Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Hudson’s voice followed, thick with satisfaction. “Yeah, way hotter than I thought it would be. No wonder my dad is into this shit.”
Beck’s stomach dropped to his feet. He cursed under his breath, wishing like hell Seth was here to handle this clusterfuck. Who was this girl? When had she gotten here? And what the hell had these kids been thinking?
Mentally, Beck counted to ten, sucked in a deep breath, and opened the door.
The scene that greeted him was exactly what he’d feared.
In the shadowy room, relieved only by the spill of light from the bathroom, he could make out three figures on Hudson’s bed, tangled in his sheets. Sandwiched between two teenage boys was a pretty, petite blonde panting in post-orgasmic satisfaction.
Purposely averting his gaze, Beck cleared his throat. “You three done?”
Hudson jerked away from her, then leapt to his feet in panic. The girl yelped and yanked the sheet around her while hiding her face in Casen’s chest beneath.
“Oh, my god! Dude, get out!” Hudson screamed as he grabbed his shorts off the floor and covered himself.
Beck clenched his jaw. “This is my house.”
Hudson disposed of his condom and yanked on his shorts with angry jerks before he stomped toward Beck. They stood toe-to-toe, fury rolling off the teen. Beck prayed the kid wasn’t stupid enough to take a swing at him. He’d hate trying to explain to Seth why he’d KO’d his son.
He caught a flurry of movement in his periphery—Casen and the girl untangling from the sheet. He ignored them, keeping his gaze fixed on the defiance blazing in Hudson’s eyes. “You’re in a shitload of trouble. But I’ll come back to you. What’s your name, young lady?” He refused to even glance her way.
“B-Brielle.”
“How did you get here?”
“I drove,” she whispered, sounding somewhere between embarrassed and terrified.
“After you get dressed, you can drop Casen off at his house on your way home.”
Hudson planted himself more firmly in Beck’s path. “My friends aren’t going anywhere. They’re spending the night.”
Beck scoffed. “You and Casen can snuggle up and read bedtime stories some other time, but Brielle is not staying so you three can have another fuckfest. Not in my house.”
Hudson’s chin jutted out. “It’s half my dad’s house, too.”
“Your dad would say the exact same thing,” Beck shot back.
As Casen led Brielle toward the door—both thankfully dressed—he sent Hudson an apologetic grimace. “It’s cool, man. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Brielle paused at the threshold, glancing at Beck with wide, worried eyes. “Please don’t tell my mom about this.”
But before Beck could answer, the pair raced out the door and up the stairs, slamming the front door behind them.
Then…silence. Beck knew it wouldn’t last, not while Hudson pinged with anger.
“You’re such a fucking hypocrite,” the kid snarled. “You and my dad do the exact same thing with Heavenly.”
“We’re adults. You’re sixteen, not mature enough for what you just did.” Beck’s voice turned icy cold. “You think we share her just because the sex is hot? Newsflash, dude. That’s not why at all.”
“Then why?”
Beck snorted. “The emotional connection. And the fact you even have to ask proves you don’t grasp the concept of a real relationship.”
“I don’t have to listen to you. You’re not my dad.”
“I’m not.” Beck nodded with a calmness he didn’t feel. “But I’m as invested in your well-being as any biological child your dad or I will have someday with Heavenly. Like it or not, we’re a family now.”
Hudson rolled his eyes. “What do you know about family? You ran away from home and married a hooker.”
Beck dropped his voice to a dangerous quiet. “You think you’re tough, kid?”
“Tougher than you, old man,” Hudson sneered.
“You think so? By the time I was your age, I’d already killed someone.”
Hudson scowled. “Bullshit?”
“God’s truth. You never asked why I ran away from home. Let me tell you—”
“Because mommy and daddy didn’t give you enough love.”
“You’re right.” Beck sent him a brittle smile. “They didn’t. So, when I was your age, I slit my father’s throat. And a few months ago, I watched my mother bleed out in front of me. I had the medical skills to save her, but I didn’t. I just watched her die because she deserved it.”
Hudson’s face went white. “You’re lying.”
A humorless chuckle rumbled the back of Beck’s throat as he pulled out his phone and tapped a news article. “This details the day my family came to kill me at Liam’s lodge. Your dad’s tactical knowledge helped save nearly everyone’s lives.” He scrolled to another page. “And this is about Jericho leading the FBI raid on the compound where my mother and middle brother’s followers lived. You met my younger brother, Zach? They murdered his wife and eleven-year-old daughter, too.”
Hudson took the phone with shaking hands and scanned the articles. His face turned even paler as his teenage bravado crumbled and reality set in.