Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
He’s not gonna be into you. He’s too gorgeous. The little pitch-forked devil that kept watch over Mike’s left shoulder whispered negative thoughts in his ear, but he shook it away. Rayne’s eyes didn’t lie. He could feel there’d been something between them. No. You want there to be something. But it’s nothing, the devil on Mike’s right shoulder chimed in. You don’t deserve someone that beautiful. Mike trudged to his bedroom as the devils celebrated in agreement, the negative thoughts causing the tension in his neck to tighten more.
He needed an angel.
Mike took a long, hot shower in hopes it would make him feel better and less sore, but it didn’t appear anything would stop the ache. Not when it was everywhere and all at once. He was starving and needed to order some dinner before his stomach growled so loud it scared him. With a towel wrapped low around his waist, he glanced down at his cell phone on his nightstand and saw he had a missed text from his son. A lopsided smile appeared instantly, and pride bloomed in his chest. If he never did anything else in his lifetime, he did get one thing right. Bishop was everything he wasn’t and more.
Dad Eddie is on grill tonite. Come over & eat. Trent and Wood r here.
Mike responded right away. On my way n half hour.
It wouldn’t take him long to throw on a T-shirt and jeans because there was no way he was missing Edison’s cooking. While he was tugging on a wrinkled shirt from his laundry basket, a thought hit him. Rayne might be there. Damn. Mike tossed the shirt away, went to his closet, and chose a black, short-sleeved button-up and black jeans. No matter the time of year, he always wore hiking boots, but at least he had a nice pair of dark gray Columbias that weren’t for mowing grass. He tried to ignore how pathetic he felt worrying about his appearance for a guy who was probably half his age and not the slightest bit interested in his old ass. But he was trying not to let the pessimistic attitude take over, and instead, he kept his thoughts centered on the way Rayne behaved when he was around him and the whispery voice he used when he spoke to Mike. That’s all he had to hang on to, but it was enough.
Stop overthinking it and just go. Mike picked up his helmet and jacket off the bench in the garage and straddled his Harley. It was a gorgeous night, and his son’s home wasn’t that far away. He could use the fresh air and the company.
Chapter Nine
Rayne
“This house is amazing. Thank you for inviting me, Rayne.” Chelsea walked around Bishop and Edison’s spacious backyard with her arm looped through his. “I was so bored at home, and your friends seem so nice.”
“Well. They’re not really my friends,” Rayne clarified. “Bishop is Trent’s brother, and Wood is his best friend. They were locked up together for a long time, and Edison is Bishop’s partner. I guess Wood and Trent felt bad leaving me home on a Friday night and asked if I wanted to come.”
“Your roommates seem great, babe.”
Rayne inhaled a long breath and released it as he turned them toward a huge weeping willow tree that had to be centuries old. The arching branches were so long they dragged on the ground. Chelsea parted the soft leaves like a curtain and stepped inside.
“Wow. I’ve never seen a tree this beautiful.” She pointed to a thick patch of dark green grass. “I’d lay a blanket right there and just nap and read, then nap some more. Maybe even do some yoga. I bet it has great shade during the day.”
Rayne admitted he was fascinated by the outdoor wonderland himself. It was breathtaking all lit up with lights. And just as Chelsea said, it was an amazing place to sit and meditate amongst nature. Rayne would love to have a garden this nice for himself. After taking little things for granted for so long, he could now appreciate something as simple as a backyard dinner surrounded by blooming spring flowers. “So I heard that Bishop is some kind of landscape design genius. He can draw really well and even gives Wood designs for his tattoos.”
“You don’t say,” Chelsea hummed, glancing up into the towering tree branches. “Well, I’m impressed. You see garden art all the time, in front of buildings and at parks. And we think they just grew that way,” she laughed lightly. “I like Bishop. He seems like a good guy.”
“Did I tell you that he was Mike’s son?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Yes you did… twice already.”
“Oh.” Rayne pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t stop his mind from shifting back to Bishop. Ever since he’d greeted them at the front door, Rayne had been at a loss for words. Why in the hell does he look like that?