Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“What’s all a lie?”
“The happy. It’s all a lie, Grady.”
Okay, he wasn’t sure what the hell she was talking about.
A knock on the door made her scream and she jumped into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her in shock.
“Effie, be careful with your back.”
“I can’t feel it.”
“At all?” he asked.
“No, I had to take something ‘cause it was sore from all the walking.”
Okay.
“The pills in your handbag?”
“Uh-huh. Nots my magic beans, though. I wish my magic beans helped with my sore back.”
“Um, what are your magic beans?” he asked.
“Jelly beans, silly!” She started giggling.
Strange. Those pills hadn’t had this effect on her last time. It was like she was drunk or high.
“Come in,” he called out.
Nate poked his head in, his eyebrows rising as he took in Effie on his lap. But Grady didn’t care. He could think whatever he liked.
Steele and Grady intended to claim Effie. Perhaps it was time they actually did that instead of tiptoeing around things the way they had for the last week and a half.
If Nate knew she was his and Steele’s, he’d never have allowed her to work as a server out in the bar.
No fucking way.
And he would have called him straight away to let him know something was going on with her.
Yeah, he wanted everyone to know she was theirs.
“What is it?” he asked more sharply than he intended to.
“I brought Effie’s handbag in.”
“Thanks.” He held out his hand.
Effie leaned back against him and looked up at Nate. “Hi, Nate.”
“Hey, honey. You feeling any better?”
“I feels great. I’m not in any pain and that is always amazing.”
“No pain?” Nate asked, looking worried.
“She has an old back injury. Sometimes it flares up.”
“Was it hurting earlier, Effie?” Nate asked. “You looked like you were in pain.”
“Yeah. But it would’ve been okay if that guy hadn’t grabbed me.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Who the fuck grabbed you?”
Grady felt relief as Steele entered the room. Maybe he could work out what was going on with her. Surely her pain killers wouldn’t be enough to make her go like this? But that seemed to have been the only thing she ingested.
Effie reached up her arms. “Horsie! Giddy-up!”
24
That wasn’t exactly the greeting he’d expected.
Steele gaped down at Effie. Although that wasn’t his biggest surprise.
Nope, that was the fact that Effie was sitting in Grady’s lap.
Grady’s. Lap.
The man who didn’t really give affection unless it was expected of him, and then it didn’t mean anything as he was only going through the motions.
The man who didn’t cuddle, didn’t hold hands, or didn’t even kiss a woman he was fucking or dominating.
The man who most certainly would never engage in PDA was just sitting there with Effie on his lap.
And he didn’t even look that awkward about it. In fact, his arms were tight around her.
Holding her.
Had Steele entered some sort of alternate universe and he didn’t know it?
He’d been prepared to give Effie all the affection in their relationship. He knew what Grady was like and he was used to him. But women often didn’t understand him. So he’d figured he’d have to overcompensate for the lack of physical affection from Grady.
Now, it seemed that he might not have that issue.
After all these years, it appeared they might have found a woman who could break down those walls. Steele was inside the walls. But he didn’t want to hold Grady’s hand.
But you are attracted to him.
Yeah. There were times they’d crossed swords when they’d been with the same woman. When he’d found himself admiring the other man’s cut body. And yeah, he liked it. But he had no idea if Grady felt the same way, even though he thought sometimes it seemed that he might. Besides, there was also the fact that he’d never been attracted to another man before and was confused by it. As well as worried that any move he made might mean the end of their relationship.
And he couldn’t live without Grady.
Would Effie really get behind Grady’s walls? It seemed like she might already have.
He’d known she was at least part way there when Grady had suggested that they start a relationship with her. Grady had never been interested in a relationship with anyone before.
Which was why Steele had agreed to take it slow when he didn’t really want to. Nope, what he wanted was to take Effie home with him and ensure she was taken care of. Protected.
He studied Effie closely. Something wasn’t right.
“What’s wrong with her?” he demanded.
“Not sure,” Grady replied grimly. “I think it might be the painkillers she took. They might have made her a bit loopy.”
Steele frowned. “The ones in her handbag? She’s taken them before.”
“I know,” Grady replied. “Which is what is concerning.”
“I’s not loopy,” she said. “I don’ts take them much because they make me sleepy and a bit loopy.”