Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I needed to hear that.”
“And the house?”
“I made contact with a local realtor who is going to work on selling the property for me. I promised Naomi I’d give her the money because Big Daddy did give her the house. How is he, by the way?”
“He’s okay. I think the shine has worn off on my visits. He didn’t smile at me yesterday when I showed up at dinnertime, but he wasn’t snarky or mean.”
“I’m going to take a quick shower, and then I’m going to go see him.”
“He’d like that,” she says. “I wanted to ask you about the New Year’s party.”
“Which one?” I ask, already knowing what she’s going to say, but I need a moment to formulate my rejection.
“The one at the clubhouse. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Misty and Em are going to—”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Because of Spade?”
“Because I’m exhausted.”
“Well, get a shower, visit Big Daddy, and then get some rest. You have a few days to catch up on sleep. I expect you to be there. Love you. Bye.”
The call goes dead, but instead of texting her with an emphatic NO, I walk into my bathroom, thinking just how entertaining it would be to show up at the clubhouse looking like a million bucks, only to ignore Spade and flirt with some of the other guys there.
It’s immature, I can admit that to myself, but so is acting like you don’t remember someone as a ploy to get them back into your bed because you’re not man enough to admit to wanting to break your one-night-only rule.
If Spade can play childish games, then so can I.
Chapter 20
Spade
“Fine?” Legend asks, not bothering to hide the disbelief in his eyes.
“Fine,” I confirm on my way to the coffee pot.
Aro chuckles, but thankfully doesn’t open his damn mouth to voice his opinion.
“Does that mean she just gave you the cold shoulder the entire weekend?” Ugly asks. “She seems like the type to take the high road.”
There was nothing cold about the way she felt around my dick Saturday evening.
“It was just a normal trip,” I mutter.
“Fine,” Legend confirms as if he doesn’t believe me.
I can’t tell them that Sylvie’s friend from high school gave me bad vibes. Max checked him out, and the guy came back squeaky clean. Pressing the issue at this point would be admitting to the guys more than I can even admit to myself right now.
“Fine,” I agree, ignoring the round of chuckles from all the guys in the room.
“We’re going to Jake’s tonight,” Aro says after I pour a cup of coffee. “Wanna join?”
His eyes are assessing me as I walk toward him, and I know that my response will be an answer to his unasked question.
“Sure,” I say, drawing my cup to my lips. “I’m in.”
“Really?” Legend asks. “You’re sure?”
I eye him for a minute before nodding. “Yeah. I don’t have plans.”
Going to Jake’s with the guys will prevent me from being able to drive past Sylvie’s house a couple of times, a losing battle I fought every second after I drove her home yesterday.
“Spade.” I snap my head in Slick’s direction as she walks into the kitchen. “Kincaid needs you. Conference room.”
I feel several pairs of eyes on me as I stand, grab my cup of coffee from the table, and walk out of the room.
I’ve had more conversations with my boss over the last couple of months than I can count, so I have no idea why my heart rate kicks up a few notches as I make my way to the conference room.
My eyes land on Max first, sitting in the corner behind an expansive amount of computer equipment. I glare in his direction, his presence a confession that he shared with Kincaid my request to look into Will Varon. A hint of misplaced betrayal washes over me before I can push it aside. Max has a job to do just like all of us, and it’s not really fair to him that it pisses me off that he spoke with Kincaid about my request. Knowing that, however, doesn’t stop me from feeling it.
I school my face into one of passivity. At least I do my best to look unbothered by being asked to come in here.
“Should I close the door?”
“No,” Kincaid says, and it’s his way of assuring me I’m not about to get my ass reamed. “Max spoke with me about Will Varon.”
Silence is thick between us. He’s giving me an opportunity to explain why I asked Max to check on the man, but I don’t know how to formulate a response that doesn’t make me sound jealous, something Sylvie was very quick to accuse me of.
“He had a vibe,” I mutter, knowing just how ridiculous it sounds.