Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57237 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“I’ll be back in two hours,” I repeated. “Don’t kill each other.”
CHAPTER 2
“It’s so good to see you again, honey,” Loretta said. “That’s smart—enjoy the area before the tourist season really kicks in.”
I chuckled and finished my last piece of cake right there at the register in her shop. She always kept one of those cakes in her freezer for when I stopped by. The town knew her as the lovely lady who had an answer for every question. If you were lost, if you were looking for recommendations, if you wanted a wildlife guide, if you wanted to fish or hunt, you came to Loretta’s souvenir shop on Main Street.
She lived in the apartment above the shop and missed having someone to dote on. All three of her boys were in the military. Luckily, she had a handful of grandkids to spoil—and me, when I was in town.
This cake. Fucking hell. Some sort of dense, rich Bundt cake with vanilla and cardamom. With a sugar-butter crust on top. Amazing.
“I’m not saying I’ll be back tomorrow, but…” Chef’s kiss. I slid the empty plate and fork over the counter.
She laughed softly. “Don’t you worry—there’s more cake in the freezer. Stop by any time, Emerson.”
I grinned and pretended to clutch my heart. “You’re the only woman for me, Loretta.”
She found that funny. “Oh, get out of here. I hope your brother answers the phone now.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I chuckled.
The bell above the door dinged as I stepped out again, and I walked right into the phone booth for the second time in twenty minutes. Arden hadn’t picked up the first time.
The prick couldn’t avoid me forever. I knew he was at Clara Hill. He had to be. He even worked from there these days, despite he had his old office in Pittsburgh.
In another life, maybe I would’ve been part of the group who’d bought the old estate. It was certainly beautiful. They had a few acres all to themselves, with Clara Hill at the center. I loved to visit in the autumn. When the forest around them was ablaze in reds and oranges.
On the other hand, I’d never been a big fan of dog and pony shows, and Clara Hill took BDSM communities to a whole new level. The members who dedicated themselves to it actually lived on the estate twenty-four seven.
I’d once introduced Arden to BDSM, and he’d taken the idea and run with it. He’d gone all in. He’d never been interested in coming with me to smaller clubs and get-togethers. He wanted the lifestyle.
“Answer, you bloody fucking—” I stopped and huffed a breath. He was gonna try to dodge me altogether, wasn’t he? He wasn’t daft. He would know I’d come for him. That I would want answers.
Then, fucking finally, I heard his voice.
“Arden Sinclair speaking.”
“You absolute git—why the fuck would you give my information to Danny Rose? Are you dead from the neck up, mate?”
“Ah, big brother. I was waiting for you to call.”
“Then you should’ve waited closer to the phone,” I growled.
He chuckled. “I take it he paid you a visit at the cabin.”
“Paid me a visit?” I echoed incredulously. “He turned it into an ambush game and was already there when I arrived with the twins.”
That was somehow even funnier to my brother. “Amazing. I’ve only met him once, and I’m already an admirer of that boy.”
That boy.
I didn’t understand Arden sometimes, which was how it’d been all our lives. Nine times out of ten, he was calm, predictable, methodical, and composed. Then there was that tenth time. It was how he’d once ended up taking a sabbatical in Spain, how he’d joined the Army, how he’d started a kink community, and how they now had a sanctuary on their grounds for exotic pets that’d been released into the wild.
It became my problem when the pet was Danny Rose and the wild was my property.
“So you met face-to-face,” I stated. “Please tell me he came to your office in Pittsburgh.”
“Nope. He knocked on the door right here.”
At Clara fucking Hill.
Danny had hinted at knowing all sorts of shit about me. Did he know I was gay? That I was into BDSM too?
Neither was anything I was ashamed of, whatsoever, but it was private intel, goddammit. Just because I was no longer in the service didn’t mean I couldn’t get into trouble for being homosexual. Arden should fucking know that. He was bi, himself.
“Tell me everything you divulged,” I said. I didn’t reveal I was thoroughly pissed off, but my voice brooked no argument. No more games. I was done.
He cleared his throat and sobered. “First of all, I didn’t tell him anything until I had confirmed everything he’d told me. Give me some credit, Em. I’m not heartless—nor was I born yesterday. You were, and always will be, my priority in these matters.”