Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
I felt a pinch on my thigh and looked down at Carly to see her glaring at me. I shrugged, smiled, and kissed the tip of her nose. Glancing across the table, I saw much the same situation and I couldn’t help snickering, earning myself another pinch and a scowl from Carly.
“Retract your claws, kitten,” I whispered with a swift kiss to her soft lips.
She melted against me a little before seeming to remember where we were and straightening in her seat, turning forward and starting a conversation with Anna.
Nic asked after my brothers and before I could answer, Anna piped in, “You have brothers?”
I nodded. “Five. And they’re each a pain in the ass.”
“And single,” Carly interjected. There was something in her tone, and a gleam in Anna’s eyes that had me glancing between the two women suspiciously.
“Bellissima,” Nic cooed indulgently, yet firmly. “Not everyone is as happy to be tied down as I am. No matchmaking.” Anna looked a little crestfallen and I laughed.
With an evil grin, I reached across the table and patted her hand. “My mother would be eternally grateful if you could find all of her sons’ wives and give her grandbabies. You and Carly match-make to your hearts content.”
Nic looked at me incredulously. “Your brothers are going to kick your ass if they find out about this, compagno.”
I grinned. “Totally worth it.’
He shrugged. “It’s your funeral.”
Our appetizers arrived, by way of a tall, pretty, female server, and I couldn’t help the smirk when I noticed Carly’s reaction to the girl’s blatant stares at Nic and myself. I leaned over and my lips brushed her ear, tsking. “Double standards...”
She threw me a dirty look even as a shiver rolled through her. I licked the shell lightly, then sat back and started on my meal. After a moment, Carly excused herself to go to the ladies’ room and Anna decided to go with her. My eyes were glued to Carly’s perfect ass as it swayed all the way to the door. I barely restrained the impulse to check and see if I had drool on my chin.
“I met with the O’Reilly’s contact and made them a new distribution deal,” Nic said, drawing my attention.
“How did it go?” We hadn’t anticipated much pushback on taking over the complete weapons trade in this territory, but surprises could always creep up.
“As expected. He doesn’t care where the money comes from, as long as it spends.”
My eyes darted to the bathroom door, checking to see if the girls were headed back before I ask my next question. “Any word on that motherfucker, Sean?”
Nic’s face clouded, and his eyes darkened. “No, I’ve got my best men on it, but he’s got himself a great fucking hiding place because we haven’t been able to track him. We caught the most recent shipment of girls, so I imagine the bastard will show his head soon since we’ve cut off that port as a source of income. But I know there’s an auction set up in the next couple of weeks, I just haven’t been able to locate it.”
The mention of the auction had mental images of my girl on the chopping block floating through my head and I suddenly felt murderous. The flash of a purple dress in my peripheral alerted me to the girls making their way back to the table. “I’ll have a one-on-one with Thomas McKinnon and see if he can dig around for the locations. I don’t want Carly near this side of the business and she doesn’t need to be stressed over our hunt for Sean,” I murmured right before Carly slid back into her seat.
She slumped a little and I peered at her closely, surprised at her expression. It was a mixture of wonder and sheer terror. An odd combination. Wrapping my arm around her once again, I pulled her close, whispering, “Everything okay?”
She nodded absentmindedly and began eating. I frowned, not happy with her response. But she launched into a discussion with Anna about Sophia and some of the tension began to dissipate.
After that, the night was easy and fun. I hadn’t had the chance to take Carly out, to “court her” as my mother would say. Nic and I were both pleased to see our women becoming so close, as well. Apparently, Carly had asked Anna to be a bridesmaid and Meagan was going to be her maid-of-honor. As sheltered as she’d been growing up, I was overjoyed to see her spreading her wings, making friends, recognizing her own strength to lead, and being the sexiest fucking woman in the world.
Somehow, she continually blew me away with the amount of love I had for her. Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more, a rush of newer, stronger love would practically bowl me over. It wasn’t helping the constant desire I was carrying around. I’d become perpetually uncomfortable with the semi I was always sporting. In fact, as we finished our meal, watching those perfect lips wrap around the dessert had escalated my issue so I was sitting with a fucking baseball bat between my legs.