Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
The man slowly turned Jake’s way and walked toward him casually, as if he were here not on business but on a tour of the region. The closer he was, the more obvious his size became, and seeing the massive pecs push at the front of the jacket had Jake involuntarily salivating.
“Ah. Is that far away from here, boy?” the man said, staring at Jake like a hawk, his blue eyes intense and bright in the mature and handsome face. There was something wild about his features, a sharp glint to the eyes under the thick gray eyebrows, the nose that was such a prominent presence on his face, the broad jaw. Jake needed to remind himself not to stare back.
He licked his lips, getting hot under the collar. This fucker was almost Beast's size. Jake wasn't a tiny man himself, and in fact he was even slowly outgrowing Gray, but not anywhere close to the size of this bear of a man. “With all due respect sir, I’m no kid. It’s a ten-minute drive. I usually make it in five, but not in this weather.”
The man pressed his lips together and crooked his head in acknowledgement. “Must be nice to have all that nature around. The town’s close enough too.”
Tension eased in Jake’s body. This wasn’t a confrontation, only a bit of innocent small talk to kill the time until Mr. Magpie’s arrival.
“It is nice. There’s the forest, you can swim in the lake in the summer, ice skate in the winter, and the building itself is really cool. You think you’ve seen it all, and then you find something completely new.”
The man grinned, which somehow made him seem even more predatory. “How poetic. You make it sound very inviting. I should enjoy it here.”
Jake wasn’t sure if he was being mocked, but there was no way to bite back if the guy was Magpie’s. “How long will you be staying? Sir?” he added the honorific for good measure, because there was something about the guy that screamed next level.
The man’s grin widened. “I like the way you say sir,” he said, making the r sound very pronounced. “I’ll be staying indefinitely. I’m here to prospect with you.”
Chapter 2 - Vars
The sweet blond all-American boy who met Vars at the gate wasn’t at all what he’d expected. The kid was young, definitely below the age of twenty-five, with eyes the color of cornflowers and a bright flush on his pale cheeks, as if the Snow Queen herself had kissed his face during that ten-minute ride.
The gate was at least a hundred years old, and between its tall columns Vars could see a land of snow-covered nature, undisturbed for the most part, with the boy standing at the very entrance like a guardian Vars needed to charm in order to enter. He could most definitely do that.
The prospect frowned, which didn't make him any less handsome. "Like prospect-prospect?" He crossed his arms on his chest, with a confused look on his face that made him seem younger. Vars had heard about the freedom of sexual expression at the Kings of Hell MC, and now he wondered whether this boy was up for grabs.
“For all I know, but that’s up to your prez and Mr. Magpie, isn’t it?” Vars asked, taking one more step toward the prospect. The blue eyes clouded slightly upon his approach, and it worked like catnip, beckoning him closer, until the tips of his boots stuck firmly into the prospect’s personal space.
The boy eyed Vars from head to toe and made a show of it too. “Aren’t you a bit old to prospect?” The little smirk on his face came unexpectedly after the polite way he’d tried to act before. So Vars would be dealing with a cute brat.
He could work with that.
“Where’s the ‘sir’ gone?” Vars asked, leaning forward to pull the prospect further out of his comfort zone. It was a test, and if the boy failed, Vars would gladly teach him how to pass next time.
The prospect leaned back, but when their eyes met the confusion was back, along with glimpses of attraction if Vars had ever seen them. He would be eating slices of that pink meat soon enough.
“‘Sir’ is reserved for important guests,” the boy mumbled. “You don’t get a pass just because you’re old.”
Not that Vars would ever be getting any older, but the big mouth needed to learn some manners. It wouldn’t be happening now, with Mr. Magpie’s car approaching from behind the curve of the road, but Vars would get on that soon enough.
Once Vars was done smoothing out the wrinkles on the boy’s supple flesh, maybe the two of them could become good friends. Nothing more, because Vars was done with complicating his life, but he wouldn’t keep himself from enjoying someone so adorable.