Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“Hungry?” he asked her.
“Honestly, I’m starving,” Zoe admitted with a sheepish smile.
Jae stood next to her and reached down into a lower cabinet to grab a pot.
“Let me blow your mind,” he said, making Zoe laugh.
“Look who’s suddenly being cocky,” I commented from the other side of the small kitchen.
Jae shot me a silencing look before digging out a few packs of ramen and the seasonings that he needed.
“Do you know what my special ingredient is?” he asked Zoe as she lingered next to him while he cooked.
“Um… an egg?” Zoe guessed.
Jae chuckled.
“I do add that, but I also add cheese,” he said.
“Really?” Zoe asked as she lifted her eyebrows.
I couldn’t help but watch them interact, enjoying the way Zoe smiled and engaged with Jae, who could be pretty quiet and reserved. She coaxed him to open up, and I liked seeing everyone relax whenever they could. Especially lately when things were so stressful and hectic.
“Whatcha staring at?” Gabe murmured as he leaned closer to me.
“More like who,” Garrett added as he moved to stand on the other side of me.
“You guys are hilarious,” I muttered. No one had directly spoken about it, but I was pretty sure that something happened between Gabe, Garrett, and Zoe. The looks they shared and flirty comments they made toward each other were far from innocent.
Maybe there was a little tinge of jealousy inside of me, but I had enjoyed our kiss, and I’d been yearning for more since then, but I kept those desires to myself. For now.
While Jae finished up a large bowl of ramen to distribute among everyone, I reached deep into one of the kitchen cabinets, my fingertips brushing the top of a whiskey bottle. We kept it here for rough nights after our shifts, and I was planning on sleeping here anyway.
“Let’s do shots,” I announced as I pulled the bottle out of the cabinet.
Zoe’s eyes widened in surprise, laughter bubbling from her.
“You’re such a party boy,” she teased me.
“Aw, come on, babe. Do a shot with us,” I pleaded with her as I bumped my shoulder against hers, making her blush. Obviously, there weren’t shot glasses at work, but regular plastic cups did the trick. I handed them out after Jae turned off the stove, lifting mine up. “To the newest member of our crew and all the adventures we’ll have together.”
Zoe smiled as her eyes swept around to look at everyone. She clinked her cup against everyone else’s before we all knocked back a quick shot. She grimaced at the burn and coughed a little.
“Woah,” she gasped.
“Wait until you have the ramen,” Gabe told her with a cheeky look on his face.
Jae smirked and started spooning ramen noodles and broth into five bowls.
“Alright, eat up. Don’t complain about the spice because you know what you signed up for,” Jae warned us as he started handing out bowls of piping hot ramen.
The spice made my nose burn, but my mouth had already started watering. We all lingered in the kitchen, twirling noodles around chopsticks because Jae was cool enough to keep us stocked. I tilted my head back and lowered a few long ramen noodles into my mouth.
“Damn, Jae. You keep making it spicier,” I laughed out.
Zoe resorted to fanning her lips as they burned.
“That’s so good, though,” she told Jae before eating even more.
It wasn’t long before sniffles and laughs filled the kitchen as we fought through the spice that complimented the savory, cheesy flavor of the noodles.
“I’ve been experimenting with new flavors and spices,” Jae explained after finishing up his ramen, not even looking fazed by the spice. “I think I’ll try a seafood flavor next time.”
“I have to be there for that,” Zoe told him.
Jae grinned at her.
“I won’t do it without you,” he assured her before taking her empty bowl from her so that he could wash it out. “Want to sit down for a little?”
Zoe nodded and followed him to the day room, leaving me and the brothers to share an intrigued look with each other.
“The ramen isn’t the only thing that’s a little spicy,” Gabe commented, making Garrett and I groan.
“That was a bad one. You can do better,” I told Gabe as we put our dishes up. “I do think she’s into him, though.”
“She’s into you too,” Garrett pointed out.
“And you two,” I replied.
At first, we all stared at each other in silence. What would we do about that? My mind started generating hot fantasies, my heartbeat quickening at the thought of her trapped between our bodies as she writhed and cried out in ecstasy. That was what we could do if she was game.
“Let’s see what happens,” I instigated with a coy grin before heading to the day room.
Jae and Zoe were sitting next to each other, engaged in a conversation that steadily reached my ears.