Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 130159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“You’re safe,” Seth promised. “The twins are long gone.”
“Thank goodness.” She planted a welcoming kiss on Beck’s mouth.
“So…are you going to let us make dessert of you again tonight?” Seth muttered hotly in her ear.
“Say yes,” Beck breathed over Heavenly’s pouty lips. “I’ll show you just how sorry I am that I was late…”
Heavenly’s face softened. “You don’t have to make anything up to me. Duty called. I understand, and you’re here now.”
“But I’d rather be at home with you, naked, in our bed, and spread out between us.”
Her breathing quickened. “You don’t want to stay and mingle?”
Beck shook his head. “There’s no one here I can’t see later. We want you now.”
“Absolutely. Why don’t you let me get your purse, angel?” Seth offered.
Clandestinely, Beck slid his hand under the table and beneath her skirt. “You do that while I get this pussy wet and ready.”
His hand must have slipped into her panties, because Heavenly dragged in a shuddering breath and a rosy hue spread across her cheeks as she asked, “How soon can we be home?”
Seth got hard just watching them. “Ten minutes.”
“And in fifteen, we’ll both be deep inside you,” Beck promised.
“Hurry,” she breathed. “Please.”
June
A few weeks later, Seth headed home after an uneventful day in the office, surrounded by a five o’clock full of sunshine. The official first day of summer was on the horizon, so the afternoon was still temperate. Everywhere he looked, joggers and cyclists were getting in their cardio, kids played soccer, and sun worshippers soaked up rays. People drove with the tops down on their convertibles and walked their dogs. Potential earthquakes aside, he had to admit that Los Angeles was an urban paradise. He definitely didn’t miss New York’s humidity. In fact, he didn’t miss much about the place he used to call home, except his family. But his future was here.
He just had to fully embrace it.
Since Beck had texted to say he’d be home a couple of hours late, and Heavenly was spending some girl time with Raine and Jasmine, Seth had an opportunity to start wrapping his arms around his tomorrows. And to check on his brothers. The twins had been too quiet lately, which meant they were up to something… Seth was afraid to ask what.
But most of all, he was here to mend a fence. He just had to find his balls.
As he approached his former apartment complex, he let out a deep breath. You sure you want to do this?
The short answer was no, but he had to stop running and start dealing with the unpleasant things he’d been avoiding—chief among them, Zach. It wasn’t that he disliked the guy. Hell, Seth didn’t even know him. He felt sorry for Zach and everything he’d lost, absolutely. But being around him triggered all the dark memories of grief, sorrow, and rage Seth had tried so fucking hard to forget. That was on him.
But his avoidance had come at Beck’s expense. It was time to man up and admit that ducking Zach had been a temporary solution. A Band-Aid destined to slough off. After all, Zach was Beck’s brother; that wasn’t going to change. Zach had stepped up and found the courage to destroy his twisted way of life—the only one he’d ever known. And what had Seth done? Run from his ghosts and his failures. No more. He owed it to Zach—and to Beck—to face his fear head on and meet them halfway. Looking back, Seth was ashamed that Beck had been forced to turn out his brother simply to shield him from his own failures. It wasn’t fair, and he needed to rectify it.
Come hell or high water, Seth would get to know Zach and make peace with his own tragic past. After eight years, wasn’t it time to let go?
After slinging his SUV into a parking spot at his complex, he locked up his vehicle and climbed the stairs. Once he made his way down the hall, he slid his key into the lock of his apartment. As he stepped inside his unit and closed the door, the hairs on the back of Seth’s neck stood on end. It was disturbingly quiet. Considering the twins didn’t know how to exist without making noise—and lots of it—the silence was deafening. But he wasn’t alone; he could feel people here.
Something was wrong.
Seth reached inside his jacket and pulled his Glock from its holster. Then he heard a long, drawn-out moan and stopped in his tracks, heart revving. Was one of his brothers sick? Hurt? Fuck, what if Jericho’s intel had been wrong and the sons of Messiah City’s elders had tracked Zach down and beaten the shit out of all three of them?
Since he had surprise on his side, Seth needed to proceed carefully. It was the only way he could take down whoever might be threatening his and Beck’s brothers.