The Royal Marine (The Sin Bin Book 4) by Dahlia Donovan

Author:Dahlia Donovan [Donovan, Dahlia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: long distance, gay general, series, mystery, Contemporary, autism, comedy, gay, lgbt, soldier, letters, tension, baker, gay fiction, gay romance, British, Military, suspense, interracial, mm, interracial romance, romantic comedy
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Published: 2017-10-13T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Akash

STANDING IN THE MIDDLE of his wrecked bakery, Akash tried to squash his emotions into a tiny space in his heart. One reason he’d decided to get a first look at it on his own was he didn’t want to break down in front of anyone. When Lennie contacted him to let him know they were releasing it to him, he’d driven straight to his shop.

To his immense disbelief, almost all the damage appeared to be cosmetic instead of structural. He dropped to his knees, oblivious to the broken glass and splintered wooden flooring digging into his legs. Relief brought tears to his eyes; he tilted his head to stare up at the ceiling blackened by smoke.

I can do this.

I can.

It’s not as bad as I thought.

Why am I sobbing on the floor of my bakery like a toddler?

“Oi. You all right?”

How much fucking bad karma do I have built up?

Akash slowly got to his feet, carefully brushing the broken glass off his jeans. “Scottie.”

“I know I’m an arse.”

Akash couldn’t help a loud snort of amusement. “Understatement of the year, but continue.”

Scottie rubbed the back of his neck and stared over at the rubble where counters had once stood. “Can I help with getting rid of this debris? Got a mate who works in waste management, he’s promised to bring a few of his largest skip bags out for you. Fill ’em up, he’ll haul them away.”

“Free of charge?”

“Look, you want the help or not?” Scottie shrugged. “I can fuck off back to bed and sleep for the rest of the day.”

“How kind of you.” Akash lifted his hand up to stop Scottie from responding. “I’d appreciate the help—the attitude I can live without.”

“Picky little shit, aren’t you?”

“If you’ve ever wondered why you’re single, it’s because you’re an areshole.” Akash watched the idiot carefully. He might be there to offer assistance, but he’d proved himself to be dangerously impulsive at the best of times.

“Is it? I thought I’d scared them off with my massive cock.” Scottie grabbed his crotch as if to demonstrate. “Sure I can’t tempt you?”

“I’d rather hump a porcupine.” Akash would honestly rather have rolled around naked on glass and rusted nails. “If you’re here to help, then do something useful. If you’re here to badger me for a date, fuck off and find someone who’s actually interested.”

“Tetchy, tetchy.”

In his years of experience in dealing with men like Scottie, Akash knew the wisest decision was to ignore him. He focused instead on texting friends and family on the state of the bakery. Several promised almost immediately to bring over cleaning supplies. He wanted to vent his emotions in private, but rebuilding required more than his own hands.

All the broken windows had been sealed off with boards by the fire brigade for security. Akash made a call to order new glass to be delivered. He sent an email to his insurance to see if they’d approved the renovations and contractor he intended to hire once everything had been cleared out.

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