Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“So does that mean you won’t be attending the wedding?”
Confused, I look to my best friend, wondering just how out of touch with things I’ve been recently because I don’t even recall her telling me that Legend asked her to tie the knot.
I look down at her finger, and my friend chuckles. “Not mine. Landon and Rick’s wedding. It’s planned for during their Christmas break from school.”
My first instinct is to shake my head no. I have no doubt the embarrassment I’m feeling over what happened at the Veterans’ event will still be lingering next month. Showing my face at Cerberus seems like the worst idea ever.
“Will Aro and Ugly be there?”
“I imagine so,” she says, but her eyes narrow. “What are you thinking?”
I shrug.
“Sylvie,” my friend mutters, exasperation in her tone. “I don’t think trying to make Spade jealous is going to turn out the way you want it to.”
“And just how exactly do you think I want it to happen?”
“He’s not the type of man to get jealous, and I think you’d end up feeling worse.”
“I can only see one way I’ll end up feeling after spending a little time with the two hottest guys the club has to offer.”
“One, Ethan is the hottest guy.” I roll my eyes at her. “And two, what makes you think Aro and Ugly will be interested in a threesome?”
Her nose scrunches at the idea, but my friend has never been open to the idea of such things. I don’t give her a hard time about it, but it won’t stop me from living out my own fantasies, either.
She doesn’t try to talk me out of it further, but the silence between us thickens.
“I’m not going to have a threesome with anyone at the club,” I mutter, my fingers tangling in my lap.
Relief washes over her face.
“He’s such an asshole.”
Her lips draw tight. “You weren’t expecting love from him, right?”
I huff a humorless laugh. “Not even close, but it’s a slap in the face.”
“I know. I can talk to Ethan about—”
“I do not need your man defending my honor. I’m a grown woman. I made a choice that night, and I have to live with it. The sting will subside, eventually.”
I don’t get involved with men. It’s never been my goal. I’m not as hardcore about having a one-night-only rule like many of the Cerberus guys, because great sex is hard to find, but I never enter into a situation with the hopes that after we get dressed someone is going to want to immediately make plans with me. That’s not even something I want.
I’m firmly single, and at thirty-three, I have no desire to find a guy and settle down.
Love is painful. I was made aware of this very early on after my grandmother passed away, watching my grandfather struggle with heartbreak for many years. I wanted no part of it then, and I sure as hell want no part of it now.
Spade’s lack of memory shouldn’t bother me at all.
Hell, I don’t even know the man’s real name, but I do know if he had disclosed that information, I wouldn’t have forgotten it. The man deserves respect. He’s earned it with every day he spent in the service and each day after working for Cerberus.
My irritation stems from the fact that I deserve the same level of respect. If I’m good enough to sleep with, I feel like I’m good enough to remember, and that goes for every other woman in the world as well. Maybe forgetting me after a decade would be acceptable. Doing it after only a few months is a disrespect I don’t deserve.
“Let me know if you change your mind. Ethan wouldn’t mind putting him in his place.”
I give her a quick grin. Maybe this is what it would’ve been like to have a sister.
“Do you still want to get lunch?” I ask, desperate to change the subject before it has the power to ruin my entire day.
Faith taps the screen of her cell phone. “Can’t. I have court in twenty minutes. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure her, because if anything, I’m always able to bounce back no matter how hard I get knocked down.
Chapter 4
Spade
“I thought you’d have moved on by now,” Aro says just before lifting his beer bottle to his lips.
“Moved on from what?” I ask, pulling my eyes off Sylvie.
If I thought the woman looked amazing in jeans, it has nothing on the dress she’s wearing this evening.
I’m not one to dwell on regret, but the sight of her legs makes me want to kick my own ass for not remembering what they look like wrapped around my waist.
I lick a drop of beer from my lips as I turn my attention to my teammate.
“You’re staring at her like you own her.”