Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“No, that’s the other one. This is just Lane.” Mack smirked.
I snorted a chuckle and shook Reese’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Oh, he had a firm grip. “You make sure to come to me if he gives you too much shit.”
I grinned. “Will do, Sir.”
“Bitch, please.” Macklin rolled his eyes. “Can we get out of here? We’re starving.”
“Good thing I bought food,” Reese replied. He helped Mack with his behemoth of a bag and lowered the tailgate. “There’s a lifetime supply of patty melts in the passenger’s seat. Should be warm still. We’re throwin’ ’em on the grill when we get back.”
That…sounded fucking delicious. Patty melt on the grill? Sign me up.
“I knew I loved you for a reason.” Macklin went straight for the food. “By the way, did you hear about Penelope and Ella?”
Reese turned grim, and he nodded with a dip of his chin. “I talked to her earlier. Ella’s already moved out.”
“Jesus.” Mack handed me a patty melt, and my stomach snarled audibly. “Is it true, then? Did Ella cheat?”
“Afraid so.”
Once I’d placed my rollaboard on the bed of the truck, I threw my backpack into the back seat, and then I unwrapped my melt. And took a big bite.
Oh my God. So much cheesy goodness.
“I hope you booted her from the community,” Mack said.
Reese quirked a rueful little smirk and got behind the wheel. “Cheating isn’t really against the community policy, pet. We don’t get involved unless we have to. But I don’t think we’ll see her again. She terminated her online account.”
So maybe Mclean House wasn’t completely immune to drama?
I buckled in next to Macklin in the back seat, and at this rate, I’d finish my patty melt before he’d unwrapped his.
“Don’t look so pissy, Macklin,” Reese said.
My boyfriend suddenly looked offended instead. “Excuse me if this bothers me. I thought Ella was my friend.”
Reese pulled away from the curb and sighed. “First of all, their relationship ain’t about you. Second, we don’t know the whole story. It sucks that they split, but I’m not gonna judge anyone. Ella’s been with us from the start. Has she ever been anything but sweet?”
I side-eyed Mack and chewed on a mouthful of delicious, delicious melt.
He scowled out the window and bit at a cuticle.
“So, Lane.” Welp. Reese’s voice combined with my name took me aback. I thought they were in the middle of drama. But I met his gaze in the rearview. “You look awfully related to our Corey.”
Oh. I chuckled. “He’s my cousin.”
He nodded with a dip of his chin. “I figured. He’s mentioned a kinky cousin he works with. You’re part of the Old Town community, then?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“So far,” Macklin interjected. “I’m working on recruiting him.”
Uh-huh.
Reese smirked to himself and turned onto the main road.
“By the way, can we swing by a store?” Macklin continued. “I don’t wanna arrive empty-handed, and Lane needs snacks.”
The man knew me.
I crammed the last of my melt into my mouth and crumpled the paper.
“Sure,” Reese answered. “I should pick up some extra soap anyway. Because I was today years old when I learned that snakes often piss themselves when you catch them—if there’s a struggle, Ty said.”
“They fucking what?” Mack was horrified.
Well, hey. A topic that automatically had me firing on all cylinders. I sat a little straighter and adjusted my seat belt.
“They can do a lot more than that, Sir,” I replied. “Sometimes, they’ll prolapse their assholes and shit on you too.”
Reese stared at me flatly in the rearview, causing me to grin.
“I just wanna make it really goddamn clear that I am not going on a snake hunt,” Mack said, emphasizing nearly every word. Then he took a bite of his patty melt and eyed me. “If you’re going, you’re sleeping on the couch afterward. I don’t care how much soap you use.”
I chuckled and shrugged. Nature was dirty and spectacular. “I’m going, baby.”
He huffed.
I felt much better after our stop at a store. I had plenty of snacks, gum, soda, and soap. I’d bought two cases of beer for the host too, as a thank-you. Macklin had bought wine and some nice steaks for everyone.
During our brief shopping spree, Macklin had told Reese about my reptile hobby, so the hot Sadist warned me as soon as we got back in the truck that he had questions. He and his brother had grown up hunting quite a bit, but never reptiles, and now he wanted to learn everything.
“I think Ty hunts more than just Burmese pythons,” Reese mentioned. “Does Florida have a lot of invasive species?”
“Oh yeah, tons.” I nodded. “If he’s contracted by the state and he has experience with larger constrictors, I’m sure he hunts all kinds. Iguanas, monitors, pythons, tegus, and so on.”
Reese’s eyes flashed with predatory excitement, so it was safe to say he was looking forward to the hunting.