Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
I hadn’t read Billie wrong. She knew it, and I knew it.
I’d wait for Monroe to get back to me, and then I’d figure out my next step.
Because I wasn’t scaling back.
I had lied through my teeth.
12
BILLIE
He called.
He left a message.
I didn’t listen to it.
Nope.
Though I totally wanted to.
I really, really wanted to, but I stuck to my guns, as Lo liked to say.
It was Friday night, and Lo, Roger, and I were on our way to Jack’s BBQ. Travis was meeting us there. Lo was dressed to the nines in a little black dress and gorgeous thigh-high boots. Her hair was high on her head in a ponytail with long tendrils curled down to tease her back. She had hoop earrings too.
I couldn’t compare, which I knew, so I didn’t even try. I wore a black tank top and jean shorts, the kind that stopped just over my thigh, so they weren’t mini shorts. They were respectful. I’d kept my hair down, though I always got hot so I’d have it up in a braid or a clip by the end of the night. And I wore little black boots. They were cute, and they fit in. They didn’t stand out like Lo’s thigh-high ones. Hers were marvelous.
I’d kept my jewelry to a minimum, a chain necklace resting down between my girls. I thought it looked classy.
Roger and Travis wore plaid button-down shirts and Wranglers. Both filled them out nicely, but I was going to focus on Travis since he wasn’t my kind-of brother-in-law. Travis was at the bar, a woman next to him with her hand on his arm. His head turned toward the bartender as he leaned forward to talk to him. As the bartender nodded, leaving, Travis reached up and pointedly removed the woman’s hand from his arm. His head swung back, his eyes no-nonsense as they slid past her and came to me. They stayed on me, widening a little, until he said something to the bartender and headed our way.
The woman was left behind, and she knew it.
Lo snorted, watching.
“Oh, man. She got denied hardcore,” Roger said.
Travis paused before stepping in next to me, and his hand stretched up to touch the small of my back. I gave him a nod, and he closed the distance. He drew me to his side and grazed my cheek with his lips before murmuring in my ear, “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a smile, surprised to feel a little breathless.
A tingle went through me, standing so close to him. He still hadn’t greeted Lo and Roger.
His mouth curved up in a tender smile before he stepped back. “Roger. Lo, you look amazing as well.” He left my side, giving her cheek a kiss.
Roger turned in, angling his head. “Me too, buddy.”
Everyone laughed.
Travis flashed a smile, returning to my side, his hand going to my back again. But he didn’t pull me close. He kept some distance between our bodies, enough to breathe, but his hand stayed. It was a move to claim me, but in a respectful way. He was letting me know he was interested, which I had to admit, had my stomach starting to flutter.
The guys chatted as Lo swept the room. She tended to do that everywhere we went, and she always knew four or five people. People respected her and liked her. No matter her age, she had the popular-girl thing going for her, but she’d been one of the cool athletes who was nice too. She got invited to all the parties, no matter who was throwing them, and if she didn’t go, they’d keep inviting her and would keep hoping she’d come. They’d never be mad at her.
Vicky and Howard had the same quality.
The hostess came over, showing us to our picnic table in the back outdoor area. On the way we passed a dance floor and a huge, old-school barbecue grill. There were tables inside, with booths lining the walls. You might think this was one of those places only regulars go, and others might avoid because of the rougher crowd. There were quite a few bikers congregating, but it was a Friday night. A lot of other customers were here too. College students. Twenty-somethings. People in their thirties and forties. Some who were retired. There was no one too good for Jack’s BBQ. As we wound to our table outside, three people stood up to greet Roger and Lo.
Travis and I kept on to the table. He waited until I sat before settling in next to me. “Being a cop, no one greets me like that.”
I smiled, his joke easing my tension. “Even other cops?”
He laughed. “Touché. We go to a cop bar and they’ll be all over us. Everyone would want to know you and try their hand at stealing you away.”