Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 68576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
She had deep, mahogany eyes, and she looked so familiar to me, yet I couldn’t place why.
And tits.
Wow, were her tits fantastic.
Continuing the vintage Faith Hill look, she had on high-waisted Wrangler jeans that showed off a helaciously curvy ass, and the cutest little sandals that wrapped around delicate toes painted a hot pink.
I took in every single inch of the package that was available to me, and sick and tired as I was, I was still able to produce an instant hard-on.
Shiiiit.
I was sick in the head.
Metaphorically and physically.
“Hello,” she smiled at me, showing off a line of perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth.
I walked up to the woman and the sudden urge to say ‘my leg hurts’ was overwhelming.
And since I gave myself the freedom to follow those random impulses when I was off shift, I said, “My leg hurts.”
She blinked.
Then tears started to form in her eyes, and I felt my heart pound hard in my chest.
Women crying was the bane of my existence.
I couldn’t deal.
Everyone knew it, too.
“Ooh,” she breathed.
“Hey, Atlas!” the bakery owner called out as she swung into the bakery, a fresh set of chocolate scones on the large sheet pan held out in front of her. “Are you here for yourself, or your family?”
“Sister,” I replied, very aware that one sound out of my mouth would give away just how sick I was.
“You sound awful,” she eyed me. “Sick as a dog and still running errands for your family?”
I flashed her a smile. “Family is everything.”
The sound of the woman behind the counter making a noise underneath her breath had me glancing back toward her. “Hi.”
She smiled, eyes still watery, and said, “I’m Pepper.”
“Atlas Carter.” I introduced myself but didn’t offer my hand.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
I called out Ande’s regular order, then added an extra cookie on for good measure.
That one was mine.
Maybe if I was feeling better later, that was.
“Add in a couple of extra cups of sprinkles,” Maven instructed. “The kiddos love spelling their name out.”
I flashed her a grin.
She was right.
The kids did love doing that.
“Okie dokie, pokie,” Pepper butchered the saying.
My lips quirked.
I liked her already.
She bagged everything up, then handed it over the counter to me.
I got a great view down the gap in her shirt, and my throat went dry.
Or drier than it already was.
Seriously fantastic tits.
“Gotcha some help, Maven?” I asked as I kept my gaze on Pepper.
Pepper smirked at me.
“Sure do,” Maven said. “She’s fantastic. She works at the hotel off the interstate—the one you have to be a member of to get into—and then comes over here.”
“Two jobs?” I asked Pepper.
She shrugged. “Gotta make ends meet.”
I felt that.
“Sucks,” I agreed. “But you gotta do what you gotta do. Be careful over there, though. Lots of cheaters out and about. Shit gets kind of ugly there once a week.”
Pepper’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, I know.”
Chuckling, I waved goodbye and headed out.
The entire way to my sister’s house, my mind stayed on the woman. Pepper.
I even considered asking her out on a date.
Which was honestly quite impressive for me seeing as I’d sworn off women for life.
I wasn’t going to be like Quincy and Quaid.
I wasn’t going to be like my parents.
I was just different.
Too different.
Women tended to hate me after a while because I was ‘too much.’
So after the last one had gone off the deep end, I’d decided that I would be the cool uncle.
The one who had all the money, the cool house, and the fantastic cars.
Kids wouldn’t happen for me.
A wife certainly wasn’t on the radar.
But a one-night stand… That I could definitely do.
The only question was, would bakery girl be willing?
Wish I’d paid better attention during my first rodeo.
—Pepper’s secret thoughts
PEPPER
I waved at the neighbor who nearly took me out with her three bags of trash.
“Sorry, sorry,” I said as I moved as far to the side of the hallway as I could to keep from getting clobbered.
The woman gave me an apologetic look and said, “Sorry.”
I waved her off, then walked up to the door I’d been aiming for and stared at it with trepidation.
“Just do it,” I muttered to myself.
Before I could knock, though, she yanked the door open, already glaring.
“What are you doing here?” Sage snarled.
I narrowed my eyes at the ungrateful bitch.
“I’m here to tell you some important news since you can’t seem to answer your phone.” I tried not to snarl back.
Sage crossed her scrawny arms over her chest. “You expect me to answer your phone calls when y’all don’t meet me at the hospital after I was kidnapped by a serial killer?”
I nearly rolled my eyes at her. “But were you, Sage?”
I watched the familiar eye twitch, which was her ‘I’m lying through my teeth’ tell.
No, we both damn well knew that she wasn’t hurt by any kidnapper, even if she made the world believe that.