Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“It’s Sunday,” Kai said.
“We should help first,” Corb said, but it was Kai who waved them off.
“Marcus cooked, so I’ll clean up. It’s what good little houseboys do.”
“You’ve never been good a day in your life,” I teased.
“Ask nicely, and I’ll be real good for you.”
That one sentence, coupled with the way he looked at me, made blood rush to my groin. I tried to pretend his words didn’t get to me, but I was sure everyone knew they did. “Be quiet before I send you to your room.” I turned to the guys. “Now get out. I have shit to do,” I said playfully, but that lit a fire under them, and we all said our goodbyes.
This was usually when I noticed how quiet the house felt without them, but then Kai said, “No work on Sundays.”
“Not your call, baby boy.”
I went to the sink and turned on the water to start the dishes.
Chapter Ten
Kai
“Has anyone ever told you you’re the most stubborn man in the world?” I went to the sink and nudged him with my hip. “Move over. I’ll wash. You put them in the dishwasher.” Because Marcus was one of those people who cleaned their dishes before loading them to be washed a second time. I’d argued with him about it enough, so I let that go.
He scooted his muscular body to the left. “You know most people don’t tell me what to do, right?”
“You realize I’m not most people, right?” I tossed back. He grumbled under his breath, but when I washed a plate and gave it to him, he put it in the dishwasher. “I think your nickname should have been The Workaholic instead of The Realist.” When he didn’t respond, I said, “The Grump?” Then I deepened my voice, “The Intimidator… You could have your own superhero movie!”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Marcus visibly tried to fight it, but then surprised me by saying, “I’ll be back,” in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice.
“Oh my God! The Stubborn made a joke.”
“I make jokes all the time, and The Stubborn doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if people know you,” I countered, enjoying this. Marcus was more than just a sexy man. He fascinated me. Not that I didn’t want to bone him, because obviously, I did, but I also wanted to learn all the things I could about him. I wanted to find every way I could to make him laugh and smile…and come. I wanted to do nice things for him because he did them for everyone around him every day, and I worried he thought that was where his worth lay.
“What about you?” he asked, which I hadn’t expected at all. “If you were a member of The Vers, who would you be?”
“You tell me, Teddy.”
“The Brat.” He cocked a brow.
“I can work with that. What else?”
“The Flirt, The Frustrating, The Infuriating.”
“Hey! That’s basically the same as The Frustrating…and maybe I’ll slow down when you stop pretending you don’t like it.”
We spent the next little while naming each other and laughing while we washed the dishes together. It was totally different from anything I’d ever done with a man I wanted to fuck before, but I wasn’t complaining. I liked Marcus’s company too much for that.
But then all I could think about was the fact that I was moving, and it felt strangely gross that I hadn’t told Marcus, even though it had just happened. “So…I have good news for you.”
“What is it?”
“I should be out of your hair soon. I don’t have an exact date. Archer is supposed to let me know, but he said in the next couple of months.”
Marcus turned to me. “Who the fuck is Archer?”
Shit. I guess I should explain. “He’s an old friend, someone I used to hang out with. He moved to Atlanta a couple of years ago. He’s opening his own queer bar, and he asked me to help run it with him. As soon as he lets me know it’s time, I’ll be going there. Atlanta’s not as expensive as it is here, so that will help. I haven’t told Declan yet, or my mom, but…” But I was rambling, for some weird-ass reason. “So that’s it. I’m going to move to Atlanta and help run a bar.”
“Is that a smart decision? These kinds of things often don’t go as planned, and then you’re going to be halfway across the country without family or a safety net.”
“Marcus…”
“Do you have a contract? I can look it over for you.”
“There is no contract, but he sent me a ton of other info—my wages and about the bar.”
“Kai, you can’t just drop everything and move because of something some guy you used to know said. You have to protect yourself. You—”
“Marcus,” I said again, closing my eyes. “Please don’t ruin this for me. I’m excited. This feels like an answer to my recent problems. Archer is my friend. I can trust him. Plus, I’ll be careful. We’ll figure out a contract or agreement. Just…be happy for me. This is a really good opportunity for me. And for you. I won’t be annoying you anymore.” I nudged him again.