Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Is your dad freaking out?” Liam was famous for having a distorted view of his daughter. He claimed she was a saint most of the time. When he’d seen the man the last few years, Liam would always announce his Daisy was the sweetest, most perfect child in the world and Aidan… Aidan was a boy.
Aidan nodded. “Beyond freaking out. It’s why I spent last night at Daisy’s. Carys and I had to be with her because my da wouldn’t let her stay alone. Daisy loves her little house. It’s a dump, by the way, but she bought it for a song, and for some reason she’s obsessed with living on her own. Though if the meeting goes the way I think it is going to, she’ll be coming back to our place tonight.”
“Why?” He didn’t mind. In fact, he was curious. If she was anything like she was when she was a kid, she would be pleasant to be around. She used to tell him how smart she thought he was, how much she liked being around him. He’d only been a year older than she was, but he’d been so big physically the age difference seemed larger. “I thought we were going to the club. Isn’t there a party tonight?”
“There is, and we wouldn’t miss it. It’s our annual masked ball.” Aidan’s lips curved up in a devilish grin. “It’s the best night since everyone’s in a mask and you can pretend to not know you’re playing with the sub you’ve always wanted to play with. It’s fun.” He sat up. “I mean that in a watch the drama way. Not in an I participate way. Trust me. I know exactly what Carys will be wearing. But it’s funny to watch the others fumble their way through. My cousin Lucas likes it because he can pretend he’s sleeping with someone new. He has to pretend since he’s gone through most of the available subs already. Seth will try to find Chloe Lodge because he wants her so bad, but he wants to pretend like he doesn’t want her at all. Chloe will stay away because she’s the smart one. I won’t even go into what Kala and Coop would do. They won’t be here because they’re saving the world or something. But it will still be a crazy night.”
He was looking forward to it. Not because he would play tonight. He intended to take it slow, to get into the groove of the club before looking for a play partner. He would put on his leathers and the mask Aidan supplied him with and sit in the lounge for most of the night. He might watch some scenes. “So what’s Daisy doing while we’re playing?”
“She usually sits in the locker room,” Aidan explained. “She doesn’t mind. She’ll grab a bottle of wine from the lounge and pop some popcorn and watch bad reality shows on her tablet. You need a ride? I was planning on going home and grabbing my kit and Carys before picking up baby sis.”
It seemed like Aidan had a lot on his hands. “I’ll drive myself. No worries. So is she going to be hanging around the place for a bit? I take it you’re worried about Daisy’s safety. Is there a plan?”
“There’s always a plan and it always goes awry. I think Da wants Brian Langton to shadow Daisy for a couple of weeks,” Aidan explained. “They’re friends, and he’s married with a couple of kids so he’s pretty sure Brian won’t perv on her. Da will probably try to get her to move back home for a while, but my sister can be stubborn. We don’t know a lot about the people she exposed, so we don’t know how serious it is yet. If Daisy runs true, I would bet the head of the cartel will try to blow us all up.”
Now some things made sense. “Brian’s on assignment and doesn’t get back in until Monday.”
“So we’ve got Daisy watching this weekend. She’ll probably spend most of it with Brianna at her parents’ house. Having Brianna’s dads around means mine won’t freak out about her safety. And I’ve got a double shift this weekend, so you’ll have the place to yourself.” Aidan studied him for a moment. “You going to be okay on your own?”
He would have told anyone he would love being on his own, but he wasn’t looking forward to the quiet. The quiet reminded him how alone he felt. But then he’d felt alone even when he was surrounded by a loving family. Even when he’d known he wasn’t. “Yeah, I’ll probably hang out at the club Saturday night, too, but otherwise I’ll be chilling at home. Leave me a list of whatever I need to do.”
“We’re pretty low maintenance,” Aidan replied. “Coop and Tristan are always on the road, and I work constantly. I have no idea how Carys is planning this wedding. Even with help from the moms, it’s a lot. I’m lucky I know when to show up.”