I tried to cross the line she’d drawn between us.
But that night, in my room…
She was drunk.
She was drunk and didn’t even remember a second of it.