Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
I have to give it to Mom, she certainly has the best interior decorators money could buy. This house is incredible on any given day of the week, but the team she hired to dress the table and decorate has blown it out of the water.
The long rectangular table is huge, seating at least sixty, and is set to perfection with gold and silver finishes. Tall candle arrangements have been woven in and out of low floral sets with picturesque vases and fine china. The low-hanging chandeliers above the table reflect against the fancy glassware, and honestly, this table is fit for royalty. It’s simply flawless.
“Well shit,” a familiar voice says from beside me, sounding just as bored as I pretend to be. “Almost didn’t recognize you without your usual sweatpants.”
A stupid smile pulls at the corner of my lips as I glance over to find the one and only Jonah Madden. “Speak for yourself,” I tell my brother. “I almost didn’t recognize you without your head shoved up Mom’s ass.”
“Wow. Going in hard, huh? Not even a smile or a hug for your big brother.”
Despite knowing he’s just trying to be a smart ass, it still puts me on edge. “I don’t see you offering the same,” I say, immediately feeling as though I need to be on defense.
Jonah smiles and shakes his head before throwing his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side. “We grew up together. You’d think we’d know how to act like normal fucking people around each other.”
“Never gonna happen.”
Jonah laughs and releases me before stepping up to the table and yanking out a chair, putting a single flaw in Mom’s perfectly set table, which is oddly satisfying. “Come on,” he says. “There’s a lot to catch up on. Sit down and fill me in on everything that’s happened in the world of Harper-Rayn Madden over the past two years.”
“Two years?” I laugh, taking my seat. “Where the fuck have you been? I haven’t seen you in three years.”
“Three?” he questions, as he becomes deep in thought. “No, that’s not possible. It’s only two. I saw you at that disastrous New Year’s Eve party at their old place.”
I nod, a smirk pulling at my lips. “Yeah,” I agree. “Three years ago.”
Confusion flashes in his eyes before understanding begins to dawn, and then he simply looks horrified. “Three fucking years, huh? Aren’t I a piece a shit?”
I scoff. “Couldn’t agree more, but if you’re a piece of shit, then I’m right there with you.”
Jonah laughs, but the sound is cut off by my mother’s shrill tone coming from the other room, sending a chill down my spine. Judging by the cringe on Jonah’s face, he’s feeling it too. “If I’m going to make it through this dinner, I’m going to need a stiff drink.”
“Make it two,” I tell him, both of us getting straight back to our feet. “And don’t even think about giving me some bullshit chick drink. I want the good stuff.”
“Just as well, I found Elias’ private stash earlier.”
“Now you’re talking.”
An hour later, Jonah and I are sitting at the grand dining table, surrounded by Mom’s closest friends. We cackle like a couple of high school cheerleaders, to my mother’s dismay, which only makes it better. I’ve really needed this time with my brother.
I ask him all about the twins and how they’re settling into preschool, and after covering the basics of his wife’s new job, he dives into the ins and outs of my life.
Elegantly dressed servers have descended upon the table with trays of dinner plates just as Elias stands at the head of the table. He opens his arms wide, and just when I think he’s about to give some long, drawn-out speech about how wonderful it is to be married to my mother, he turns his attention to the entrance of the dining room.
“Better late than never,” he booms as a smirk cuts across his face.
All eyes turn toward the newcomer, and my breath catches in my throat when I find Elias’ younger brother, Knight Slater.
Fuck me! Am I drooling? If he weren’t my step-uncle, I’d climb him like a goddamn tree.
He’s fucking gorgeous. At least six-foot-four with a body that could send any woman to an early grave. It’s clear he takes care of himself, and even through his black shirt, I can see the defined ridges of his abs and pecs. But all of that has got nothing on his face. His eyes are dark gray, and there’s something about them that draws me in. He holds my attention in a way no other man ever has. It’s dangerous.
Now, Laith is good in bed. Great actually. He knows how to get the job done, and apart from last night, he’s never let me down. But a man like Knight Slater? He doesn’t just get a pass mark. He carries himself with an air of dominance that makes me think he would tear a woman to shreds and not stop until she’s gasping for air on the ground. He seems like the type of man to throw a woman around, slam her up against the shower wall, and rail her until she comes apart.