Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 130159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Seth started the SUV. “She doesn’t seem impulsive. Obviously, you know her a lot better…”
“She’s not,” Beck confirmed. “But once she makes up her mind to do something, she wants it done right now.”
Seth laughed as he backed out of the driveway and headed for the highway to Vegas. “Meaning she wants Buddy done right now.”
Heavenly tried to frown but was clearly repressing a laugh. “That’s a horrible way to put it.”
“But accurate.” He gestured between himself and Beck. “Trust me, we heard it.”
Beck grimaced. “Don’t remind me. I’m scarred for life.” At Heavenly’s confusion, he caressed her elbow. “Don’t ask. You’re better off not knowing.”
“No. Now you have to tell me,” she insisted.
Beck sighed. “That night you stopped in Vegas and Gloria coaxed you into drinking wine, Seth and I showed up to collect you, right? While you were sleeping off your drunk, he and I had to share the bedroom next to her and Buddy.”
“They spent the entire night getting busy…loudly,” Seth added.
Blue eyes wide with mirth, Heavenly giggled. “Really?”
“You have no idea. I mean, everyone deserves a good sex life, but this time our room will be as far from theirs as possible,” Beck vowed.
“Amen. That way, we can get even louder,” Seth drawled.
“I hope so.” Heavenly blushed. “I missed you both last night.”
It had been a rare occurrence that neither he nor Seth had been home.
“Sorry, little girl. That emergency surgery was a bitch. It took a lot longer than I expected. But I’m not on call this weekend, so the next mangled artery is Dr. Simmons’s problem.”
“Will the patient be okay?” she asked.
Heavenly always had a soft heart.
“Yeah. And I’m pretty sure that kid will think twice about skateboarding in an abandoned factory while he’s high again.”
“Let’s hope,” Seth remarked. “But I still think you had it easier. When I dropped River off at his place after last night’s stakeout, I ended up playing peacemaker again. I swear, those two are like petty old women.”
“Another argument?” Heavenly rolled her eyes. “Raine says River constantly complains about Dean. What started this one?”
“Dean ate River’s leftover pizza—on purpose. So at four a.m. when I dropped him off, that snack he’d been looking forward to was gone. Fireworks ensued.”
“Jesus, the idiot couldn’t make a fucking sandwich?” Beck asked.
“I’m not sure they do anything as practical as shop for groceries. They’re both too focused on one-upping each other.” Seth groaned. “You ought to see the place now. Let’s just say that Dean took over the decorating, and that isn’t a good thing.”
Heavenly gaped. “What did he do?”
“Hang Dogs Playing Poker everywhere?” Beck drawled.
“Worse.” Seth shook his head. “He’s slapped up pictures of Jasmine—as a little girl with pigtails and braces and missing front teeth. In a Girl Scout uniform and at dance recitals, way before training bras, and doing things like playing with Barbie. They’re on every wall, every surface. There’s even one of her as a toddler in the john. Dean told me that was in case River felt compelled to jack off to thoughts of his sister in the shower.”
Beck howled. “It’s horrible and underhanded. I like it.”
“Right?” Seth agreed. “But River got the last word in. He snapped a picture of Jasmine, um…post-coital, looking all soft and sated in his bed. He blew it up to poster size and hung it in his room, where it’s totally visible from the hallway. So every time Dean has to use the can…he has to walk past that image.”
“He didn’t!” Heavenly looked scandalized.
“Oh, he did,” Seth confirmed. “And he’s proud of it.”
Beck just shook his head. “So things are going really well at the swinging bachelor pad, huh?”
Seth shook his head. “Be glad you don’t work with either of them. Every fucking day I hear about some new, petty disagreement. I’m ready to duct-tape River’s mouth shut. I swear, there’s no enemy like a former friend. They know exactly how to push each other’s buttons.”
“Hammer and Liam proved that before they got smart and took Raine together,” Beck pointed out.
“You two weren’t exactly slouches in the prank department,” Heavenly scolded. “I still have nightmares about Madame Zelda and Clovis.”
“Hey, maybe that would have been a good show.” Beck flashed her a cheesy grin.
“Bite your tongue, mister,” she scolded.
“Well, we might have pranked, but just like Liam and Hammer, we worked it out by taking the girl together. Since Jasmine is Dean’s sister and River is too hung up on her to walk away, that’s not going to happen.”
“And they’re both too stubborn to move out. Men.” Heavenly rolled her eyes. “River has to stop following her like a stalker.”
“I’m trying to keep him busy with cases.” Seth shrugged. “But the stupid bastard is single-minded.”
Beck leaned in. “Like a dog with a juicy bone. Don’t you think it’s interesting that he keeps insisting he doesn’t have feelings for her, but he won’t back the hell off?”