Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 70488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
He’d been in intelligence in the Army and had all the connections that he could ever want or need. He had access to the newest technology—through a top-secret government job that he took after leaving the Army—and had done all the security for me at the shop, as well as my house. He’d also helped me set up some circumspect cameras at Bernice’s place in the front of the house.
Me:
Can you get coverage on Bernice’s backyard today? Should’ve listened to you.
Thumper:
Sure. I can get there in an hour. And there is a reason that I’m the expert and you’re not.
I didn’t bother to agree with him.
I should’ve listened. However, I’d wanted to be at least a little bit in control. I couldn’t very well put cameras inside and out at her place. For one, her brother might figure out that I was obsessed with his sister. And for two, Bernice deserved privacy.
She couldn’t have privacy, though, and still be safe.
I should’ve gotten this step figured out when I’d heard about the serial killer.
A misstep on my part.
Both for not paying attention—I should’ve known about a serial killer seeing as I stalked her for the last five years—and for not fixing an obvious hole after finding out.
“Do you, uh, have to go?”
“No,” I answered. “But I was going to ask if you wanted to go have breakfast with me.”
She blinked.
“And would you also want to go see my new apartment with me?” I found myself asking. “I’m building out the top floor of the warehouse that The Mercantile and my butcher shop occupy.”
It was Saturday.
Usually, I would find myself at work.
However, there was nowhere else I’d rather be but here with her.
Plus, inviting her this way would mean that I’d get her out of the house so Thumper could get everything done. Otherwise, Thumper would have to leave halfway through so she could go home. And I’d have to come up with another day for him to finish up the work.
She crossed her arms over her chest, and it caused her tits to push together in the most flattering of ways.
I could tell she didn’t have a bra on again, too.
If it were up to me, I’d keep her exactly like this to optimize my viewing pleasure for the rest of time.
Skin-tight leggings and a skin-tight long-sleeved tee? No bra? It was my idea of heaven.
Well, just one of them.
There were quite a few ideas in my head when it came to Bernice Daugherty.
“I would love to. Let me go get dressed.”
“Just grab a jacket,” I suggested. “My place is warm enough. And we’ll just grab breakfast at The Mercantile and take it upstairs. We can watch some more of your show.”
Her face was soft, and just the slightest of blushes lit up her cheeks. “Okay, deal.”
Sixteen
I’m under no obligation to make sense to you.
—Bernice to Creed
Bernice
I felt like I was floating on cloud nine.
Seriously, there I was, in The Mercantile, with Hux next to me ordering from his mother.
His mother was glaring at me, giving me the stink eye every few seconds.
She was also punching down hard on the iPad that she used to take orders with, her face a mask of disgust.
Hux moved closer to me, his front brushing my side, as he took the iPad from his mother and tapped in what he wanted.
His mother huffed in anger and glared at me while Hux placed our order and handed it back to her.
I didn’t move away, even though Hux’s mom’s glare was clearly warning me to, and I shivered in delight when he hooked his finger in the waistband of my leggings and tugged me toward him sideways. “We’ll be upstairs. Send your new girl up with our food, please?”
“I got it, Hux.”
Vera’s new girl was the girl I’d trained for a week before I’d taken off, and she was a hell of a lot more capable than me. She was also related to Vera and knew damn well how she acted.
It was funny that Hux called her “the new girl,” though.
Katana Lei Palao was a spitfire.
I’d liked her the instant that I’d met her.
“I got it, Hux,” Vera mocked her.
Katana ignored her and took a food order out to one of the customers.
Hux kept his finger tucked into my waistband as he walked us out of the shop and into the warehouse.
“You know that’s Katana, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then why’d you call her the ‘new girl?’”
“Because I knew that it would irritate her.”
My lips twitched. “Why would you want to irritate your cousin?”
“Because she didn’t listen to me when I told her she shouldn’t take the job,” he grumbled as he put his thumbprint into the scanner that led to a door that I’d always wondered where it led.
When the door opened, I was presented with a set of stairs that looked like they went on forever.