Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Still, I find myself looking in the mirror, getting ready to see my sweet fascination. Penny’s scheduled to visit her family for Jules’s birthday party, and I promised to drive with them for protection. I can’t say that I’m not going just to get a glimpse of Jules, because I am. Hell, that’s why Jackson asked me. The fucker isn’t blind, even though I’ve done my best to hide my heartache. I miss her more and more, but I can’t justify making her give up her life in Dallas for a life she would resent.
I drive to the bakery where I’m to meet them. Jumping out of my SUV, I see Penny waiting by the door with a cart of treats. “Right on time,” Jackson says, reaching out to shake my hand as I approach.
“You know me.” I shrug.
“Your hair looks cute like that,” Penny says. “That messy, ‘just had sex’ look works for you.” It’s just slightly longer than my normal buzz cut—just enough to be messy.
“Penelope, he is my friend. Don’t make me kill him,” Jackson growls. “Two orgasms this morning, and you’re still thinking about sex.”
“Oh, hush. I’m just saying Blade looks good for my cousin,” she says, tossing me a wink.
“Your cousin doesn’t want anything to do with me, so what would it matter if I look good?” I remind her.
Penny throws her head back like she was slapped. “Doesn’t want anything to do with you? Who fed you that lie?” I’d love to believe her, but I have two people she told separately that she didn’t want our lifestyle.
“The last time I saw her, she gave me the cold shoulder and said I was just a stranger to her.”
“Wow. What did you do to piss her off, then? That’s not like Jules at all.”
“I don’t know. Anyways, it doesn’t matter. Are we ready to go?” I ask, running out of patience. A big part of me longs to see Jules, and another is going to be upset if she’s seeing someone else.
“Yes. Let’s load these bad boys up.” I rub my hands together and open up the back of my truck. I start loading them while Jackson helps Penny into the back seat. She’s about to give birth soon, and it’s starting to show.
Once I get them all in, Jackson runs the cart back inside the bakery and locks it up. I hop into the driver’s seat, and he takes the passenger instead of sitting in the back with Penny. “You can sit back there if you want,” I tell him.
“No, I don’t want you to feel like a chauffeur.”
“Please. Just get in the back where you want to be.” He gives me a sheepish smile as if I’m supposed to be bothered that he wants to sit next to his beautiful, pregnant wife. Once he climbs in beside her and closes the door, I take off out of town, being careful to avoid a lot of bumps. Being around all these women with big baby bellies has taught me that everyone either has to pee often, or that bumps in the road suck for their bladders.
We’re only an hour from their place, so we make small talk and I do all I can to avoid conversation about Jules. I don’t want to know if she’s got a boyfriend because I might run the motherfucker over or put a bullet in his head. We pull up to a large estate and through the gated entrance to a long driveway with about twenty cars lined up along the side.
“I’ll drop you off at the front and then park.”
“They hired a valet for today,” Penny says.
“Okay. Luckily, the guns and knives hidden in the vehicle have a special lock to open the secret compartment.”
“Yep,” Jackson says, nodding while opening his door. We don’t like strangers alone in our vehicles because we always carry a hidden arsenal.
I get out first, heart pounding, hands shaking, ready to see Jules. Jackson steps out of the back and then lends a hand to his wife. I would, but I know he likes to show how much of a gentleman he is to his wife.
“Blade, can you grab the cupcakes?” Penny asks as she adjusts her dress. She is supplying three dozen cupcakes for the party. I take two tray containers and close the trunk. Walking behind them, I wait for the door to open while scoping out the area for trouble. I’m so busy looking for trouble that I don’t notice they already went inside. I reach the top of the grand entrance when I feel someone behind me.
"Hey there, bud. They just let any riff-raff in?" I turn and see a punk-ass man looking up at me. He’s just under five ten with a swimmer’s build, wearing a baby-blue polo shirt and a pair of khaki shorts.