Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 73230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Leslie’s eyes lit. “Really? What do you coach?”
Tasha smiled. “Volleyball and track. Jefferson’s a small school, so there’s not much else to coach; although, I’d kill to coach softball.”
“Leslie was the reigning home run champ in high school,” Corbyn said around a sip of his beer. “But then I got deployed to Germany, and she chose to follow me instead of going to college.”
Tasha blinked. “Really? How did you like Germany? What branch are you in?”
Corbyn made an ugly sound. “Marines. As if there’s any other one that’s worthwhile.”
I punched Corbyn in the arm. “What was that, boy?”
Corbyn grinned. “Old Casten here is a frog. He’d still be there, too, had he not been a wiener and bowed out because of an injury.”
Leslie sighed. “This is an old argument, boys. Let’s save it for some time when Tasha hasn’t already been traumatized enough.”
I wrapped my arm around Tasha’s shoulders and pulled her into me.
“So…you never did tell me what you saw,” I observed.
Tasha’s face flamed, and she took a hasty sip of water.
“Just a little bit of Corbyn’s ass,” she lied. “It was the voice, though.”
Leslie nodded. “It’s uncanny, isn’t it? It’s like there’s two of them. I’ve always been a little bit overwhelmed. And they try to trick me… often. It’s annoying as hell.”
I grinned. “Well, I’ve never gone as far as you and Corbyn have today. That was a little much for our first date.”
“Would you like something to drink?” the server interrupted.
I looked up into the eyes of a woman who was most definitely giving me her best ‘come hither’ look, but I ignored it.
“Yeah, I want a vodka on the rocks, and a glass of water,” I ordered.
The woman smiled shyly. “Yes, Sir.”
I turned to see Tasha’s scowl as she watched the woman walk away. “Gross.”
“What?” I feigned ignorance.
“She passed you her number…with your arm around me,” she gestured, pointing to the white napkin on the table next to me.
I scowled and turned it over; sure enough, she had.
What a bitch.
Why did women think that was okay? If they’re going to be that blatantly obvious about it, what makes them think a man would want that? If you did it for one man, it’s not a stretch to imagine that you’d do it to another.
“I can’t believe you let your girlfriend deal with that shit,” Corbyn jeered. “You could’ve told that girl to fuck off, at least. That’s what Leslie told me I have to do when a woman comes on to me.”
Leslie sighed. “Maybe Casten’s girlfriend doesn’t want to deal with shit like that, so he kept his mouth shut because he knew she didn’t want it blown out of proportion like it tends to do when that happens.”
“I have to use the restroom,” Tasha stood up.
She didn’t wait for us to acknowledge her announcement, instead walked away as fast as her high heeled feet could take her.
I turned my glare on my brother.
“Watch your fuckin’ mouth for once. And order us both the number twenty-three,” I snapped, pointing at him. “And make sure you don’t touch the California Roll I ordered.”
Corbyn saluted me, and I wanted to punch him in the face.
Instead, I followed Tasha, smelling her perfume the entire way.
This was not how I’d expected this night to go.
Weddings usually played out a lot differently than this one had.
Then again Tasha was anything but predictable.
I stepped to the side and waited a few minutes for Tasha to come out, but when she didn’t, I went in to find her.
She was standing at the sink.
“What is with you Red boys and bathrooms?” she asked when she saw me push through the door.
“It’s easy,” I said as explanation, walking forward to stand behind her.
“What’s easy?” she countered.
My hips met her ass, and her eyes flared wide at the feel of my erection digging into her back.
“You’re mine,” I told her bluntly. “Let’s cut the bullshit. Okay?”
She blinked. “What bullshit?”
I stared into her eyes, letting her see everything that was in mine for the first time, and she shivered.
“You’re. Mine.”
“You’re…what?” Tasha replied breathlessly, sounding a little worried.
“You’re in there,” I said.
“In where?” She cocked her head.
I narrowed my eyes.
“I didn’t want a woman. I didn’t want anything that even resembles a relationship with a woman. Having a woman makes a guy soft. Makes him do things he would never do normally,” I said. “I had my life just how I thought I wanted it. I’m making good money. I’ve got a club that I love. I live in my dream house. Everything I have is because I worked my ass off for it…and had I wanted a woman, I would’ve worked my ass off to find her, but instead you fuckin’ found me.”
She blinked in confusion.
“I found you?” she asked.
I nodded firmly.
“You did. You wormed your way into my life. Made me give a shit about you,” I said. “All I wanted was to be free, to live my life without commitment. But now all I can think about is you. How you’re feeling. What you’re fucking doing. You’ve worked your way into every single one of the cracks in my armor, and I don’t think I’ll ever get you the fuck out or that I even want to,” I informed her.