Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
“I want the unicorn sprinkles.” She bounced in the seat. “Daddy wants them too.”
He lifted his brows and looked at his mother whose grin grew.
“Sounds good to me,” he said, shrugging.
“She’s got a good hold on you,” his mother said, opening the freezer door.
“You got a good hold on me.” Dev nodded and grinned at Mae, gently knocking her with his elbow. She beamed up at him.
“You got a good hold on me too, Daddy.” She mimicked his move, trying to bump him with her elbow. He had to catch her as she almost fell off her stool trying to tap him.
He was such a goner with her.
Chapter 21
The loud rap on the front door had both Joe and Cash jerking their heads in that direction. Joe mouthed the word, “Fuck,” and grabbed his laptop and glass of water, darting as silently as possible to his bedroom. Cash closed the lid to his government-issued laptop and, as quickly as Joe, went the other direction to his bedroom. After stuffing it between the mattress and box springs, he looked around the apartment, using his long shirt sleeve to wipe the condensation ring from Joe’s glass off the table.
He placed both palms on the front door, glancing through the peephole to see Dev lifting his hand to knock again. Cash centered himself, drawing in a deep breath as he opened the door.
“Hey,” Cash said.
Dev said nothing as he walked inside. He glanced down the front of Cash’s dress shirt and slacks to the Italian loafers on his feet.
“You clean up nice,” he said with a single nod of approval. “I haven’t seen you like this. Is this what you wear to work?” Dev shook his head, not waiting on a reply. “No, it’s Sunday night. You didn’t go to church, did you?”
Dev could be disarming without even trying. The biker walked up to him. Stood about six inches from his chest, his handsome face closer, to have this conversation. Whatever was in the brown paper bag in Dev’s hand was seemingly forgotten.
“If you go to church lookin’ like this, I might go with you. You’re awfully pretty to be so masculine.”
Cash grinned at the compliment. Couldn’t help it. “Still pretty?”
“My pretty boy.” The words were said with a cocky twist. Not the endearment whispered into his ear during their sex.
“What’s that?” Cash asked, nodding to the paper bag, the door still wide open.
In all the nights they’d spent together, they’d never stayed at his place. He got how that might look to Dev but there was no way they were hanging out here for any amount of time. They were too sexually energized. Every time they got together, sex happened in some impatiently rough kind of way. The anxiety-charged Joe would lose his shit if he had to stay hidden during all their grunts and moans.
“Homemade fried chicken dinner made by my mother and the best sugar cookies you’ll ever eat, decorated by my girls,” he said and pivoted around toward Cash’s kitchen, looking around the apartment. “I promise, one bite of this chicken and you’ll change your vegan ways. You do live super clean. There’s literally nothin’ out of place.”
“I’ve told you normal people pick up after themselves,” Cash said, keeping his foot at the base of the door to keep it open. He’d have thought that might be an obvious clue that they needed to leave, but Dev didn’t seem to catch on. What he did do was give a shocked expression over his shoulder before he began opening and closing Cash’s cabinets. “I already ate.”
Dev took a plate out, shut the cabinet door and spun around, back to the bag. He glanced at Cash again, this time looking at Cash then the door.
“Why’re you tryin’ to get me to leave?” he asked and started digging the contents out of the bag.
“Because I only have one set of sheets here and we never even make it this long without landing on them,” Cash explained. He cringed, knowing everyone on his detail was secretly listening.
“All right then. I got a question for you,” Dev said, leaving the food out on the counter, coming back into the living room. He went to stand about five feet away from Cash on the opposite side of the living room. Something was different about Dev tonight. Cash looked a little closer but couldn’t quite put his finger on what. He wore the same style jeans, vintage with lots of wear and tear. A retro T-shirt, this one an Ozzy screen print, with all the straps and bangles lining his wrists and around his neck.
He was handsome in a rough but vibrant kind of way. Well, gorgeous in any kind of way actually.
Ahh. Dev’s hair had been trimmed. It had an artsy vibe. Shorter on the sides and back, longer on top. He was also shaved. The need to get Dev out of his apartment explained why Cash had missed the new look.