Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 103637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” Arden said after several minutes of walking in silence, but his features, no matter how pretty, were once more an icy façade.
“Why the long face? You don’t like how your hair’s turned out? Mona gets like that sometimes,” Mike said, stepping that bit closer as they walked along the corridor with no clear purpose. Should Mike offer to buy Arden dinner?
“No, I do. I feel really nice, I just…” He glared at Mike. “I know you’re playing at something, and I don’t like it. I’m just not sure if I’m your freak show for the afternoon, or if you’re making fun of me.”
Mike stopped and watched him for a few seconds. “I am not making fun of you. I don’t have over a hundred dollars to burn on pranks,” he said, and the voice at the back of his head once again asked, If Arden offered you sex, would you say no?
Nobody needed to know Mike’s answer, and besides, wanting to experiment didn’t make him any less of a man. Not when Arden resembled a girl to the point where he’d fooled Mike.
“So if you’re for real, you need to know I don’t do sex anymore. This won’t go anywhere even though I’m very flattered.”
Mike blinked, only to roar with laughter. “Oh, come on! You can do better than that. Nobody gets rid of me that easily.” What did ‘don’t do sex’ even mean? Especially that ‘anymore’ and the stylist’s comments indicated Arden was most definitely up for dick in general.
Despite having just said no, Arden stepped closer and slipped his hand into Mike’s, squeezing it hard. “Pretend you’re my boyfriend,” he whispered in a higher pitch, his eyes wide and frantic.
Okay. That was… weird, but Mike was eager to serve and pulled Arden close, burying his nose in the smooth hair that smelled of candy shampoo. His head spun from the intensity of the sweet aroma, and as he moved his lips along the slope of Arden’s skull, he opened his mouth and nipped on the tip of his ear.
“In what capacity? You want a warm popsicle after all?” He said it because expressing whatever his horny brain wanted came naturally to him, but it wasn’t just for kicks. He’d love to know what was going through Arden’s mind.
“No, that’s not the—”
“Arden. Lovely new hairdo,” said a deep male voice.
Mike looked up and met the eyes of a man who’d dived so deep into Mike’s personal space that his intrusion begged for a broken nose.
The guy was buff, almost as tall as Mike, and as heavily tattooed, but there was a darkness to his gaze and he had stitches going across his forehead and all the way into short blond hair. He looked like bad news, even though Mike had to admit to seeing a certain roguish charm in him.
“Who is this, baby boy?” Mike asked, ready to shove the stranger away, because Arden wouldn’t have pushed so close to him if he wasn’t worried.
“This is Luke. An old friend.” Arden turned around with a tense smile, but his fingers gripped Mike’s hand like a tiny vice.
The man spread his arms. “Just that, huh? I’d like to chat again sometime.”
“Sorry, no can do. I’m busy with my new job, and boyfriend and stuff,” Arden said quickly, on a single exhale. “Hope the head’s healing well.”
Mike stepped into his new role as if he’d been born to do this.
“A friend my ass! You’re not meeting your ex behind my back. Haven’t we talked about this?” Mike asked in a stern voice before facing Luke with a threatening smile, the kind that either pushed men into attacking him or running with their tails between their legs.
What kind of man would Luke be?
“I advise you to take a hike. Try contacting my boy, and I’ll visit you when you’re sleeping,” Mike snarled.
Luke’s jaw tensed and he squinted but didn’t risk taking a step forward. “So that’s how it is, Arden? Already found yourself a new dick to sit on?”
“Fuck you!” Arden spat, but it was like the peep of a mouse, and the way Arden sought protection in Mike woke a lion in him.
“What did you say to him?” Mike snarled and shoved Luke right out of the invisible circle that should not have been crossed by random strangers. “Treat the boy like the lady he is or shut your mouth.”
He had no doubt Luke had stolen a glance at the front of his cut. Yes, fucker, think about your next step, or you’ll have a whole biker club on your ass.
Luke was smart enough to raise his hands and step away. “It’s not over, tramp!” But he rushed away as soon as he’d said that, and melted into the crowd, disappearing from sight.
Mike hadn’t even noticed when he’d put his arm around Arden’s shoulders, but the boy was glued to him like a baby chimpanzee.