Page 32 of Property of Shotgun

Every cell in my body knows I should bid her goodnight and make my way to the side apartment. The adrenaline is still alive in my veins, and I did nothing to release it. I am a ticking time bomb walking straight to Hell.

I drop my ass into the chair next to hers, my gaze lowering to the bottle of wine.

“You and Bella polish that off?” I ask, smoothing my hands over my denim clad thighs. I hunker back against the chair, spreading my legs wide as I make myself comfortable, staring at her as she takes a long sip of her wine, draining what’s left in the glass.

“Nope, that’s bottle number two. She helped with the first one, but I took this one down all on my own,” she replies, licking the remnants of wine from her lips before setting the empty glass on top of the table. Her gaze flits to mine. “I got bored waiting for you.”

“I told you not to.”

“You say that every time, and every time you find me in the exact same spot as I’m in tonight.”

She refills her glass, finishing off the bottle before her eyes cut back to me and a frown graces her pretty mouth. “Are you going to make me drink alone?”

“Wine ain’t really my thing.”

She lowers her bare feet to the floor, and pops out of the chair, giving me my first look at tonight’s choice of pajamas. Another camisole, this one ivory with lace trim around the neckline, and of course, because the universe hates me, the shorts match.

“I’ll get you a beer,” she offers.

Consuming any alcohol, even a measly beer, is not a smart move on my behalf.

Not tonight.

Not the way I’m feeling.

Yet I don’t stop her.

Jade and I have come to some sort of a silent understanding. I have no doubt the reason she lets me take care of her and the kids is because I let her take care of me. Making sure I eat, keeping the light on the side of the house on when I’m not home, and stocking her fridge with the beer I prefer—it’s her way of giving back. It makes her feel purposeful, and when Jade feels like she’s got purpose, her confidence soars. She doesn’t need to parade around in six-hundred-dollar heels that tear her feet to shreds just to walk with her head high, she needs to feel appreciated.

“Here you go,” she says, extending the beer to me. “I brought out some chips and guac too in case you’re hungry. Bella made the guac herself. It’s so good.”

I lean forward, taking the beer from her as she drops the bowl of guacamole on the table between us, along with a bag of chips. Before she takes a seat again, she reaches behind her, and tugs at the hem of her shorts.

I clear my throat before taking a long pull from the bottle.

The fact her shorts are riding up her ass makes me wonder if she’s even wearing any underwear.

“Did you have a good night?”

“Yeah, it was fun,” she says as she finally falls back into the chair, crossing her legs.

As she reaches for her wine, the strap of her camisole falls of her shoulder, giving me a clear shot of the side of her tit. I bite back a curse, and try to pay attention to what she’s saying, but the woman makes it so damn hard. It’s always the ones who don’t try to get a man’s engine going that actually do.

“The boys were exhausted from practice, and Killian went to bed early, so we weren’t interrupted much. Did you know she and Guido haven’t spoken in two weeks?”

I didn’t know that. We don’t really get involved in one another’s business, but even if we did, Guido is vault when it pertains to Bella. I don’t know what the man thinks he’s hiding by keeping his feelings under lock and key. It’s totally obvious he’s in love with her. A man doesn’t put a woman on the back of his bike unless he believes that’s where he belongs.

That being said, them not speaking for a couple of weeks isn’t a new development. They’ve always been hot and cold with each other. The cold comes whenever there is a new man in Bella’s life.

“Let me guess, she’s dating someone new.”

Jade’s gaze cuts back to me, and she raises one of her perfectly arched eyebrows. “How did you know that?”

I take another pull of my beer. “It happens every time. He can’t handle the idea of her being with someone else, but he’s too much of a pussy to claim her for himself.”

There are no laws that keep him from taking what he wants. No fucking excuses. Another man would consider that a fucking gift.

Jade frowns at that. “I think they would be good together.”

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