Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“All right. If you insist and it’s okay with Sloane, I’ll go grab pizza.”
“If that’s what she wants…” Sloane said reluctantly. The chicken she defrosted for dinner could wait another day.
“I wanna go with,” Val announced as Rez set her back on her feet.
Sloane spoke up. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” She wasn’t sure if Decker would mind Val going off like that with a man who wasn’t family. She glanced over at the beer bottle to make sure he hadn’t drank too much to drive. It wasn’t even half gone.
“Are you my ride or die, Valee Girl?”
“Yeah! I’m his ride or die, Sloane. I gotta go!”
Sloane pressed a hand over her mouth to smother the laugh bubbling up. “How about you go grab a brush so I can untangle that mess on your head before you go. Put on some shoes and socks, too.”
She was already running toward her room when she yelled, “Okay!”
“Okay,” Sloane muttered and glanced at Rez.
The man had a huge smile on his face when he repeated, “Okay.” He pursed his lips as he studied Sloane for a minute too long. “Do you want us to eat at the pizza place so you can concentrate on work?”
The man was being either gracious or cunning with that offer. “Do you mind? I have about two hours more of work to do. If I can get it done while you’re gone, then I’ll have time to curl up on the couch with her later to watch the latest Lion King movie for the hundredth time.”
“Only your hundredth? I think Decker knows the whole movie by heart by now and can recite both the dialogue and lyrics.” He threw his head back and belted out a few lines of the song Circle of Life.
His voice actually wasn’t half bad.
Val popped her head out of the hallway. “Uncle Rez, can we watch The Lion King while we eat pizza?”
“How about we watch it later with a big bag of buttered popcorn?”
“Yay!” Her head disappeared.
Rez turned to her and shrugged. “Do you mind?”
Did she really have a say? “We were going to watch it anyway.” She considered the man before her. The one who just volunteered to watch a movie with a four-year-old, like it was a normal thing for him. “Do you have kids?”
“Hell no.”
Okay, then. “Do you want any?”
“Not my focus right now.”
“What is?” she asked. Two could play the game of being nosy.
“Work.”
“All work and no play…”
“Makes Rez a cranky boy,” he finished. “That’s not an issue. I get plenty of opportunity to play.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Luckily, she didn’t have to. Though, she wasn’t quite lucky about the reason why.
“I’m ready!” Val announced with flourish as she popped out of the hallway and threw her hands up with dramatic flair.
Sloane groaned. “No, you’re not.”
Rez turned away from Val, attempting to hide his laughter, though his shaking body and dropped head gave him away.
The four-year-old wore a pink polka-dotted one-piece bathing suit, rainbow striped knee-high socks and two different colored Crocs. One pink, one turquoise.
With a sigh, Sloane quickly strode in Val’s direction. “I’ll have her ready in five,” she promised the cop.
“I’ll be waiting,” Rez miraculously managed to say with a straight face.
At the first chance Decker had, he texted: Everything good?
Great, was Rez’s instant response. Took Val for pizza, now we’re watching TLK. And munching on popcorn.
He was doing what? He knew about the pizza because Sloane sent him a message hours ago asking him if it was okay.
Of course it was. He trusted Val with any and all of his brothers, but he hadn’t expected Rez to linger at the house. He had a good idea why he had and that was confirmed with Rez’s next text.
Brother, she’s hot as fuck. And that ass! Damn! You mind if I try to tap that? The next message popped on his screen before Decker could respond to the previous one. You got nothing going with her, right?
He stared at his phone for a second trying to keep his shit tight before sending the simple and to the point text: She’s off limits.
Why?
Because I don’t want your dumb ass fucking shit up. I don’t have time to look for another nanny.
She said she’s not your nanny.
Close enough. The answer is no.
Rez was going to do something stupid, he just knew it. So, he scrambled to pull up Crew’s number and texted him: Need you to do something for me.
He counted off the seconds by using his pounding heartbeat. He never should’ve sent Rez. He should’ve sent Finn or Axel. Or even Cross. Someone who wasn’t single. Or was at least gay.
Lesson fucking learned.
When his phone vibrated in his hand, he read the incoming message from the task force leader. What’s going on? Where are you now?