Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“Wow,” a voice said, interrupting my concentration, making me jolt and look up to find most of my subjects had started to move around. And that a few other people had shown up.
Including the woman at my side with electric-blue hair.
“Any chance you do family portraits?” she asked, looking from the sketch to the people gathered around.
“Yes, definitely,” I said, giving her a smile. “For your family?” I asked.
“Yeah, though I think getting my husband to actually sit for it would be a nightmare,” she admitted.
“This is Harmon,” Levee said, rubbing a hand across my shoulders. “She’s our president, Huck’s, wife.”
“Well, luckily for Huck, I can do it off of a portrait if you have one you like.”
“Hey, why don’t I have a face?” Levee asked as he looked down at my sketch.
“Because I don’t need a subject to draw your face,” I admitted. Or any other part of his body, for that matter. I had a sudden urge to draw his naked backside. Those thick muscles of his shoulders, the slope downward toward his waist. The firm, high ass. The trunk-like thighs.
“Aw,” Harmon said, giving us a knowing smile. “Levee can hook me up with contact information?” Harmon asked, going back to loading up several plates with breakfast. For her kids, I assumed.
“He can,” I confirmed, giving her a smile.
“Then I will be in touch in a day or two,” she said, giving me a smile before heading out.
“The club should commission you to do a full group painting,” Levee said, leaning down to press a kiss to my neck.
“I’d do it for free,” I said, smiling as Kylo slipped Mackie one last treat before making his way out of the room as Coast pulled one of the club girls into his lap, then reached up to rub her temples as everything about her face said she had a hangover from hell.
“I would just need to meet everyone first,” I added.
“In due time,” Levee said, making my belly wobble. “Ready to go feed the tortoise?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” I beamed, excited at the prospect.
By the time we finished gathering flowers to place with the greens, then fed and watched the massive Sulcata tortoise eat, and then made our way back to the kitchen, the mess had been cleaned up, everyone was gone, and someone had pinned my sketch to the fridge. Right there along with little kid crayon sketches.
God, I never wanted to leave.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Levee
I suddenly had a deep-seated hatred for her impeccably-named, gorgeous goldfish. Because they were literally the only reason she had to go home.
I was considering looking into automatic goldfish feeding systems.
If one didn’t exist, I’d drop some good money into having someone invent one.
Just to have another day with Jade. Waking up with the scent of her all over my pillows, with her limbs tangled with mine, with her sweet, sleepy Good morning.
It was shocking how easily I wanted to slow down and hole up with her, avoiding the parties, the craziness that used to call to my soul.
It had a different calling now.
Christ, that sounded cheesy as hell.
But there was no denying it, either.
For fuck’s sake, I missed her when she went next door to meet Che, Sass, and their kids. Since Harmon clearly got talking about the portraits.
I wondered if hand massages were a thing, because I was pretty sure Jade was going to need them with all the work the club and their friends were going to be sending her way.
“Down bad, huh?” Eddie asked, smirking at me when he caught me staring off at the stairs Jade had just disappeared up to go change back into the clothes she’d shown up in.
I sucked in a deep breath, releasing it in a whoosh.
“Yeah,” I admitted.
What use was there in denying it? I’d been around long enough to see this exact shit happen with my club brothers. It was inevitable. Might as well lean into it. Seeley and Cato seemed happier than ever now that they’d settled down with Ama and Rynn.
Suddenly, I was imagining crazy shit. Like triple dates. Like barbecues in our backyards with all our kids gathered around. Playing, laughing, happy. With none of the trauma that came from our own childhoods.
It was early for those thoughts, sure. But I imagined Jade’s mind was heading in a similar direction. She was clearly enamored with the club, with the idea of being a part of it, with the desire to have her own bungalow and babies.
There was no way it was just me having future thoughts. Especially after long conversations cuddled in bed after sex and before shared meals downstairs.
I told her shit that I wasn’t even sure I’d told Cato or Seeley about my father, about my mother’s abandonment, about the abuse I suffered from my grandfather, that I still came back to care for him when there was no one else to do it.