Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92078 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92078 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
She followed me into the walk-in closet, and I lifted the black and gold string bikini from the tiny hanger.
“Damn, girl,” she commented with laughter in her voice. “That thing doesn’t cover much. You’d have better luck wearing one of Luca’s ties around your monster boobs.”
I chuckled. “Luca enjoys showing me off to his friends.”
“Bash and Damian would have a stroke if I wore that. They hate when their friends stare at me.”
“I don’t think anyone would dare look at you with them around. They’re kinda scary.”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “That’s for sure.”
Kali walked out of the closet to give me some privacy. I stripped off my shorts and top and squeezed into the skimpiest bathing suit ever made. After I got changed, I fixed my curls, running my fingers through my wild mess. The summer heat combined with the pool water would no doubt send my hair into frizzville.
Kali stripped off her dress and laid it on my bed with her purse. A navy blue bikini showed off her lithe body that made me feel fat next to her. I was a skinny twig for most of my life, but I'd gained thirty pounds during college.
“How are you feeling after the shooting?” Kali wrapped her long fingers around my wrist. “You seem okay, but that was a traumatic experience.”
“It was terrifying,” I confessed. “I was too worried about Marcello to process what happened to me. It seemed so insignificant compared to Marcello getting shot.”
“If you need to talk, I’m here for you. You can tell me anything.”
“My grandfather is giving me a choice between Luca and Marcello.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “Shut up. You’re joking, right?”
I shook my head. “Pops called a meeting today with the Knights. I got into a massive fight with Luca. I’m marrying one of them in September.”
“Damn, girl. I thought I had it bad with my family. At least my dad isn’t forcing me to get married.”
“What does your dad think about you dating Bastian and Damian?”
She shrugged. “He’s too afraid of losing Arlo’s favor to make a big deal about it. I doubt he cares, anyway. We have never been on good terms. I can’t think of a single time he showed up for my school plays or to watch my softball games. He missed all of my graduations except for high school. Arlo was the only reason he came to the ceremony. If I hadn’t graduated with Bash, Damian, and Luca, I doubt my dad would have shown at all.”
I stepped into a pair of jeweled sandals and slipped black sunglasses onto my head. “My parents are the scum of the earth. I know all about shitty parents.”
“Unfortunately, that’s something most of us have in common.”
We headed down to the pool. All the Knights, except for Marcello, lounged on patio chairs, drinking bottles of imported beer. He sat in his wheelchair next to Sonny with a miserable look on his handsome face.
I wrapped my arms around Marcello’s neck, resting my chin on his shoulder. “Did you miss me?”
He turned his head, a smirk in place. “Always.”
I kissed his cheek, then moved around to stand in front of his chair. His eyes burned with lust as he stared at my body.
“Goddamn, Alex,” he hissed, leaning forward to place his hand on my hip. “You look beautiful.”
“I think he meant to say fuck-hot.” Sonny sat up, beer in hand, as he eyed me. He licked his lips and tapped his thigh. “I’m feeling feverish. Come sit on my lap, Little Wellington.”
I shook my head. “Stop flirting with me, Sonny.”
Kali tapped me on the shoulder. “Let’s go in the pool. Get away from these creeps,” she joked with her eyes on Sonny.
Sonny shot up from his chair with lightning speed and hooked his arm around my middle. Before I could stop him, he lifted me off my feet. He threw me over his shoulder, dragging me toward the pool.
I smacked his back, my boobs practically falling out of the top. “Put me down!”
“Nah, girl.” He laughed as he inched closer to the water. “I can’t wait another second to see this gorgeous body soaking wet.”
“Fuck, yeah,” one of the Knights grunted.
It sounded like Cole Marshall. Idiot.
“I’m going to kill you, Sonny!” I pounded my first against his back. “Put. Me. Down. Now.”
“She’s gonna make you pay for that, bro,” Callum said with a smirk that said he couldn’t wait to see me flip out on his older brother.
“I’ll be ready and waiting to take my punishment,” Sonny said right before he dropped me into the deep end of the pool.
I sank like a stone, my feet touching the bottom of the pool. When I resurfaced, I had a cluster of wet curls stuck to my cheek and in my eyes. I spit water out of my mouth, shoving my stringy hair behind my ears.