Total pages in book: 189
Estimated words: 181808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 909(@200wpm)___ 727(@250wpm)___ 606(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 909(@200wpm)___ 727(@250wpm)___ 606(@300wpm)
Evie’s soft laughter drew his gaze.
“What are you laughing at?”
“You.” Evie used a napkin to wipe the corner of her eyes. “You’re dying to spank her, aren’t you?” She nodded to his hands on the table, where his fingers were rubbing the underside of his palms. “That’s always a dead giveaway.”
Flattening his hands on the table, he glanced toward King, who he could see wasn’t appreciating the turn in conversation. “You can quit giving me the death glare. I’ve never spanked Evie. Give your wife some credit. Evie is smart enough not to bring it up if I had.”
King’s clenched jaw loosened when Moon saw her hand move under the table to rest on King’s thigh.
“I was only an observer when Moon handed his punishments out, never a recipient,” she told her husband. “My question is: what got you upset?”
“She was mocking me,” he ground out.
“Ah … and you didn’t like that.”
“I was concerned for her.”
Evie tilted her head curiously. “Why?”
“People are getting sued for everything; if she had gone to the doctor, it would be documented that I didn’t hurt her. She could say some crazy shit, like that I attacked her for no reason.”
“I see.” Evie shrugged. “You have nothing to worry about if she does.” Evie’s free hand came up to gesture toward the cameras on the wall. “What you did was caught on tape, from two different angles.”
“I still don’t appreciate her mocking me.”
Evie laughed. “That’s the part I don’t get. Usually, you just blow off someone showing you attitude.”
Moon sighed. “You’re right.” Raking a hand through his hair, he told himself to get a grip. “I’ve been uptight lately. Once I’m confronted with a problem, only solving it will take that weight off my mind.”
King’s lips curved into smile. “Maybe, or maybe not. From the way you’re acting, your problem involves a woman. Solving the problem could entail more than you bargained for. I didn’t bargain on falling for Evie.”
“Aw …” Evie leaned over to kiss King.
Moon rolled his eyes at the PDA.
“I need to head out.” He took out his wallet despite Evie shaking her head. “It’s my turn to pay. You haven’t let me pay the last three times I’ve come to eat.” Hell, the only times they had let him pay was when he managed to catch them gone from the restaurant.
“We don’t want your money.” King pushed the money back to him.
The way he said it made him glance at Evie.
“You told him.”
“King’s my husband; he deserves to know.”
“I would have never told him.”
“I still owe you.”
“You don’t owe me jack shit. I’ve told you—”
“It doesn’t matter what you told me; you won’t let me give the money back to you. At least let me pay you back with a meal every now and then. Okay?”
Moon pressed his lips together. “Give Valorie the money as a tip, then.”
Evie didn’t argue.
Telling them goodbye, he strode out of the restaurant. The downcast day didn’t lighten his dark mood.
On his bike, he drove to the convenience store around the block. He parked and went inside, returning in less than three minutes to sit on his bike and open a pack of cigarettes, something he had quit six months ago. He tore the package open, pulled out a cigarette, and flicked the new lighter he had purchased. Drawing the poison into his lungs, he let loose a vicious curse, startling a man walking into the store.
When he waved that he was good, the man continued inside.
“You’ve got to get your shit together,” he muttered to himself. Moon knew what was bugging the piss out of him was the only alternative to the women who lived in the club—those who had been there the night he got drunk were the wives. Had one of the brothers’ wives been the one he fucked? How was he going to find out if he had?
After smoking the cigarette to the nub, he stomped the butt out.
That’s going to be me if I did.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Moon stuck his head inside Nickel’s open bedroom door. “Hey, you got a minute?”
Nickel pulled his gaming headset off. “Yeah. What’s up?”
He moved further in and closed the door behind him. “I checked the logs; do you remember guarding the door the night I walked home?”
Nickel grimaced. “How could I forget? I damn near shot your ass—appearing out of the dark like that. Why?”
Moon nodded to the headset. “You have anyone listening?”
Nickel turned the computer game off. “No.” Rotating more fully toward him in his computer chair, he gave him a curious look.
“I’m in a predicament, and I need your help.”
Nickel frowned at him. “How?”
“Will you keep it just between us?”
“No.” He turned back to his game.
Moon swung his chair back to face him. “Brah, it doesn’t involve club business.”
Nickel folded his arms over his chest. “Go ahead, but I’m not making any promises.”