Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
The water tasted good. Almost unnaturally so. Guess I hadn’t realized how thirsty I’d gotten. Enough to chug the whole thing in one gulp.
I set the glass down to discover that Eli had swiveled the stool to face me. McKayla had disappeared. Must be smarter than I gave her credit for…
“Don’t blame me just because she ditched you,” I said. “She probably heard that you’re a murderer. Nobody likes a murderer.”
That’s when I noticed Ethan standing in front of us. I think he’d been reaching for my empty water glass, but now he seemed frozen. Horrified, even. Well, fuck. If he couldn’t roll with a joke like that, he’d never make it at the Starkwood.
“She’s talking about a stuffed animal,” Eli told him. “It was when we were kids. She’s obsessed with it. I’ve told her to seek professional help, but she’s too proud. Sad, really.”
Ethan nodded, although the move was hesitant. Fair enough. Eli was a big guy with a tough reputation. Throw in the fact that he was a Reaper, and I could see why Ethan might be nervous.
“Eli’s right,” I said, catching Ethan’s eye. “I was teasing him about something that happened when we were kids. He’s just a big softie inside. Like a marshmallow, only less flammable.”
I nudged him with my shoulder playfully. He bumped me back—just a little harder—and then I slammed my shoulder into him, all the while holding Ethan’s gaze and smiling.
“So, where the hell is Gus?” Eli asked. “I thought he was supposed to be here by now.”
“Hell if I know,” I said, shrugging. “He’ll get here when he gets here. Think I’m gonna dance some more. If you’re very lucky, I’ll let you dance with me.”
“No dancing. McKayla’s out there, and I’m afraid she’ll jump me or something. I’d rather avoid that, all things considered.”
“I thought you were into her,” I said, thinking about her hand on his thigh. That might’ve been her idea, but he hadn’t seemed unhappy about the situation. “You said I was cock-blocking.”
“That was before I smelled her breath,” he said, winking at me. “Or maybe I just wanted to piss you off. Either way, she’s not my type.”
“And what would your type be?” I asked, curious. He’d always fucked around, but as far as I knew, he’d never had a serious girlfriend.
“I like ‘em with a little more spirit,” he said, catching and holding my eye. “McKayla’d be fun for about ten minutes. Then I’d get bored.”
“Really?” I asked, raising a brow. “Because I heard that you only need five. Seven, max.”
He laughed, and I caught Ethan eyeing us again. I leaned into Eli.
“I’m not so sure about the new bartender,” I said, pitching my tone low. “Seems like he spooks easily. Might not be tough enough for a place like this…”
“He wants to fuck you. And he doesn’t like me because he knows he doesn’t have a chance while I’m around.”
Now I laughed. “Yeah, right. Like I’d ever fuck you.”
“You’d fuck me before you fucked him,” he said, his voice dry. I had to agree. Ethan was skinny. Stringy, almost. Bad skin, and hair that never looked particularly clean.
“You won’t think I’m hitting on you if I agree, will you?”
“Nope. I can always tell when you’re hitting me because it hurts, and then I wake up with bruises the next day. Let’s go shoot darts.”
Catching my hand, Eli pushed off the stool and pulled me through the crowd toward the back hallway. Gus’s office was on the right. The storeroom was to the left.
I’d always seen it as a magical wonderland of pretty bottles and kegs to climb on, complete with a fort we’d built out of liquor boxes. The finishing touch had been a dart board that we’d stolen from the main bar. Most of the time, we’d been pretty good about throwing the darts at the target instead of at each other.
Well, maybe not most of the time, but at least half…
Astoundingly, neither of us had ever gotten hurt during those epic battles for storeroom supremacy. Okay, so I’d stabbed him in the butt once. But it’d been an accident. Mostly.
Eli pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. I reached for the light switch. He caught my hand.
“No, let’s play in the dark. Like when we were kids.”
“I’d sort of forgotten about that,” I whispered, stepping into the room. We’d always kept the lights off. It made it harder for the adults to track us.
Now, I was one of those adults, and the storeroom had long since lost its magic. The bottles weren’t treasures, and our fort had been broken down and recycled. But I knew for a fact that the dart board and darts were still here. So was the old wingback chair where I’d sat and read so many books. As my eyes adjusted, I saw the faint light shining through the two high-set windows on the far side of the room.