Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 628(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 628(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
“You should start thinking about ideas.” Buck reached out to trail a finger below her collar bone. “Several of the women have gotten hockey pucks, but my personal favorite is the antlers with the brothers’ name tattooed inside.”
There was no way in freaking hell she was getting antlers tattooed on any part of her body.
She was trying to come up with a polite way to tell him that when she suddenly felt herself lifted off the barstool.
“What the—”
“The only way she’s getting antlers or a fucking hockey puck is over my fucking dead body,” Doom snarled next to her ear as he carried her to the front door.
Finding herself being inexplicably carried out of the club like a sack of flour took a full minute for her to comprehend.
Struggling against his hold, she tried to pull herself away. “What are you doing? I’m not ready to leave.”
Doom set her down next to the passenger door of her car. “Give me your car keys.”
“Are you insane?” she screeched at him.
He bent down low enough his eyes were directly in front of hers. “Give me your car keys. I won’t ask again.”
Huffily, Arden turned in the direction of the club.
“We can go back inside then. You’re already on a roll today. Let’s add my vote to your tally.”
The anticipatory way Doom waited for her next move had her rushing to the driver’s door of the car.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to take a raincheck, as amazing as that sounds. I told Mama I could work tonight when you told me I didn’t need to.” She got inside her car and locked the door. Looking at him through her rearview mirror, she backed out and put the pedal to metal, speeding out of the parking lot. She didn’t slow down until the club was out of sight.
Releasing a nervous laugh that she had escaped so easily, Arden decided to make good on her lie and drove to the restaurant.
She got her hostess clothes out of her trunk and went inside to surprise Mama, who didn’t ask any questions, just rearranged the hostess on duty to another area of the restaurant.
The rest of the night passed by slowly, and she clocked out at nine, ready to go home and put her misgivings about what she had done behind her.
It’s spilt milk. Nothing you can do about it now, she kept telling herself over and over.
How was she was supposed to know Doom would become so angry when she went behind his back to collect the votes he thought she would never get? What skin was it off his nose, anyway? She was baffled as to why he had seemed so upset.
Saying hello to the couple sitting outside their apartment door, she asked if they wanted the leftovers from the restaurant. Delighted, Lizzy took the bag from her, promising to repay her the next time she made her carrot cake.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Arden told her, walking up the steps.
When she reached the landing, she came to a stop at seeing Doom standing outside her door.
“I need some sugar.”
Arden debated telling him she was out. Everyone had sugar.
She didn’t know what to do. Dammit, she was going to have to give him the sugar.
As she walked toward her door, she searched his face for any sign he was still angry. Seeing none, she opened the door.
“Give me a second, and I’ll get it for you.”
“Cool.”
“What are you making?”
Expecting him to stay by the door, she tried to appear unruffled when he walked inside and shut the door.
She opened the cabinet and reached for the bag of sugar.
“Nothing.” His voice sounded from behind her.
She stiffly turned around, setting the bag of sugar down on the counter.
Doom braced his hands on each side of the counter next to her, effectively trapping her inside his arms.
“The sugar I want isn’t in a bag.”
Involuntarily, her eyes were drawn to his lips. “Unfortunately, the only sugar you’re going to get from me comes in a bag.”
His hand went to the side of her neck to slide caressingly to her nape. “How did you earn Puck’s and Buck’s votes?”
The sensual way he was stroking her neck had her nervously backing up against the counter. She only was able to suck in a nervous breath before his body closed the small distance separating them.
“The normal way,” she said hoarsely.
When he lowered his head to rub his lips along her jawline, she reacted like a scalded cat by jumping up on the counter. She might have just made a fool of herself, but at least their hips weren’t still plastered together, she consoled herself.
Doom didn’t allow her to congratulate herself for long.
He pressed himself between the vee of her thighs, his hands at her hips to hold her in place.
“I seriously underestimated you if you think having sex with two men is normal.”