Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 131916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
“Damn, Raven’s new friend is wicked hot, isn’t she? Shy as fuck, but I’m pretty sure I could coax her out of that.” Kane said it sly, nothing but an insinuation. Took all I had not to reach out and wrap my hand around his throat, and instead, a warning growl was coming out of mine.
“How about you don’t chase the poor girl out of town since she barely got here?” I gritted, trying to play it cool when it felt like I was splintering apart. Had no fuckin’ clue what it was about her that was making me crazy.
Felt like I was teetering on something that was going to leave me unglued.
“Poor girl?” Kane’s brows rose for the sky. “Says the guy who’s been staring at her like he’s going to rip her to shreds with his teeth for the last three hours.”
He tossed it out with a cock of his head, really fuckin’ proud of himself with that smirk.
And I was finally catching on to the fact that he was setting me up, the fucker.
Theo laughed, nudging the toe of his boot against my leg. “Yeah. Anyone ever seen River here so spun up about pussy? I mean, she is fucking gorgeous, but it’s not like he’s not accustomed to the finer things in life. And there he sits, dude about to crawl out of his skin, foaming at the mouth.”
“Rabid,” Otto agreed.
“Bullshit,” I rumbled.
Otto cracked up. “Really, brother? Thought you were going to go right over the table every time she shifted in her seat. Two more seconds, and you were going to blow.”
“None of you know what the hell you’re talking about.”
Kane took a sip of his whiskey, grin playing all over his cocky face. “Well, since you aren’t interested, then I guess I might as well be the one to add a little icing to her cake.”
“Not one of you are touching her.” The words were nothing but gravel. Scraping in possession.
Kane laughed like it was hysterical, and he wagged a finger at me. “Ahh, that’s what I thought.”
I shrugged like it didn’t matter and I wasn’t itching to fly out of my seat. “She’s Raven’s friend, so I’d appreciate it if you assholes didn’t ruin that for my sister, yeah?”
My sister was finally spreading her wings. Meeting people. Having fun. And while I might have been protective as all hell when it came to her, it filled me with relief that she was stepping out.
I told myself the command that had grated from my tongue didn’t have a thing to do with the woman herself or the way my guts had been in knots of need since the second I’d seen her standing next to Raven earlier this afternoon.
“You know, with the life he leads, I’d think he’d be a better liar.” Otto hooked a thumb in my direction.
“Fuck you, man,” I grumbled, and he laughed one of his jovial, easy laughs before he reached out and jostled my shoulder with his giant mitt. “Thought we just discussed you finding a way to let loose? A place to put all that aggression that’s got you bound? It’s a beautiful night. Get up and have yourself a little fun, brother. What do you think this whole thing is about?”
He waved a hand over his head to take in the festival.
What this whole thing was about was not getting suckered into taking home a puppy, that was what.
Which the thought of it sent my attention slanting back to the three of them dancing, not that I had been able to keep my focus away from that spot the entire time they’d been on the floor.
Nolan was on his feet and twirling in a circle with his hands thrown high, Raven doing the same. Charleigh went to mimic the move, though she stumbled when she was facing out toward the lake.
Just fucking freezing.
Swore I could feel the cold streak through the air. Mood dumping to dim while she stood there facing out toward the darkened beach of the lake where there were still a few people, though they’d become shadows and silhouettes.
She stumbled a fraction, and her ankle twisted to the side since she was wearing those high wedged heels, blown back like she’d just seen a ghost.
She wasn’t so far away that I couldn’t make out the terror locked on her face, though she was doing her best to pretend it wasn’t there when she turned back to Raven and quickly rambled something I couldn’t hear, though clearly it was some kind of excuse.
Raven frowned like she knew it, too.
Charleigh’s fingers brushed through Nolan’s hair before she started to push into the roiling crowd. Raven reached out to take her by the wrist like she was hoping to convince her not to leave, but Charleigh was backing away, shaking her head, smile so fake that I felt it crack.