Page 146 of Till The Sun Dies (Checkmate 2)

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Angelo

Erase The Old

“Mine’s on the left.”

I nod. “Mine’s on the right.”

“Don’t look at mine.”

I bring my beer up and sip. “And you won’t look at mine.”

The sun has set, and on the deserted beach some hundred yards from our fancy hotel, Kane and I lounge on chairs on the sand, and Jess and Laine dance around a bonfire they built all by themselves.

The heat from the oversized fire warms my toes, but I’m not moving back, and apparently, neither is Kane.

“Mine’s in black and white.”

“Uh-huh.” It’s dark, but there’s no way in fuck I’m taking my hat off to reveal my watchful eyes.

Laine giggles in a baby pink string bikini. A string bikini I helped tie eight or so hours ago and was tempted to eat straight off her fucking body.

A man can only resist so much, and I’ve hit my limit.

The hat stays on.

“Mine’s in pink.”

Kane wears a stupid grin while he watches the girls. He takes pleasure in their silliness, but they have so much skin showing, I want to claw my eyes out at the same time I want to snatch Laine up and take her somewhere where rejection isn’t a word, and fears aren’t something that might come between us.

Matching blonde hair floats on the breeze and tickles their bare backs. Their arms are raised as they dance, and when Jess tackles Laine with none of the fear that sits in my chest, tan limbs roll in the sand until they sit up again and spit the sand out.

“She ain’t actually yours,” Kane mocks from behind the lip of his beer. “You better make your move before someone else does. You know how many guys tried to break this party up in the last hour? How they thought they’d be big and bad and approach the pretty girls. Take your hat off, Alesi. They can’t see the murder in your eyes if you cover them up.”

“No. No one’s jumping line.” I talk behind my beer, as though worried Laine has learned to lip read in the last day and might decipher my secrets. “I learned my lesson last time, so I’m sticking close from now on. I said I wouldn’t be the wolf on her doorstep, but fuck if I can step down. I won’t knock, but I swear, the second she steps out, I’m jumping.”

“About fucking time,” he rumbles. “It feels like it took forever to get here. Did your mom drop you on your head seventy times a day? Because I swear, a sloth moves faster than you.”

I swing my arm out and slam it over his chest. “Don’t talk about my fuckin’ mom, Bish. Don’t do that. Don’t cross that line.”

“I’m just saying! It’s your own damn fault you’re in the friend zone. She’s on this trip to shake the shit off and have a little fun. She’s gonna have fun withsomeone, so you better make that someone you, Alesi, or you can sit on the sidelines and watch another man make a move. It’s your choice, but keep in mind what happened last time you forgot to man up.” He glances past the fire and watches the girls. “She ended up in a two-year relationship that almost killed her. There’s only one man on this planet that’ll take care of her the way you will, the rest are just looking to fuck. You still willing to share?” His brow lifts. “Because if you are, then you aren’t a man at all, you’re a fuckin’ pussy, and I don’t associate with weak shits. Sack up or walk the fuck home.”

“I’ve got it, Bish. You need to step down now.”

He makes the ‘psht’ noise, but he drops it. “They sure make a pretty picture, huh?” His lips twitch when Jess runs, then when Laine springs to her feet and crash tackles her sister.

Squealing giggles are like a siren’s call for every man in a hundred-mile radius, and like seagulls, they come closer to see what tasty morsel is up for grabs, but when they catch sight of me and Kane behind the flames, they back the fuck up and scatter.

“Mine’s in pink. Don’t look. Don’t mix them up.”

He scoffs. “Mine’s in black and white. And you don’t have one, so shut the fuck up.”

“The guys called today.”

He finishes his beer and tosses it onto the sand beside his chair. “What guys? And what the fuck do they want?”

“Theguys. My brothers. My best friends.”

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