Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 72856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
And I knew I had their attention, even though none of them were directly speaking to me.
“The Back Porch,” both Sam and Tai said at the same time.
“What’s going on there?” The red headed officer asked, reaching into his pocket for something and pulling it out.
It was gum.
The kind that kids ate with the fruity zebra looking dude on it.
“Want some? I’m Downy, a friend of Tai’s” he asked, offering me a stick.
I hesitantly reached my hand forward and took a piece.
“T-thank you,” I said.
He winked.
“There’s a live band. Max was dared to sing, and some of the boys from the band offered to play as his backup,” Sam explained.
I blinked.
“You’re shitting me,” Downy said. “How’d you get him to do that?”
“Wasn’t me. It was actually Lennox, Bennett’s wife,” Tai explained.
Who was Lennox? Or Bennett?
“Who’s Bennett?” I asked curiously.
“Bennett’s a KPD cop. He’s the brother of Payton, Max’s wife,” Sam explained.
That was clear as mud.
“And what’s the significance to him singing?” I asked.
Thirty minutes later I was in awe.
Downy, the officer I was introduced to finally, was sitting on a stool beside me with his back against the bar.
Tai was sitting on the opposite side with his arm along my back.
I was valiantly trying to resist the urge to lean into Tai.
I wanted nothing more than to have his arm around me, but I didn’t let myself do it.
It was like I was in high school all over again, as I tried to sneak covert glances at Tai, as well as trying to smell him and strike up conversations with him.
It didn’t work out so well for me.
The bar was too dark, so I couldn’t see much of him. It smelled like beer and liquor because a waitress had spilled her entire tray of drinks in front of Tai, Downy and Sam.
Then she’d proceeded to bend over in front of them, showing off her cute little ass, as she cleaned up the mess.
I’d just rolled my eyes.
If only she knew that none of the men even acknowledged her blatant come-ons.
I had struck out, three for three, seeing as it was too loud in the bar to hear myself chew, let alone hold a coherent conversation.
But what made up for it was the sexy beast on the stage.
He had short blondish brown hair and a scar on the side of his face that probably really hurt when he got it.
His voice, though, was what held everyone’s attention.
The sheer and utter beauty of his voice had everyone entranced as they listened to him sing Johnny Cash.
When he slipped into a perfect rendition of The Dance by Garth Brooks, I nearly melted into a puddle of goo like the rest of the ladies in the bar.
“Geez,” I said, my throat starting to clog up.
My thoughts strayed to Colt.
When my emotions started to pull me under, Tai’s arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me toward him.
My butt came off the stool, and I let my feet slide to the ground.
Then, suddenly, Tai had his arms around me and I was breathing in his scent like I’d wanted to do all night long.
He rested his badly-in-need-of-a-shave face against my forehead and started to sing right along with Max.
Then again, everyone was singing with him.
Garth Brooks was likely the only singer that everyone knew all the words to, so it was inevitable.
“Want a drink?” Tai asked, sensing my need to be distracted.
“No, I’m finished drinking. I haven’t had this much to drink since I was a freshman in college,” I laughed.
“Oh, boy. We’ll have to fix that,” Tai teased.
His chest rumbled with his words, and I had to bite my lip to keep the moan from slipping out past my lips.
“How was your dinner?” He persisted.
A smile lifted up the corner of my lips. “I’m stuffed. I think that they purposefully give you too much food so you won’t be able to leave for a while in fear of ripping your pants.”
He looked down at my pants with a raised brow, and I giggled.
I was still in my hospital scrubs.
Normally, I wouldn’t wear them out like this.
There were a lot of things that got on a nurse’s scrubs during the day, bodily fluids being one of them. However, when Tai had come to tell me about my mom, I’d only been at work for less than two hours. It hadn’t had time to get too badly soiled.
“They’re not stretchy, if that’s what you’re thinking. They’re fitted,” I said defensively with a narrowing of my eyes.
He chuckled, and I felt the rumble of his chest against mine.
“You ready to go?” He asked. “I know you have to be tired.”
I closed my eyes and thought about that.
Was I tired?
Yes.
Did I want to go?
Yes.
Did I want him to leave me?
No.
And that was exactly what would happen if I said that yes, I was ready to go.