Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
What would it hurt to be the next in line to try this Josh guy out? It wasn’t like she was going to be here in another two weeks. Three, tops.
Then the other guy looked her way, his dark eyes finding hers, and she swore she could feel the man’s hunger. It didn’t scare her the way it should have because she was apparently extremely horny and incapable of behaving like the walking Dateline episode she was.
Nicole forced herself to turn, picking up her notepad. The last thing she needed to do was get in between two relatives and potentially start a fight that would bring a whole lot of attention her way. It was one thing when she’d thought she could hop in and out of Josh’s bed, but another when his brother/cousin/relative to be discerned later also made her heart pound and looked at her like he could eat her up. Still… “Why do they call him Grim?”
Christa waved at the woman who was likely Josh’s mom, and then leaned over as the door closed behind them. “His real name is Jared, but I’m afraid he got that nickname in school and it stuck. His stepfather is a bit of a fire-and-brimstone type, if you know what I mean. He’s happier where he is now. But he’s still got some family around I would tell you to stay away from.”
She felt her eyes widen. “Like the ones who stand in front of the library at the community college and call all the girls who walk by whores? I took that catering order out the other day and they were obnoxious.”
Christa’s eyes rolled and her head shook. “That sounds like them. Look, hon, this place is full of church folk, and like all folk there’s good and bad. Most of the churches here are loving and kind. One is a little snooty, but the one Jared was raised in is dangerous, in my opinion. He got out, but they’re still around. Be careful around Ezekiel Smith and his boys and anyone in his church.”
Nicole huffed and looked to her boss. “Ezekiel? Did his mother want him to become a weird cult leader?”
Christa shrugged. “It’s fitting and honestly, Grim is, too. I love Jared. My best friend took him in years ago, but there’s still a darkness about him I don’t know will ever go away.” She sighed as one of the line cooks announced an order was up. “That’s all the maternal warning I’m going to give you today. I think that’s Jimmy’s chicken fried steak. I wish he would eat a salad every now and then.”
“I’ll take it.” Salads weren’t big at the café. She grabbed the plate and started for the dining room floor.
Just a few weeks more and she would start a new life.
Chapter Two
Grim brought the big truck to a stop. Even from the parking lot he could hear raucous music coming from The Barn. At one point in time it had been run by the Sandbergs, but they’d retired a few years back and now their daughter owned the place. Tally Sandberg was roughly his age, and she’d brought a youthful flair to the only honky-tonk in a twenty-mile radius.
Olivia leaned forward from her place in the back, reaching around to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for the ride. I’m meeting some friends, so don’t worry about me getting home.” She shifted and gave Josh the same easy affection. “You two behave. And Josh, thanks for being such a big old perv. I really do want to go to Bliss.”
Josh sent his sister a frown. “They’re there, aren’t they?”
Olivia slid from the back seat and shrugged. “I don’t know, but it might be fall break at MIT. We’ll see. I’ll be out at the G helping the olds figure out accounting software and watching the McNamara girls make their dads crazy. The last time I was out there Miranda was circling around Logan Talbot like a shark looking for supper. Everyone is afraid of her. It’s good drama.”
She waved and practically skipped into the honky-tonk.
“Well, my sister would know good drama.” Josh’s head shook. “We are not telling Dad about the fall break thing. I don’t want to miss going to Austin.”
“Are you sure?” Their trips to Austin were a vital part of their lives and had been for years. The BDSM club was one of the only places in the world Grim felt like he could be his true self. The club. The ranch. The shelter he’d taken over and modernized. He felt like himself when he was working.
He’d felt like himself earlier when he’d caught sight of that waitress. That beautiful, sexy woman who practically called out to his real self. The part of him that needed to dominate.
Beyond feeding him and giving him a place to call home, Jack Barnes had seen a need inside him, one that could have gone unfulfilled or could have exploded at some point and wrecked his life. Instead, Jack had sent him and Josh to be trained, to learn to control their impulses, so they could give the women they shared as much pleasure as possible.