Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Cali, reeling from her brother’s sudden death, is spiraling in her grief, spending all her time seeking out experiences to numb the pain and silence the fear of being left all alone in the world.
When Brooks tracks her down, their worlds collide.
She resents his intrusion. He is frustrated by what he sees as a self-destructive streak.
Sparks fly as they clash, each unwilling to bend to the other’s will.
But as they spend more time together, old feelings reemerge, and their tension transforms into a different kind of heat. Amidst their growing attraction, unexpected and unsettling truths begin to surface, leaving them to suspect that Clay’s death might not have been a tragic accident after all.
As they try to navigate their intense new feelings, they must also work to uncover the truth behind Clay’s demise. Before the dangers of what brought them together tears them apart…
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER ONE
Brooks
“Hey, Prez,” I called, waiting for Fallon to turn from where he was talking to Nave, one of the legacy kids, at the bar.
“What’s up?” Fallon asked, finishing his beer. It was almost eleven. I didn’t expect him to be around this late. Or for much longer for that matter.
“I need a couple of personal days off,” I said, gut twisting at having to make that request. I never took days off. Not in all the years I’d been a part of the club. Because, let’s face it, the prospects would go buck-fucking-wild without someone to keep an eye on them. Hell, they went buckwild even when I was around to try to rein them in.
“Personal days, ey?” Sully asked, glancing over at me from over his fanned hand of cards. A pile of chips sat in disarray in front of him, explaining the slumped shoulders of Callow and Dezi on the other sides of the table. “Didn’t know you had a personal life, man,” he teased. Lighthearted, easy-going.
Still, my gut twisted.
It wasn’t his fault.
He didn’t know.
None of them did.
I played my cards close to my vest.
And I didn’t plan on changing that anytime soon.
One, my past was no one’s business.
Two, it was easier to get respect out of the prospects when they didn’t know much about you.
Or, at least, that was what I told myself. Because it was easier than admitting that it was just too fucking hard to open up.
“Yeah, of course, man,” Fallon said, the line between his brows suggesting he was just as surprised as Sully was. “Everything okay?” he pressed.
Not remotely.
But that wasn’t his problem.
“It is what it is,” I said, shrugging.
“You got a set amount of time, or you just want to let me know when you’ll be back?” Fallon asked, picking up on something in my tone or posture.
No one in this club actually knew me.
But Fallon was as close as someone could get. As I would let anyone. Still, it wasn’t like we chatted about our hopes and dreams over cups of tea. I just spent more time talking to him than anyone else, so he knew when something was off about me where others might not pick up on anything.
“Definitely gonna need three days. Might need more than that.”
“Done,” Fallon said, nodding. “You need more, don’t sweat it. We have shit covered around here.”
“Thanks,” I said, nodding.
He nodded at Nave, then reached to put a hand on my shoulder as he led me out of the common room, leading us out into the balmy early summer night. “You need anything?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine,” I said.
“It’s an open-ended offer,” Fallon insisted. “Even if you just want someone to share a beer with.”
“Appreciate it,” I said, nodding.
“You heading out tonight?” he asked.
“First thing in the morning,” I said, not sure why I was pushing it off. It wasn’t like I was going to be able to sleep anyway.
Shit felt heavy enough.
Adding the weight of the night onto the situation just felt like it was going to make it worse.
“Okay. You got my number if you need anything. Don’t sweat shit around here.”
“Thanks,” I said, getting another nod from him before he moved off to his bike, still eager to get home to his woman and kids.
I watched him pull off, then stood there for a moment, staring off at the moonless sky for who knew how long. Until, suddenly, a car was pulling up to the curb out front, and a quartet of women spilled out. Short skirts, tight dresses, lots of pretty.
Club girls.
All smiles and giggles.
Eager to see what antics Sully was going to create.
All their happy contrasted with the hole that was punched in my chest, a vacuous thing, sucking in all the good, leaving nothing but the blackness and emptiness behind.