Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
As the crowd mingles and celebrates, Rhett turns his attention to me.
“I have to know…” He stares at the gorgeous Strakh men across the room, his pupils dilating. “Are you involved with all three of them?”
His question catches me off guard, and for a moment, I hesitate. But the alcohol in my bloodstream melts my walls and loosens my tongue.
“Yes. No. Kind of. Not exactly.”
“I assume the truth is in there somewhere?”
They’re mine.
I want to scream it so every woman here knows, but that would be unhinged. So I settle on whispering it to the one person who asked. “I’m in love with them. All of them.”
“Oh, shit.” He chuckles, finding amusement in my predicament.
“Yeah. A huge, heaping pile of oh, shit.”
“What’s stopping you from being with all of them? Who says you have to choose?”
“Do they look like the kind of men who share?”
He looks at them. He hasn’t taken his eyes off them. “No. But if anyone can change their minds, it’s you.”
“I love your confidence in me, but I already know how this will end.”
“How?”
“They’ll make me choose, and I can’t do that.” My ribs tighten. “I would shatter my own heart if it means keeping theirs intact.”
“They might surprise you. Do you know how many times they’ve looked over here in the past five minutes?”
“They’re possessive. All of them. Makes everything complicated.”
“Life is complicated, Frankie. Sometimes the simplest answer is the most scandalous one.”
As I ponder that response, Sirena saunters in.
“Fuck my life.” I grab my vodka, tipping it to my lips.
Her attention homes in on the Strakh men as if they’re the only three people in the room.
“Who is that?” Rhett braces an arm on the table, leaning forward.
“The bane of my existence.”
Dark hair flows around her like a silken curtain, and her short, low-cut dress barely covers her ample chest and long, beautiful legs. She makes a beeline for them, for my entire world, her flirtatious demeanor on full display.
“She leads Monty’s investigative team.” I gnash my teeth.
“She has a laser focus on your boys.”
“Thanks, Dr. Obvious.”
“You’re just going to sit here?”
“Yep.”
I’m going to keep my ass right here and talk to my friend. Because, unlike Leo and Kody, I have self-control. I went to therapy. I journal when I feel angry and murderous.
I support women. I do not pick fights with them, no matter how badly I want to grab a fistful of that black hair, throw her to the ground, and punch her face until she bleeds.
Nope, I’m not doing that.
“Want me to beat her up for you?” Rhett grins.
“Stop it. You already know what I’m dealing with at the hospital with two of those barbarians.”
“For the record, Paul was out of line and has been written up.”
“I wish you wouldn’t have done that. I’m trying to fit back into this life. The transition would be easier if I made friends instead of enemies.”
“Hospital rules, Frankie. He commented on your looks.”
As we continue our conversation about Leo and Kody and the shit they’ve stirred up in the trauma unit, my eyes bore holes in the back of Sirena’s head.
Her goddamn hands are never idle. She strokes Leo’s braids, touches Monty’s shoulder, and her lips…
Did she just brush her mouth against Leo’s ear?
A throb pounds behind my eyes.
He’s so accustomed to her constant touching that he doesn’t even push her away anymore. How far do they let her go when they’re traveling together? She’s been with them more than I have over the past month.
And I have a ban on sex.
She clearly does not.
“I hate to run, but I have an early surgery in the morning.” He glances at his watch before meeting my eyes. “Here’s some unsolicited advice. Go over there and claim your men openly and publicly in front of her and everyone.”
With that, he squeezes my shoulder and leaves.
Claim my men.
Right.
What do I have to lose?
I’ll just walk over there and kiss Monty on the lips in front of Leo and Kody.
Then I’ll kiss Leo and Kody in front of Monty.
Sure.
That will go over wonderfully.
Not only would it end in a bloody brawl and ruin Kody’s night, I would lose everything. All three of them. My entire world.
When Sirena finally steps away to use the restroom, I seize my chance.
With security guards on my heels, I follow her into the hall lined with single-user restrooms. Each door leads to a private commode. A gold standard for public bathrooms, especially at a bar. Kody went all out in his renovations.
I tell my bodyguards to wait outside as I reach the restroom she entered, catching the door before she can close it on me.
“Oh, hey, Frankie.” She tries to block me from entering, her flirtatious confidence gone. “What are you doing?”
I hip-check the door and slip in with her, shutting us inside the small room together.