Mason looked at Rayanne, who was grinning, and jerked a thumb at me. “It explains where he got that silly ass name.”
“Fuck off, pretty boy,” I said, taking a swig of my beer and trying not to laugh. Asshole always knew what buttons to push.
“That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it?” Mason said, snorting.
I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You need a woman.”
“I have a few,” he snapped back.
I shook my head and held up my index finger. “Just one. Not a few.”
“You’re one to talk…” He stopped and looked at Rayanne, then at me, and I scowled at him. “Shutting up now,” he muttered.
Rayanne smiled knowingly at me.
Ellis and Talia said nothing at our tiff, they were the smart ones, but I could see them smiling behind their forks and cups as they ate and drank.
Changing the subject, I said, “I’m gonna invite Kyle and his kid to our next cookout.”
Ellis narrowed eyes at me. “I don’t like that guy.”
I set my beer down. “Oh, get over it. If you saw his ex, you’d understand why he was staring at your girl. They’re like twins. Kyle’s the coolest guy ever, watched over my house when I was out on my assignment.” I looked at Rayanne and put my hand on her bare thigh.
“He’s a Marine, so I gave him a pass,” Ellis replied. “I didn’t know he had a kid.”
I nodded but was still staring at my beautiful girlfriend. I heard Ellis and Mason began a conversation about the military but I tuned them out. My world seemed to be closing in on just the two of us. There were a million questions, conversations, and declarations of love swimming in her amber eyes. But I didn’t want to ask her to say them out loud. I just wanted to stare through her, into her soul, and let us just be. The way she gazed back at me told me she felt the same way. My stomach flipped over as she held my unbroken stare. I reached one large, callused hand up to her soft, sharp jaw and rubbed my thumb along it.
“I’m gonna kiss you now,” I whispered.
Her eyes became even more bright and she just simply nodded. It was so slight, if I’d blinked I would have missed it. But I didn’t. I never missed anything she did. I slowly leaned down and covered her warm lips with mine, and when her fingers reached up to graze my beard, I smiled into her mouth.
The End
Beneath Broken
(Imperfect Heroes Series, Book 2)
Meet Detective Mason Oliver
Coming Summer 2016
Partial proceeds of this books in this series will go to Honor the Sacrifice. You can donate, too, here. God bless the troops!
SONG LIST:
I Don’t Dance – Lee Bryce
Strip It Down – Luke Bryan
Stay A Little Longer – Brothers Osborne
Gorilla – Bruno Mars
Tonight Looks Good On You – Jason Aldean
Riser – Dierks Bentley
I’ll Keep You Safe – Sleeping At Last
Tell Me How You Like It – Florida-Georgia Line
Chicks Dig It – Chris Cagle
Burnin’ It Down – Jason Aldean
Human – Christina Perri
Take It Outside – Brantley Gilbert
Battlecry – Celldweller
Tonight I Wanna Cry – Keith Urban
Mind Reader – Dustin Lynch
I Love The Way You Love Me – John Michael Montgomery
One Last Night – The Vaults
Confession – Florida Georgia Line
Sangria – Blake Shelton
Pillowtalk – Zayn
House Party – Sam Hunt
Stay – Sugarland
Over & Over – Nathan Sykes (Ft. Ariana Grande)
One X – Three Days Grace
OTHER BOOKS BY C.J. PINARD:
Paranormal Fantasy:
Enchanted Immortals 1
Enchanted Immortals 2: The Vortex
Enchanted Immortals 3: The Vampyre
Enchanted Immortals 4: The Vixen
BSI: Bureau of Supernatural Investigation
Enchanted Immortals Box Set: 4 Books + Novella
New Adult Contemporary Romance:
Patriotic Duty (Duty & Desire, #1)
Tour of Duty (Duty & Desire #2)
Boots Beneath My Bed (Duty & Desire #3)
Playing the Field (Duty & Desire #4)
Romantic Suspense:
Antihero (An Imperfect Heroes Novella/Prequel)
Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes, Book 1)
Paranormal Romance:
Unscathed (A paranormal romance novel with Tim O’Rourke)
Soul Rebel (Rebel Riders #1)
Soul Redemption (Rebel Riders #2)
Soul Release (Rebel Riders #3)
Lotus (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey Part I
Watcher (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey, Part II
Coming Soon:
Soul Seeker (Kovah’s Story, A Rebel Riders Novella)
Beneath Broken (Imperfect Heroes, Book 2)
Guardian (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey, Part III
All books available where eBooks are sold. Click HERE for a complete list.
Sign up for my newsletter here! -- http://eepurl.com/bHN6_X
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I'm a California girl living in land-locked Colorado. Lover of red wine, wearer of fabulous shoes, and a die-hard Niner fan, I'm also an editor at heart. I've written over a dozen books and short stories that contain both contemporary/new adult and paranormal romance that are a little bit badass, a little heart-wrenching, and sorta funny (to me, anyway). Almost all my books usually contain law enforcement or military undertones, since strong, brave, alpha men and women are my weaknesses. When I'm not writing, I can be found working at a very strange day job, which may or may not have some mild influences on my gripping stories - so strange, in fact, I think I'll write a book about it one day.
I'm also a proud member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA).
Now pay attention!! I've got several free books available for download, and you can find a list of books on my website, www.cjpinard.com. Feel free to email me anytime, I love hearing from readers! cjpinardauthor@gmail.com