Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
“Jesus,” Max says, sitting on the chair in the corner.
“Tell me about it,” Heath says, chuckling at Silas. “I see where you get your temper now.”
“Shut up,” Silas growls.
“What was your dad talking about?” I ask. “With the whole undercover stuff. I thought her business was stealing from the Mafia?”
Silas narrows his eyes at me. “You want me to tell you all about my family business while telling me nothing about yours?”
I slam my lips shut. “Fine.”
Silas rolls his eyes and sighs. “My mom’s the head of an organization that infiltrates and destroys underground trafficking rings. There. Now you know.”
I frown. “That’s more than just the Mafia stuff you told me about earlier.”
“Your turn,” Silas says. “Care to tell me why literal Bones Brotherhood men were after you? The same men my mom’s been hunting for years?”
I tilt my head. “They want something I have.”
Silas makes a face. “What? Money? You?”
I swallow. I don’t trust him enough to divulge the truth.
Heath snorts. “Wake up, Silas. She’s not going to tell you.”
“I told you the truth,” Silas grits.
“I didn’t force you to,” I reply.
His fist balls. “Playing games again, thief?”
“Guys, guys, calm down. There’s no point arguing when clearly she doesn’t wanna tell for good reasons. Why else would she still keep it a secret?” Max says, getting between us.
“She still doesn’t trust us,” Heath says.
“She just needs a little bit more time,” Max interjects, grabbing Heath’s arm. “Please. You promised me we were done fighting over her.”
He sighs and rubs his forehead. “Fine.”
“Silas?” Max asks gently.
“How am I supposed to protect you when I don’t even know from what?” he grits.
“Then don’t. I never asked,” I respond.
Silas scoffs, “And then what? Let you get dragged away by those fuckers? Is that what you want?”
I stare him down, fiercely holding my ground. “I’m done owing anyone anything.”
The room grows quiet. So quiet it becomes awkward.
“So … what do we do now?” Max asks.
“What do you mean, what now?” Heath frowns. “The dean was pretty clear. Let’s go clean up the pool table. And the floor.” He eyes his pants, which have a stain on them. “And ourselves.”
Max snorts and hides his laughter with a smile.
I sigh and walk to the bar, grasping a bucket from underneath so I can fill it with water and a bit of dish soap.
“What are you doing?” Silas asks as he approaches me.
“What does it look like?” I reply, grabbing a sponge too. “You wanted me to clean, right? So get out of my way.”
He pulls the bucket right out of my hand. “No.”
He snatches the sponge away too and chucks it back into the sink. “I had a debt. You told me to clean, so I’m cleaning to clear that debt, and now you don’t want me to clean. So which is it?”
“We have maids for that,” he says.
He has got to be shitting me. “You say that now?”
“Yes. But you knew that already.” He grabs a loose strand of my hair, playing with it like he’s thinking about something, but I can’t tell what. “You knew I liked watching you get filthy for me and clean up after me … and you also know you enjoyed every second of your submission to me.” He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Admit it.”
I swat his hand away. “This is all transactional, that’s it.”
He grabs my wrist midair. “Is it? Or are you just too afraid of what else it might be?”
Panic flashes through my body.
I can’t, it isn’t safe. Cora needs me.
“Run from me again, and I will chase you,” he says.
I frown. “Duly noted. Now let me go.” I jerk free and pass by him.
Bagel enters through the door and zigzags through my legs, headed straight for Silas right when he was about to grab me again.
“Goddammit,” Silas growls, trying to shake him off.
A short snigger escapes my mouth, but I stop it immediately when they all look at me. “He needs someone to play with him.”
“And?”
I shrug. “You’ve got enough makeshift toys lying around here. Good luck.”
“Wait, where are you going?” Max asks.
“To check on Cora by myself. Or do I need to be supervised within the house too?” I quip.
Max pouts. “But I still wanted to … talk. About this.” He circles his finger around the room, insinuating all four of us.
But I really, really don’t want to talk, and especially not about this.
Because whatever this is … it’s not good.
It felt good—it felt too good.
Their greedy kisses, their possessive touches, all the tongues everywhere, and God, those dicks inside me made my entire body zing. Fucking them … was like everything suddenly didn’t matter anymore.
And that scares me.
“Not now …” I say, opening the door while adding, “Please.”
Max licks his lips. “I love you.”
And I can tell from the way he says it that he truly means it. I feel it too, deep down in my heart, but the problem is that I’m not sure he’s the only one, and that’s what I’m not ready to face.