Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
She was easy to get along with, didn’t take my brother’s shit—which if you knew my brother as well as I did, you’d know that was an amazing feat—and generally was well-liked in the community.
How did I know all this? Because I’d been asking around about her. Especially, I’d been hammering Silvy with questions.
Karen was Silvy’s age—thirty-five. She had no kids, had never been married, and enjoyed the hell out of the single life. She lived in a beach town for a reason.
“Are you even listening to me?” Karen giggled.
She never got mad, either. Which, in my opinion, was a good trait for a police officer to have.
“I’m listening,” I lied. “I was just looking at the dock so I didn’t trip.”
There was a long dock that led down the beach. A private beach that was on the point, with no buildings in sight, that probably cost a freakin’ mint.
“It’s the nicest dock I’ve ever been on,” Karen agreed. “Why did you stiffen up when I mentioned the Gator Bait MC?”
I sighed. “Cassius.”
“Oh. Yeah. Your brother told me about him.” She grimaced. “I thought you liked him.”
I roughly yanked my hair tie out, then sifted my fingers through my tangled hair.
We’d taken my Jeep, and my hair was likely a mess. But since I had no way to check it, I would have to deal with it.
“I do like him,” I admitted. “I’ve liked him for a very long time, which is unfortunate, because he can’t stand me.”
She looked at me curiously. “That doesn’t sound like someone that would be friends with Wake.”
My brows rose at that. “And you know him so well? All the guys in that MC met in prison, am I wrong?”
I mean, I knew a little bit from what I’d heard around town. I’d pieced together some myself. And Cassius had shared some as well.
Needless to say, most people—most people that didn’t have the hugest crush ever on a convicted felon—would be running. Only girls that were brave—which I most certainly was not—would be able to hang out with this group of men and not feel at least a little bit intimidated by them.
“You’re not wrong,” she agreed. “But seriously. Cassius is nice, funny, and charismatic. I think, possibly, he might’ve just been having a bad day.”
Nope.
That definitely wasn’t it.
“Oh, there they are.” Karen jerked her head in the direction of a few tents that were across the beach from where we were currently walking.
Stomach full of butterflies at the thought of seeing Cassius again, I sort of trailed behind Karen, who had no problem plowing through the loose sand, heading directly toward them.
“Hey, look,” I heard one of the men yell. “It’s our favorite police officer.”
Kyle Davis, KD for short, grinned wickedly and threw his arm around Karen’s shoulders.
He pulled her in for a tight hug, then let her go.
KD’s eyes turned to me, and I blinked when I saw the grin replaced with worry.
Karen, one who missed nothing, said, “Okay that I brought a friend? You said it was okay, but that frown is making me question my friend inviting.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” KD lied through his teeth, his gaze going somewhere to the left where I knew, without a doubt, I would find Cassius. “Just surprised you actually did bring someone. But this one is definitely welcome. She’s Etienne’s employee.”
“She definitely is,” Etienne added as he arrived at my side. “I didn’t know you knew Karen.”
It went like that for a while, everyone showing their surprise at my arrival with Karen. Karen basked in the attention, picked up a beer for the two of us, and brought it over to me as I talked with Etienne about business twenty minutes into our arrival.
“Etienne,” Matilda, Etienne’s significant other, said. “You’re talking to her about business crap. She’s here to have fun, not to work.”
Little did she know that business ‘crap’ excited me.
I loved utilizing my degree. I loved even more finding a way to make myself needed.
“I really don’t mind.” I smiled. “As long as y’all don’t expect me to pump gas, then I’ll be good.”
Karen giggled right along with Matilda.
“That we won’t do,” Etienne promised. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone again.”
And that he did.
When he got to Cassius, he gave me a chin jerk but ultimately didn’t say a single thing to me.
I ran my finger over the edge of my bottom lip, wondering what it would take to get him to act on whatever feelings he was ‘harboring’ for me.
“Come on,” Karen urged. “Let’s go swimming.”
But we got caught up with Matilda, Dutch, and Diana as they played a game of Uno on a beach table while they sipped margaritas.
After getting one myself, I was halfway through when I heard Dutch say, “Cassius is glaring at you.”
I looked over at Cassius, who was in the water holding a bottle of beer. He was crouched down on his knees, and the waves were slowly rolling into his broad back.