Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“It wouldn’t fit the theme. The dark wood helps, even better if it were painted black. Is there a cauldron inside?”
“No.” I snicker, wondering what on earth he could be imagining. “It’s a phrase my mom would use on us when we got overtired and whiny as kids. Looks like it’s the witching hour.”
“The witching hour is also folklore about terrible things fated to happen or something like that.”
“You’d fit right into this town.” I chuckle as I exit the car. We’ve had some tragedies happen around here, but they had nothing to do with a curse. Though maybe I’m wrong, who knows. “You stay long enough, you’ll hear things.”
“True things?” he asks over the hood of the car.
“Eh, depends on who you ask.” I roll my eyes. “Folklore, as you say.”
He follows me inside, and I try to see the bar from his perspective, with its wooden booths and four-seaters, a pool table, and darts.
“No sorcery in sight,” he says, and I chuckle.
My brother is busy serving customers, so he doesn’t notice us at first.
“Hey, Johnny,” I say, pulling up two barstools.
He cocks a brow. “Who’s your friend?”
“Car broke down, so I told him where to find some good food and drinks.”
“Damn straight.” Johnny smiles. Always the charmer. He never lets anything get him down. At least not publicly. “Johnny McCoy.”
“Nice to meet you.” They shake hands. “Aaron Edwards.”
We order beers and burgers as my brother and I shoot the shit for a few minutes. I can feel Aaron scrutinizing me again, and this time, it feels like more than curiosity. I wonder if it has to do with admitting my sexuality on the way here. I’m not dumb and have been around the block a few times in my thirty-seven years. If he’s interested, it’ll have to be up to him to let me know.
Once Johnny walks away to help another customer, our eyes meet again. His gaze lingers before traveling down to my mouth. Well, damn. If that wasn’t an appreciative glance, I don’t know what is.
I return the favor, and he clears his throat and looks away. “So, it’s just you and your brother?”
“Hell no. There’s my aunt Dina, who’s married to Uncle Chuck, my sister, June, and her son, Cain.”
His eyebrows rise. “So you grew up here?”
“Uh-huh.” I take a sip of my beer.
“And your parents?”
My stomach drops, and it takes me way too long to respond because he blurts, “Sorry.”
“No worries.” It was an innocent question. “My parents and brother-in-law—June’s husband—died in a boating accident six years ago.”
His hand flies to his mouth. “Fuck.”
Thankfully, our burgers are delivered right then, but I can’t shake the tightness in my chest. That year was the most awful in my life—in all our lives.
Aaron digs right in. “Damn, this is good.”
I nod because my mouth is full.
“How about you?” I ask. “Family?”
“Just me and my mom.”
Right then, his cell buzzes on the bar top. Aaron frowns at the message.
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah.” He sighs. “My business partner is gonna have to take a meeting for me in the morning.”
“What kind of business?” I ask because I can’t help being curious as well.
“I’m in sales,” he replies, and before I can clarify what that means, he says, “Rocco and I started a business together straight out of college.”
“Must be nice working with a friend. But also tricky,” I say, and he nods. “Sort of like what it’s like for me and Frank. He’s my best friend, but also like part of the family.”
“Yeah, sometimes we walk a fine line, but communication helps.”
“Sure does.”
As more townsfolk arrive, a few greet us before finding seats, their gazes landing on Aaron, curiosity getting the best of them.
“Does everyone know each other in this town?”
When his thigh accidentally brushes against mine, my skin pebbles. “Pretty much.”
“And they’re okay…with you…?”
Ah, there it is.
I hitch a shoulder. “Don’t give a shit if they aren’t.”
He grins. “I like that.”
“But it can be a bit much, with everyone in your business, something you probably don’t have to deal with.”
“Not much, no. The anonymity of a bigger city can be nice.”
When his eyes meet mine, I see the heat in them, and my dick takes notice.
“On that note…” I push my plate away and wipe my mouth. “You let me know when you’re ready to head back.”
“Yeah, sure. I don’t want to keep you.”
“I don’t have any plans tonight.”
Our gazes latch again and hold. I have the urge to take his mouth right there in the bar. I haven’t been this interested in a hookup in a while. But I’m also nervous I’m reading him all wrong.
When his gaze travels down the front of me, he can’t make it clearer that he’s interested too. “Then I suppose now is a good time.”
There’s electric energy between us the entire way back to the motel and as I follow him to his room. The moment he shuts the door behind us, we’re on each other.