Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 115933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Moving the fingers on the neck to the next position, we strummed again. “D-ch-chord.”
Her shoulders danced in excitement and my fuckin’ heart swelled.
“Teach me a song.”
“Wh-which one?”
Her smile faded. “I… I do not know any songs to suggest.” Her lips suddenly hooked up again in an addictive grin. “The one you were playing in the bar when I first arrived. I want to learn that one.”
I tried to think back and, a second later, I smirked. “Y-you l-like Tom Waits?”
Her excited expression told me she did.
Pressing a kiss to her shoulder, I said, “Bitch a-after my own h-heart.”
“You play it first. Show me how.” I set my fingers on the right chords about to begin, when she cut in. “And make sure to sing. I want to hear your voice.”
Giving her a nod, I fixed my eyes on hers and strummed the intro, singing the opening line close to her ear. “And I hope that I don’t fall in love with you, ’cause falling in love just makes me blue…”
Replacing her hands for mine, I helped her get the right chords. Just as she was about to strum, I said, “M-make sure to s-sing. I want to h-hear your v-voice.”
Her black eyebrows shot north. “I cannot sing!”
I couldn’t help it, but I had to laugh. “Sure you can.”
“But—”
I flashed her my stern stare.
Shaking her head, she smiled. “Okay!”
“P-play.”
Keeping my hands on top of Mae’s, her small hands played over the strings, the intro stilted and choppy, but I helped her fumble her way through and just as she built up to the lyrics, her nervous eyes flitted to mine.
“Well, I hope that I don’t fall in love with you, ’cause falling in love just makes me blue…”
Holy shit. She was beautiful, all of her, outside and in, including her soft, breathy voice. My breath caught in response and my hands fell away from the top of hers, causing Mae to stop and grimace my way.
“Was it that bad?” she asked.
Swallowing hard, I shook my head. “B-babe. That was p-perfect.” Grasping the neck of the guitar, I yanked it off Mae’s lap. Gripping her chin between my fingers, I drew her face to mine.
“Styx?” she whispered as her eyes glazed and they flickered to my lips. My hands fisted through her hair and I began pulling her in. I needed those damn lips back on mine.
“Mae?”
I froze as someone called her name beside me. Mae’s eyes widened in embarrassment. Drawing back from my grip, she looked up to find Rider a couple yards away. He held his shoulder as if in pain and stared down at the two us. As Mae shuffled back a few inches, I jumped to my feet and charged in Rider’s direction.
“Styx, no!” Mae shouted from behind me as I met Rider chest to chest, teeth bared, and getting more pissed by the second. He didn’t even look my way once, too focused on Mae, showing no fuckin’ fear of what was about to happen.
Look at me! I signed, my hands moving right in front of his face.
“Are you ready to go in now, Mae? I’m tired. I wanna hit the hay.” Rider spoke forcefully, like I didn’t even fuckin’ exist. Before I knew what happened, I’d shoved my palms against his chest, launching Rider back about five yards.
“Fuck!” he hissed, stumbling back, wincing as he held his injured shoulder.
Fucker is seeing me now!
“I said stop!” Mae swerved in front of me, holding me back with her hands on my pulsing chest. I met her pleading eyes. “Please… he is hurt. Do not harm him.” Removing her hands from my chest, she hurried over to Rider, helping him get upright. Her hands fussed all over his body as she whispered something to him. His tight eyes softened as his good hand ran down her arm.
I walked to where they were, seriously considering ripping that arm from its socket. I barely noticed the brothers lifting their drunk asses off the floor and staggering to their feet, watching the show.
“What’s going on, Mae?” Rider asked in a quiet voice, looking at Mae like she should be on his arm, in his bed.
The brother fuckin’ wishes.
“I…” She flashed a worried look back at me. “I—”
She’s with me. She belongs to me, I signed, the brother this time reading every spelled-out word.
Something lit in Rider’s expression, an emotion so severe I didn’t think he was capable of feeling.
“He right, Mae?”
Mae frowned, unaware of what’d been said. I tried to speak in front of Rider, but my jaw locked and I couldn’t push it out. At that moment, I fuckin’ hated my retarded speech. I tried to get the words out, my eyes blinking hard, but only a quiet wheezing grunt was heard from my mouth.
“He said you’re his. Said you’re his property now. That right?” Rider said rigidly. Mae glanced over her shoulder to me and her upper lip curled into a smile.
“Is it true?” He pushed but this time in a harsher tone.
You fuckin’ questioning me, brother? I signed real fast. Rider’s lips tightened in response.
Mae reached down and took Rider’s hand, cutting off his glare. “We have been talking. Working things out.”
“Is that right?” Rider countered.
“Rider. Look at me.”
I watched as his chest heaved and his eyes narrowed on me. Never had a problem with Rider before but, over Mae, it was fuckin’ game on. As I stepped forward, pressing against Mae’s back, only a couple of feet from Rider, she slammed a palm on each of our chests.
“Rider! Look at me!”
With an exaggerated sigh, Rider gave her his full attention.
“You are my best friend. Please, do not be like this. Be happy for me.”
He sighed and his fuckin’ face fell. “Is he what you want?”
“He has always been what I want.” Mae’s hand weakened on my chest. “It is him and only him. It is Styx. It will always be Styx.” She spun around to take Rider by both arms. “But I need you too… You mean so much to me.”