Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 142728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
He dips his chin at me.
Sparky looms behind Shelby and taps her shoulder. “What do you call a stoned king?”
Shelby grins. “That’s easy. Your highness.”
“Christ,” Rooster mutters. “Not this again.”
“Rude.” Shelby slaps Rooster’s stomach.
“Where’s Jigsaw?” Dex asks.
Rooster glances over his shoulder. “Prowling around here somewhere.”
“I’m surprised he came here with us instead of going to the new clubhouse,” Shelby says.
Rooster grins. “I think he wanted to witness everyone giving Dex shit.”
“Great, can’t wait to see him.” Dex slaps Rooster’s shoulder and pulls me further into the clubhouse.
Shelby squeezes my arm as I pass her. “We’ll chat later!”
“Okay.”
Then she’s swallowed by a sea of people I don’t recognize and Dex doesn’t stop to talk to. He pulls us to the side of the room and stops by a large set of tall, wooden double doors. “That’s our war room,” he says against my ear, “so when I say I’m heading to church, that’s where I am.”
“Am I allowed to see it?”
One corner of his mouth slides up. “Another time.”
A large sectional couch takes up the entire back corner of the grand room. I recognize Lilly and feel a pang of regret that Serena isn’t here tonight. She notices me and waves, which draws the attention of her husband who jumps up.
“Dex! Finally, ya fuck,” he shouts. “What took so long to get your ass over here?”
“It’s crowded, in case you didn’t notice. How many of your guys came?”
Z’s gaze skims the room behind us. “Everyone.”
Lilly reaches me and pulls me in for a hug. “Serena said you’d be here tonight.” Her gaze flicks between Dex and me and her full lips curve up. “I’m happy to see you two together.”
Embarrassed, I turn my head. “Thanks.”
“Come.” She curls her hand around mine. “Let them catch up.”
Dex nods for me to go ahead. He’s still dragging my backpack around and I offer to take it, but he shakes his head.
A few couples are on the couch. And a…throuple? Three people at the far end are entwined and engaged in things I probably shouldn’t be staring at. Lilly pulls me down onto the couch next to another couple.
“Hope!” Lilly taps the woman’s leg, which is hanging off the lap of a huge guy currently trying to give her CPR, I guess?
“Huh?” Hope blinks.
Lilly tilts her head in my direction.
“Oh! Emily.” Hope tries to stand but her husband’s arm clamps down around her waist, keeping her in his lap. Laughing, she reaches over and shakes my hand. “I’m so happy you’re here!” She turns and nudges her husband. “Rock, remember Emily?”
“I do.” He nods at me. “Glad Dex finally brought you up.”
“Thanks.” A nervous smile flickers over my lips. The man’s eyes alone are intimidating.
I fan myself with my hand. “It’s crowded. Dex made it sound like it’d be a quiet night of board games here.”
Hope and Lilly laugh and share a knowing look.
“Not so much,” Hope says. “I’d say let’s go to the dining room, but I don’t think it’s any quieter in there.” She gestures to a long corridor on the other side of the house.
Lilly pulls her phone out and checks the time. “I should go relieve Heidi soon,” she says to Hope. “I think she was looking forward to a few hours away from the baby.” She glances at her husband who’s still talking to Dex at the end of the couch. “Sorry, Emily. We’re a bunch of boring moms with early bedtimes now. If you’d met us a couple years ago, we would’ve partied all night with you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Hope teases.
“I don’t know about that,” I say. “Unless Libby’s sleeping over at a friend’s house or something, I don’t really get any nights off.”
Lilly flinches as if she’s worried she offended me.
I shrug. “It’s okay. She’s older now, so I get a little more time to myself.”
“Do you have any other family?” Hope asks.
“No. It’s just the two of us.”
Hope and Lilly share another one of those looks.
“She’s always welcome here,” Hope says. “Well, maybe not tonight. Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons are good. Wrath won’t open the gates for anyone who isn’t family.”
“How old is she again?” Lilly asks.
“Sixteen.”
“Oh, I thought she was younger for some reason,” Hope says. “Heidi started coming up here when she was around sixteen.”
Rock taps Hope’s leg. “Heidi started sneaking up here when she was sixteen,” he corrects in his deep, rumbling voice.
Hope shakes with laughter. “Okay, that’s true.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out.
Libby: Stuffing our faces with Oreos. Hope ur having fun too! Tell Dex I said hi!
A picture of Libby holding a stack of cookies in her mouth shows up under the message.
Laughing, I tap out a quick message, then tuck my phone away. “Sorry, it was Libby.”
Dex stops in front of me. I tip my head back—way back to see his face. He stares down with wide, questioning eyes. I nod quickly to let him know I’m okay.