Page 26 of Raze

“I want us to have a get-together on the beach here, tomorrow night. Tell the brothers to invite their families. I wanna start showin’ ‘em what direction we’re headin’ in.”

“The brothers don’t have families, Raze.” She shakes her head and laughs.

“Bull shit, I’ve heard Dev’s got a brother, Saul’s got a sister. I’m sure some of ‘em must have old ladies.”

“Cliff wasn’t keen on the idea of the brothers getting serious about women, he told ‘em all it was a weakness.” I feel a knot form in my stomach when I think back and hear him say those exact words to me in my head.

“Yeah, well Cliff ain’t here anymore and I’m changin’ this place. I get that what goes on in the clubhouse ain’t suitable for most, but the beach can be different. Make it happen for me.”

“Does that mean you’ll let your new friend come too?” Polly questions with a smart grin on her face.

“Like I said, the beach is different.” I stroll on past her toward my hut and when I step onto my porch and hear the running water coming from the side of it, I know exactly what the fuckers, who jogged by were staring at, and it makes me wanna chase ‘em up the beach and give ‘em both the Griller treatment.

I stand and stare at Peyton for far too long as she washes herself under the shower. Her hair is tied loosely above her head and the way her back dips above her ass calls out to me to go and join her. To run my hands all over her smooth body and touch it for myself.

I quickly turn around and walk back up the beach toward the clubhouse because I’d rather help pack away guns than put myself through the torture of temptation.

Iwake up to a loud, consistent banging sound that shakes the roof. After I get out of bed and throw on some clothes, I find Raze hammering a wooden screen to the side of the hut.

“Do you know what time it is?” I rub the sleep from my eyes.

“Yep.” He stands up, clamping the screen tight in his fist, and testing it to make sure it’s firmly secured. Then he picks up his toolbox and moves past me.

“And do you usually do your home improvements at 6 am?” I yawn and follow him with my eyes.

“Yep.” He drives me insane with another short answer. I’m already annoyed that he didn’t come home last night till after I’d fallen asleep, despite the fact I tried really hard to stay up and wait for him.

There were so many women hanging out on the beach, I spent all night thinking about him being with one of them, and as jealous as it made me, at least it distracted me from my own problems.

I head to the chair and pick up my purse, taking out the cash I have left over from yesterday and he frowns when I hand it to him.

“Your change,” I explain.

“There’s like $250 here, I only gave you $350.” He counts the bills in his hand.

“Yeah, and I got everything I need. $50 on groceries, $50 on clothes.” I point out, proud of how efficient I was.

“You got clothes with $50?” He stares at me as if I’ve gone mad.

“I went to a thrift store.” I shrug as I switch on the coffee machine.

“You went to a what?”

“A thrift store, you know a place where–”

“I know what a thrift store is,” he talks over me. “You were supposed to spend the money I gave you to get yourself somethin’ decent.”

“I did get myself something decent, lots of things in fact.”

“Peyt–”

“No.” Now I cut him off, “I appreciate your help and I was grateful for the money, but you're not responsible for me.” I like the way his jaw tightens and his nostrils flare when I point that out.

“I’ll pay you back the $50 when I can get a job and I’ll pull my weight around the hut while I'm here. I’m not a freeloader.” I make that point very clear before picking up my thrift shop denim skirt along with the Nirvana tee that caught my eye, and heading into the bathroom to change.

I’m disappointed that Raze isn’t there when I come back out, and when he returns an hour later I do not expect to see him in the shorts and trainers he steps through the door in. His torso is slick with sweat, and he heads straight for the refrigerator to get himself some water.

“I never had you down as the exercising kind.” I lift my eyes up from the book I’m reading because he’s just too damn fine not to appreciate.

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