Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80302 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80302 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
I couldn’t stick around after because if he walked up to me with some half-assed apology, I might have blackened his eye, and violence is something I’ve vowed to stay away from, both giving and receiving. The man just has a way of getting under my skin, and he’s been there more than ever over the last month.
He’s also been noticeably absent.
In fact, I haven’t seen any of the Cerberus members walk through the door since the event.
The numbers have grown smaller and smaller over the years. The men and women of Cerberus tend to stay closer to home after they’ve settled down with a partner. On occasion, they might show up for a beer or two, but even that’s uncommon.
It makes me wonder if all of them have in fact found someone, and that has a way of making me irrationally pissed if it includes Boomer.
It makes me question everything I thought about him, which is just another irritation. I’ve always prided myself on being a great judge of character and figuring out who people are with very limited information.
Despite telling myself that tonight is the night I’ll stop looking when the door opens, my eyes still dart up when it’s pushed wide.
My heart kicks a little harder when Harley and Alyssa step through. It’s racing by the time Boomer catches it before it can close all the way and steps inside the bar.
He doesn’t look my way. He takes over for Harley, guiding Alyssa to the tables in the far back corner as her man makes his way to the bar.
“Couple of pitchers?” I ask, finding it difficult to pull my eyes from the leather cut on Boomer’s back as he makes his way to the tables.
“Just one, and a bottle of water, please,” he says, giving me a quick smile before scanning the rest of the bar.
Cerberus are good for business. Anyone who knows who they are won’t usually cause problems in here, and if people who are unaware of who they are cause trouble, they’re always quick to step up and solve those issues. The ladies flock to the bar when they get word that members are in attendance, even if those members are in committed relationships.
I take the cash from Harley after passing over the bottle of water and pitcher of beer, thanking him for the tip before turning to help another customer.
I have absolutely no claim to Boomer. Hell, I don’t even know the man’s real name. Maybe it’s this annoyance that’s been building where he’s concerned for the last month, but the sight of him smiling at a woman, who wasted no damn time approaching him, makes me want to turn into a petty asshole. I envision walking up to her and telling her that he’s not the interested type or even offering to join in a little threeway action just to annoy the shit out of him.
The threeway suggestion heats my blood in a way I wish it didn’t right now—both in arousal and jealousy. Boomer deserves neither from me.
I’d probably act on my irritation if it weren’t for the way he lifts the woman’s hand from his leg with a scowl on his face.
I spoke of stereotypes at Dr. Alverez’s event a month ago, and what I’m witnessing is no different.
If a man were touching a woman without permission, most would see it as assault or at minimum, incredibly fucking creepy and inappropriate. But there are women that come to Jake’s who think it’s perfectly okay for them to touch men in an unwanted way, as if men who aren’t interested in them can be enticed into hooking up or something just by an unwelcomed brush of their hand. It may work for some men, but it’s not working on Boomer. Honestly, I’ve never seen it work on a single Cerberus member in all the years I’ve worked here. Their moral compasses are more finely tuned than most. Their unflagging integrity makes them trustworthy and reliable. You know what you’re getting with these guys and women.
Boomer, on the other hand, is different. He was quick to assume I was following him, showing up at places he’s at. As if Target is some out-of-the-way location that requires special circumstances to utilize. I never expected him to actually take me up on my offer to grab lunch, but it felt like the right thing to offer since he was looking so sad after I mentioned Aro. The man looked lost in his thoughts, so distracted it took him the longest time to realize I was touching his hand. He didn’t jerk away like he was disgusted but stepping away from me also irritated me. Out of pettiness, I bought condoms, hoping he'd see them and be jealous or something, rather than getting the damn shampoo I went there to get in the first place.