Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 149209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
He raises a brow. “I don’t know. We’ve only met once.”
“It’s cool. I’ll figure it out.” I take a swig of the ice-cold beer, then sidle up to Maxon. “What does your sister drink?”
“Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve got a good one from New Zealand chilling in the fridge for her.”
“Mind if I grab her a glass? She’s had a rough night. It was killer at work.”
Maxon nods as we head inside, toward the white, bright kitchen. “I told her she didn’t have to take the first job that came along when she got here. She’s so damn determined to earn some money so she can ‘get out of my hair,’ as she puts it and get her own place. I’ve told her there’s no rush, but she’s so damn stubborn and independent.”
“That sounds like Beth.”
“Beth, huh?” He frowns. “Look, I appreciate you giving her a ride home after her shifts, but man to man? She’s not in a good place right now. If you’re cozying up to her simply to bang her—”
“I’m not. We’re…friends.”
“I see the way you look at her.”
That’s not good because if Maxon can tell I’d like to fuck his sister, what else can he read from me? “I won’t deny she’s beautiful. But she’s already let me know that she’s not into dating right now and that I’m apparently too young for her.”
“Pfft.” Maxon rolls his eyes. “It’s not as if you’re sixteen, but like I said, she’s not in a great place mentally to be dating…or anything else.”
Personally, I think that’s Bethany’s decision and I wonder if she’d appreciate Maxon butting in. But I don’t rebut him since I’m not actually looking to hook up with her, just make her pay for whatever sins she might have committed against my father.
Her oldest brother shows me where the wine tumblers are and opens the fridge to extract a bottle of vino when Griff walks in. He looks over his shoulder and spots his petite wife talking to Keeley and rubbing her back helpfully.
Then he focuses all his attention on me again, brow raised. Cue the interrogation.
“You’re not trying to scam Bethany into bed, I hope.”
I choke on my beer.
“Dude.” Maxon rolls his eyes. “I already asked and I was way more subtle.”
“Fuck subtle. I want information. And what’s with the bruises around her wrists?” He sends me a pointed glance.
“That’s not me. There’s a persistent, handsy patron who keeps coming back to the bar. I’ve tried to intervene when I can, but it was so busy tonight that I missed his latest stunt.”
“Why hasn’t anyone thrown this guy out?”
“I’m going to talk to Andy about it on Tuesday because it’s not right. But I gotta ask, why does Beth seem reluctant to stand up for herself?”
Maxon and Griff exchange a glance before the older takes over with what I assume is the more carefully crafted reply while he pours her a glass of wine. “She’s in the middle of a rough patch now. She needs to work through a few things.”
As answers go, it doesn’t tell me much, but we’re talking. It’s a start. “Beth mentioned that she and her dad recently had a falling-out.”
They look stunned by that admission.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Griff snorts.
Maxon hands me Bethany’s glass, then elbows his brother. “Yeah. Our old man is a massive, bleeding asshole. It was just a matter of time before she figured that out the hard way, too. We should get back to the others.”
Clearly, they aren’t going to divulge more, but it’s interesting that these two have an even less glowing opinion of their father than Bethany. Of course, I never assumed Barclay Reed was a great guy. He’s been arrested, and the victims’ stories circulating online of the clients who had trusted him for decades are heartbreaking. But he’s going to get what he deserves, so I’m focused on Bethany.
“Whatever you do, though, go easy on her,” Maxon murmurs. “She may not seem like it, but Bethany is fragile right now.”
Griff grabs my arm. “And if we find out you’ve hurt her, we’ll be all too happy to rip your balls off. Are we clear?”
CHAPTER FOUR
With that warning pinging around my brain, I head outside toward the people spilled across the lanai. Evan and Sebastian seem to be deep in an office-related conversation. Noah opens another bottle of beer, takes a swig, then wraps his arm around Harlow, who is talking animatedly with Keeley, Britta, and Nia. Bethany hovers in the periphery, hands clasped in front of her. The women do their best to draw her into the conversation. She smiles, clearly listening, but says nothing. I think that’s less because babies aren’t her thing and more because she feels out of place.
“Hey.” I approach with a cold drink in each hand before I extend the glass of wine her way. “Have a drink. You’ve earned it.”