Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 94513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“Morning,” Than said as he walked into the room. He was shirtless again and had on a pair of black-and-blue plaid pajama pants.
“Good morning,” I replied, only glancing at him before giving my cereal my complete attention.
“Lost your shirt?” Bane asked him.
“Don’t be jealous of the pecs,” he drawled and pulled out a mug from the cabinet.
He swung his gaze over to mine and grinned, then put his mug under the large contraption that I thought was a coffee machine, but it had a screen and three different spouts, so I’d stayed away from it.
“Who slept in the guest room?” Than asked.
“Locke,” was Bane’s response.
“Did Gathe do something to piss him off?”
I took a bite of my cereal as I watched them. It was difficult not to. As much as I disliked Bane, he wasn’t hard on the eyes. Seeing him stand over a stove and make what looked like an omelet with his thick arms flexing with each move was a show most females wouldn’t be able to ignore.
“Gathe is dealing with … well, you know,” Bane replied, his jaw tight.
“Hmm,” was all Than said as the machine spit out his choice of drink. He picked it up and walked over to take the stool on the other side of me. “Sleep okay?”
I cut my eyes to Bane, who was taking bread from a toaster.
“Uh, well, I had a nightmare,” I told him, wondering if my screaming had woken him up.
“He knows that,” Bane replied as he put the jam I had gotten out and not used because I didn’t want to ask Bane for any of the bread he’d taken from the pantry.
“I heard you,” Than said beside me in a gentle tone. “But I meant after that.”
“She snores,” Bane said, then placed the jam-covered toast on a plate beside me.
I didn’t know if I should thank him for the toast or argue that I did not snore.
“I assume that was why you got the jam out,” he told me, then turned back to the stove.
I looked down at my bowl. Carina had never told me I snored. My face felt hot.
“Did I mention he was an asshole?” Than whispered, although Bane could hear him.
He was more than that. He was also dangerous and frightening, and unfortunately, the dark, broody thing was sexy. At least on him. Not that it mattered because I wasn’t entertaining any thoughts about that man. Our dislike for each other was mutual. But it was just embarrassing, having someone who looked like him, with a life like this, make fun of me among his elite peers.
Bane slid his omelet onto a plate, then took his mug and walked out of the kitchen without a word.
Once he was gone, Than turned to me. “Listen, I’m sorry about last night. I said too much, and I know you weren’t ready to hear all that.”
I had needed to hear it. “No need to apologize. I was tired last night. A lot had happened.”
He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, and I ate while he drank his coffee in silence.
“Can I ask you how you met Crosby?” he asked me hesitantly.
Talking about it was not something I wanted to do, but it seemed Than needed it. He wanted to talk about Crosby. Last night, it had been obvious he wanted to remind everyone about Crosby’s wishes. This was his way of grieving. Holding on to his life. What he’d left behind.
“I, uh, was at work. I used to work for a food truck. We’d usually be at the rodeos and several events at the fairgrounds.”
“Urban Bistro,” Than said with a small smile.
I nodded. “Yeah. You know it?”
“Best burger in Jackson,” he replied.
“Agreed.” I licked my lips, then continued, “Anyway, I was selling burgers in the stands, and Crosby stepped in front of me.” I paused, remembering the way he’d looked at me. I’d had a flutter in my stomach, but then he was beautiful. He had probably caused flutters all over the rodeo. “His hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He had on a black T-shirt, and his jeans had dirt on them. He looked like he’d just been thrown from one of the horses. But he smiled at me and asked if my eyes were real or if he was hallucinating.” The corner of my lips twitched at the memory. “I thought it was a cheesy pickup line, but he had actually just been thrown from a bull. I wasn’t working over by the bull riding arena, so I had missed it.”
“That was the night he got on Red Flag like a dumbass because Gathe had told him he was too much of a pussy to ride that bull,” Than said. “He went to get a burger, and he didn’t come back for-fucking-ever. We thought he’d passed out from a concussion.”