Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
“Frank, Zeb, and Griffin, right? Gage said they share a house near the new location.”
“Yeah, they’re the ones.” I’m sure I’ve told her about Griffin’s antics at some point. I’m not sure she knows the other two men very well, and probably mostly knows them from Gage and Kai’s point of view.
So I receive my second surprise of the day when she blurts out, “Are you concerned because they all have a thing for you?”
“What?” The glass nearly slips from my hand, but I manage to set it upright on the counter.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know.” There’s laughter in my friend’s voice.
“Didn’t know? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you notice the way they look at you? I only have eyes for Kai and Gage when I stop by, but it’s still obvious to me.”
Even though she can’t see me, I frown and shake my head. “Griffin flirts with everyone. That’s just how he is.”
“I’m not just talking about Griffin.”
I scan through memories of my limited encounters with Frank and Zeb, and come up blank. “Gage and Kai didn’t tell you this, did they?”
“What? No. When they started talking about promoting you, I purposely didn’t mention this, because I didn’t want to risk giving them any reason why they shouldn’t choose you to manage the new shop. You know they’re not big on employees dating.”
Lexy is usually level-headed, but she’s been enjoying a long honeymoon phase with her three partners—Kai’s brother, Thorn, is also part of their relationship—and she must be looking at the world through love-colored glasses these days, because there’s no way cranky Zeb or stoic Frank have been making eyes at me.
ZEB
Kai and Gage were right. This new space is smaller than a mob boss’s heart.
It’s nice enough, though. It’s clean, and filled with brick, metal and wood, like the original location. Can’t beat the commute. I got an extra twenty minutes in bed this morning and had time to brew a pot of coffee before I left the house.
“Shiny new workstations. Nice.” Griffin’s running his hands over everything, looking like an eager puppy. If he had a tail, it’d be wagging.
The workstations, two on each side of the space, actually are nice. A little bigger than the ones we had at the main location.
“This one’s mine.” I claim a station in the back, diagonally opposite Griffin’s, and send a smirk in Frank’s direction. He’ll be the one to listen to Griffin’s singing, though in this small shop, there’ll probably be no escaping it.
Frank sends me a look that says he knows exactly what I’m thinking, but he’s above being bothered by such petty things. And he probably is. Frank’s an old soul, just not the Buddhist monk kind. I wouldn’t ever want to give him a reason to kick my ass.
Gage shows us down a narrow hall, past an office to a storage room. “I believe you’re fully stocked with everything you’ll need, but if anything’s missing, let Ember know.”
The woman in question is notably absent, though Gage said she’s on her way. After Gage points out the restroom and the back exit to the alley, we return to the front of the shop just as Ember rushes in the door.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. According to the bus schedule, I should’ve been here fifteen minutes ago, but that’s not how it worked out.”
“No problem,” Gage says easily.
She goes on as if he hadn’t spoken. “I’ll take the earlier bus from now on, and I won’t be late for the opening tomorrow.”
Sometimes I get the idea Ember’s had too much coffee, and today she looks like she’s running on four double espressos. She needs to chill out, but I guess she’s feeling the need to prove herself in her new role as manager, especially since she’s so young.
I’ve tried to think of her, ever since she started at Beasts Ink, as the sister I never had. Not that it worked. She’s in her usual business attire today, all buttoned up, and all I want to do is ease her right out of her clothes and relax her the best way nature knows how.
Never gonna happen, though. I’m not the relationship type, and Ember’s not the hit it and quit it type. It’s true that her lunch dates seem to involve an ever-changing cast of characters, but they’re too brief for her to be doing the nasty.
I have no idea what she gets up to at night, though. And now I’m going to be wondering. She must be single; she wouldn’t have a steady guy and go on all those lunch dates. Not her style.
Do any of her midday men visit her at night? I snarl at myself as my cock twitches. Stupid, to let my mind go there when I know it’s impossible.
“Want us to give you a ride tomorrow?” Griffin’s offer sounds innocent, but the arch of his brow tells me what kind of ride he’d like to give Ember, and it doesn’t involve carpooling with him and Frank. I’m relieved when she turns him down.