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)
I’d not actually had a Shirley Temple before. Carina used to talk about them after Nick took her out to get a burger and fries at his favorite diner in Jackson. She always ordered Shirley Temples, and she’d loved to tell me all about them.
“You sure? You were looking at it like it’d offended you.”
I shook my head. “No. Thank you. I’ve always wanted to try one of these.”
His brows drew together. “You’ve never had one?”
“Nope,” I said, then placed the straw to my lips and tasted it. The sweet, bubbly drink was refreshing. When I smiled at him this time, it wasn’t one I struggled to do. “Delicious.”
He started to say something when a shadow fell over us. I glanced up to see the older man, who I assumed was Luther Levine. Up close, he was even handsomer. He was well past thirty, but I wasn’t sure by how much. His eyes said he was older than his looks seemed to portray. I had no doubt any one of the gorgeous women decorating this pool area would come running if he snapped his fingers.
“Halo,” he said with less of a Southern drawl than the other guys here had. “I’m Luther. I’ve heard a lot about you from Linc.”
I licked my lips nervously. “It’s nice to meet you.” I hoped that response hadn’t sounded as awkward as it felt.
Unlike Linc, he didn’t have the demeanor that eased you. He had an edge in his gaze. One that made you uncertain of what he was thinking or his purpose.
“Than,” he said, shifting his intense focus to him, “I see you’re helping her adjust to things around here.”
Than flashed me an amused grin. “Yeah, doing my best.”
“Bane is behaving,” Luther said sardonically.
Than chuckled. “Bane is being Bane.”
“Glad to see he is finding himself again and not buried in his grief. I thought we might have lost him for a while.” Luther turned his hazel gaze back to me. “Seems you not only pulled Grissele out of her darkness, but Bane too. Linc was right. Your impact on the Cash family overrides the way it affects the Rices. And when Saylor stops her nonsense, her parents will be fine too.”
Unsure of what to say to that, I took a drink from my glass. I did feel bad for Saylor, but I hadn’t done anything to her on purpose. If I’d known about her, then I wouldn’t be pregnant. I would never have let Crosby take me home that first time. Yet I felt like they all still saw me as the reason she was hurting. Me and my baby.
Than cleared his throat. “Probably time I move Halo inside. She’s not ready for this just yet. I thought I’d ease her in slowly,” he said, giving Luther a pointed look.
Glancing from him to Luther, who was scanning the area around us, I, too, turned to see what he was referring to. The wind seemed to be sucked right out of me when I saw the blonde that Bane had been talking to naked and straddling him while … while bouncing on his …
I immediately dropped my eyes to my glass. They were having sex right there, in front of everyone.
“Probably wise,” Luther replied.
Than put his hand back on the middle of my back. “Let’s go,” he said.
I stared at my drink as if it were the most fascinating Shirley Temple that had ever been made.
“It can get a little rowdy out here. We’re guys with naked tits, tiny bottoms, willing females. I should have warned you, but I figured it would wait until after the game. But then this can break out at any time.” Than explained this as if it made complete sense.
I had watched Bane put a bullet in two men’s heads. He’d sent one flying inches from mine. Why wouldn’t he fornicate in public? I didn’t think he had morals. But then … who was I to judge? I’d believed my brother—no, wait, not my brother. He wasn’t my brother. I had believed Ares was good down deep even though he had been making bad decisions and his temper could get scary. I seemed to be a very bad judge of character.
Glancing up at Than, I asked, “Do you do that? Have sex like that out there?”
He cut his eyes at me, and I could see the strained expression on his face. “Like I said, we’re guys.”
He did. He might even do it later tonight. It wasn’t my business. Besides I was the one pregnant at nineteen. Their friend and brother was dead because of me. If anything, they had every reason to judge me. But Than never had. That line I’d drawn in my head between right and wrong, the black and white I had always seemed to view life in, was changing.