Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
I hadn’t thought about my scars—not tonight.
Not while we were in the heat of the moment.
But now, the scars were a reminder of a past I had been trying so hard to escape.
“It was nothing really. Dylan and I were in an argument, and he was driving too fast. I think he was just trying to scare me, but he ended up losing control of the car and ran off the road. The seat belt nicked me, and I ended up needing stitches.”
Sutton didn’t say anything. He just kept tracing the length of the scar with his fingertips. But the weight of his silence was difficult to bear. “It was just an accident.”
“And what about this one?” His hand dropped to my hip, and he carefully ran his fingers along the small patch of rough skin. “What happened here?”
“Oh, that...” The memory of the boiling grease hitting my skin made me shudder. “It was stupid. I was cooking dinner, and Dylan was telling me about something that had gone on at the station. An argument he’d had with his partner or something. I questioned him about something he’d done. It made him mad, and he turned around too quick and accidentally bumped into me. The hot grease splashed up and landed on my side.”
“So, another accident?”
“Yeah, I don’t think he meant to do it.”
“Um-hmm.”
He stilled, and I could see his jaw tighten in the dim light of the room. I hated talking about it, and I hated even more that he was seeing these reminders of all the hurt. But I couldn’t hide from it anymore.
Not with him.
He didn’t say anything more. He simply pulled me closer and pressed a soft kiss to my temple. His grip around me tightened like he was silently telling me that he’d never let anyone hurt me again.
And in that moment, lying there with him, I believed it.
Ghost
After an unbelievable night together, I woke up with Cricket lying next to me, her head on my shoulder and her leg draped across mine. As I looked down at her angelic face, I was hit with the realization that I’d slept through the entire night.
The nightmares hadn’t come.
Not a single one, and I knew why.
Cricket.
It was all her. Just having her close kept them at bay. I wasn’t exactly surprised. The woman had a way of bringing out the best in me. I lowered my mouth to her forehead, gently kissing her, but she didn’t budge. The night had taken its toll on her. Hell, it had taken its toll on me as well.
I was tempted to go back to sleep, but feeling her body so close to mine had my cock stirring to life. I was considering going for another round when I heard a knock at the front door. I had zero desire to get out of bed and considered ignoring them. But whoever it was just kept knocking.
I didn’t want them to wake Cricket, so I pulled myself out of bed and threw on a pair of boxers. I slipped on a T-shirt and drug myself into the kitchen. When I finally opened the door, I found Dagger standing on my front step with a goofy grin on his face. “Good morning, sunshine.”
“Morning.”
“Looks like you had a good night.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Toby and Garrison were standing there next to him and were talking ninety-to-nothing, completely oblivious that I was even standing there. “What about you guys?”
“They’re both still breathing, so I’d say it went alright.” Dagger chuckled. “Your boy Toby’s got an arm on him. He just about wore me out on skee-ball.”
“Appreciate you taking him. I owe you one.”
“Nah, I was glad to do it.” He ran his hand over Garrison’s head. “The boys enjoyed it, and that’s all that matters.”
Toby came over to me with big puppy dog eyes. It was clear he had something on his mind, so I gave him a nudge. “You good?”
“I was just wondering if... Garrison could hang out here with us for a while. We’ll be quiet, and we’ll clean up our mess. I’ll even...”
“I’m good with it.” I glanced over at Dagger. “As long as it’s good with you.”
“Ah, hell. I don’t care.” Dagger turned to Garrison as he said, "Y’all behave, no tearing up the place, and don’t get into any trouble.”
“Yes, sir.”
With that, the boys darted for the door. Before they made it inside, I called out, “Keep it quiet. Your mom is still asleep.”
The door slammed behind them, and Dagger snickered. "You’re in for it, man. Those two are like bulls in a China cabinet.”
"I’ll manage," I said with a grin, running a hand through my hair. "I’ll bring him by the clubhouse in a couple of hours.”
"Sounds good," Dagger said with a wink before heading out. “Good luck.”
I closed the door and made my way back inside. I figured Cricket could use a little more time to rest, so I left her sleeping and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for her and the boys. My pancakes had always been a favorite with the brothers, so I grabbed the flour and eggs and got to work. I made up the batter, and while the first couple were cooking, I threw some bacon on a sheet pan and slipped it in the oven.