Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
When I walked over to find out how long the meat would be, faster than a cobra strike, Twitch caught me around the waist and pulled me back into his body. He held me tightly for entirely too long, and as I fought to get out of his hold, he put his face to my neck and bit me. This had me erupting into fits of giggles. He knew I was ticklish, the jerk. And all of my guests watched our interaction closely, as if we were a pair of fascinating creatures on a Sir David Attenborough documentary.
It was disconcerting, but I knew why they felt it necessary.
Mistakes had been made in the past. Terrible mistakes. Ones not worth repeating.
The food was served, we ate, and after clearing the outdoor setting, the sun began to set over the yard. As I moved to take the seat next to Twitch, he reached up and patted my ass gently, and I felt that light caress all over. Easy conversation commenced, and as I looked around the table at my smiling friends, I felt more at ease than ever before in my life as they laughed at some stupidly trivial story Nikki told.
It was dark when A.J. rushed out of the house and climbed to sit on Twitch. I wasn’t the only person watching the sweet interaction between father and son. While our son lay back into his dad’s reclining body, Twitch held him close, pausing every now and again to press a gentle kiss to the little monster’s apple-scented hair. And when Nikki caught my eye, she put a hand to her heart and made a gooey face.
Tell me about it, sister.
Trust me, I felt it. I felt it every time I saw them together. My ovaries had exploded several times over the past month and a half. It was a problem.
When A.J. went limp and started to drool, I grinned at the beautiful sight of my sleeping boy, signaling Twitch and moving to take our son from him, but he just waved me off. “I got it.”
Without a word, as if it were the easiest thing in the world, Twitch lifted A.J. higher into his arms and walked his sleeping form inside, putting him to bed for the night. And that was when Dave leaned in and spoke, albeit quietly, “I’m not a hundred percent convinced, but okay. I see it.”
That was it. That was all he said, and I wondered what exactly it was he saw.
When Twitch returned, silence greeted him. He glanced around the vigilant eyes at the table and held his arms out. “All right. Who’s first?” He sat with a light sigh, reaching out for me, and like the schmuck I was, my hand found his without question. Our fingers entwined and nothing else mattered to me, only that we were here, together, enjoying an evening with friends. Enjoying life with our son.
Of course, I wouldn’t give in so easily, and I think Twitch knew this. My hesitance was second nature at this point. What was the saying?
Once bitten, twice shy.
The thing was, I liked how Twitch sank his teeth into me.
Yes. I was an idiot.
Dave straightened in his chair and leaned forward. “Okay, I’ll start.” He shrugged. “Where have you been?”
Twitch lifted my hand and nibbled at my knuckles. He spoke against my skin, and the rush of warmth caused my arms to erupt into a mass of goose bumps. “Next question.”
Dave leaned back and scoffed. “Seriously?”
Twitch lowered my hand, pinning him with his stare. “Seriously.” I squeezed his hand, and he peered at me a moment, before he reluctantly added, “I’ve been all over, and Lexi knows where and why. I don’t owe any of y’all fuckers anything, so watch yourself.”
Nikki nodded lightly, completely respecting that, while Julius listened intently and pretended to be bored.
Why were men so proud? Why did they think showing emotion made them weak? I didn’t get it.
But Dave did not like the tone that was taken with him and he retaliated in the worst way. “So, you’re telling us that a man like you spends six years without a woman?” He barked out a laugh. “Fuck off, man. Pull the other one.”
Oh, no. He went there.
My chest began to ache.
It was a question I wanted to ask but did not have the guts to broach.
So when Twitch responded, “I never said that,” I pulled back, sliding my hand out of his to blink at him. And he frowned, saying, “Baby,” before turning back to Dave with a harsh glare, taking a balled up napkin from the table and throwing it at him. “David Allen, I’mma fuck you up.”
“What?” laughed Dave, easily avoiding the projectile. “I’m curious.”
And Twitch’s cheek ticked. “You are a lot of things, my man, but curious is not one of them.” He pointed at him before taking a long pull of his beer. “I know what you’re doing and I don’t like it.”