Dirty Past Read Online Free PDF Page A

finishes with a giggle, I glance at Conner. “Her new favorite word?”
    He nods, his lips twitching. “Watch her, brother. She’s got you pegged.”
    “Great.” I rub my hand down my face and walk to her, crouching in front of her. “Okay, I’m bad. Slap my hand?” I hold it out for her, but she shakes her head.
    “Tar. My play tar.” She grins.
    “Mimi,” I fake-whine.
    She giggles again at my nickname for her, then stops, pouting, and gives me puppy-dog eyes. “Peez, Tay. Peez.”
    She blinks several times in quick succession, and I stare at her. Fucking damn her cute little ass. I sigh heavily. “Okay. Come on.” I lift her onto the stage and she stomps over to my guitar, laughing wildly. I can’t help my own chuckle—the kid has the charm of I don’t know what. And somehow, she always gets her own damn way.
    “Dum dum dum!” She attacks the strings harshly, and my eyes widen.
    “No, Mimi!” I sit, grab her onto my lap, and trap her with my arms. “Gently, remember?”
    “Ohhhh,” she coos. “Genty. Kay.”
    I lift the guitar onto our legs. “Ready?”
    “Duuuuum, duuuuum, duuuuum,” she hums slowly, pinging each string softly. “Duuuuuuuuum!”
    “Great job!” I clap my hands in front of us.
    “Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!” she gasps, giggling when she catches her breath again. “Good, Tay. Ree good.”
    “Real good,” I echo, grabbing my guitar. “Lunch now? Mama has stars.”
    Mila gasps and looks toward Sofie. “Mama, sars?” she yells, not caring that Sofie’s deep in conversation. She jumps off of me.
    Sofie snaps her head round. “Uh, yes. After a sandwich.”
    “No, now. Tay said!” She stomps her little foot.
    “I didn’t!” I defend, putting my guitar down. “I just said you had them.”
    Sofie looks at me flatly. “You know, Tate, this newfound friendship is about to be shoved in a very uncomfortable part of your body.”
    “Sorry, Sof.” I jump off the stage and lift Mila down with an exaggerated swing. “I don’t get things shoved in me. Shoving something somewhere else, however . . .”
    Ella wrinkles her face and looks at Kye. “Are you all always so crude?”
    “Nope.” He swigs from a bottle of water. “Just him.”
    “How do you cope?” she directs that at Sofie.
    “I drink a lot of wine.” Sofie bites into her sandwich and looks at her seriously. “Don’t worry. I have a stash of it for situations like this. Ajax is an awesome babysitter. Right, Ajax?” She yells that over her shoulder.
    “Babysitter . . . bodyguard . . . does it matter?” he responds from the door.
    “Not where Sofie is concerned,” I snigger.
    A bread crust promptly hits me in the face.
    “Bite me,” she snaps.
    “Be nice, princess,” Conner says. “He’s in a good mood today. We don’t want to anger him.”
    I click my tongue. “Fancy your ass kicked, little brother?”
    “Ass! Ass!”
    “Mila!” Sofie gasps. “Tate! I don’t know who to yell at!”
    “Tate,” Ella responds, hugging her knees to her chest on her seat. “He said it first.”
    “You just took the top spot on my shit list,” I tell her, trying not to focus on the way her shirt pulls her tits together. Because, fuck me, that cleavage is begging for my face to be buried in it.
    “Good. That means you’re less likely to try and seduce me.”
    “Hey, Mila, let’s go get a juice,” Sofie says wisely, scooping her up. “Conner,” she adds in a firm tone, then glances at the twins.
    “Not movin’,” they say together.
    The side door to the stage shuts, and Ella swallows. Her apprehension is evident, and I don’t blame her. I can feel this tension between us, the one I felt last night, and it’s going motherfucking batshit banana crazy.
    Leaning forward, I lick my lips. “Not necessarily,” I tell her. “Because if there’s anything you need to know about me, darlin’, it’s that I don’t try to do anything. I do it straightaway. So if I was tryin’ to seduce you,