Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 38003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
“I have heard of men and women coming together, enjoying a wonderful life with each other. Falling in love. Eventually having kids.”
“Kids?” Poppy asked. She thought about her mother. “How is that possible? My mom said she couldn’t ever have kids because of her mate and … you know.”
“Ah, yes, that is, if a wolf has been mated, then children are only possible between that couple. For couples who are not mated, but love blooms, then it is indeed possible.”
“Oh.” This was news for Poppy.
She was never going to have kids. Klaus was her mate.
“Don’t you think it’s a little risky?” Poppy asked.
“What is?”
“Picking someone who isn’t your mate? What if one of their mates turns up? Then you’ve got a family that could be torn apart, and there is a whole bunch of drama just waiting to unfold, and that can’t be good for anyone, can it?” she asked.
She really didn’t care.
Klaus was her mate.
This was … complicated.
Did she intend to go her whole life without mating to him? She had no idea.
There were moments she wanted to give in and say what the hell. Then other moments when she wanted to tell him to fuck off. To leave her alone. That he’d been a dick to her and she couldn’t stand him.
Her feelings changed so often about him. It was hard to have one distinctive thought.
Before Greg got a chance to answer, her doorbell rang. It was only seven thirty.
Grateful for any reason to cut this conversation short, she slid off her stool and went to the door. Klaus was on the other side.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I thought we could spend some time together, you know? Work on that little project we talked about last night.”
Greg came from behind her, holding the door, still shirtless.
“Klaus, my man,” Greg said, holding his hand out.
“You’re naked.”
“Nah, dude, I’m not naked. It’s way too hot, and I was cooking Poppy breakfast.” He placed a hand on her shoulder.
Staring into Klaus’s eyes, she saw the anger flash in his gaze.
Quickly, she slipped out of Greg’s grasp. “You know what, thank you for breakfast, Greg. They were amazing. Klaus needs me for something, and I can’t show you around right now. I’m sure there are plenty of people who can.” She grabbed Klaus’s hand. “See you later.”
She rushed out of the house, dragging Klaus along behind her, leaving the safety of the yard, and pretty much pulling him as far away from Greg as possible.
“He doesn’t wear a shirt.”
“Shut up.”
“How can I shut up? Can’t the man put on a damn shirt? Is that, like, too hard for him?”
She groaned and turned to him. “Enough, okay? Just … enough.”
Poppy looked around and felt like people were watching them. Taking hold of his hand, she marched him toward the secret path that took them into the forest, away from prying eyes and ears.
Neither of them spoke for a good twenty minutes.
She realized she had left the house in her slippers. Letting go of Klaus, she moved to a fallen tree and dropped down on it. “Great, just great.” They were a gift from her mother last Christmas and super comfortable.
“Poppy? Greg without a shirt?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say. I went down for breakfast, and I had forgotten he was there, and he had no shirt on. That’s all. I’ve got nothing else to say.” She ran her hands down her thigh.
Being around Klaus aroused her. She had to fight it all the time, and now, it was even harder. Greg’s words made her feel guilty, and now she looked at Klaus … with possibilities, and she hated that about herself.
“Why did you come by my house?” she asked.
“To talk. To hang out. For us to perhaps flesh out what we want,” Klaus said.
“Then tell me what you want, Klaus.”
****
What did he want?
That was easy.
Poppy. He wanted Poppy as his mate.
“Tell me what you want, Poppy,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? I asked first. Why are you being a pain? Just tell me.”
“You’re the woman. You should go first.”
“Klaus, I don’t know what I want,” she said.
“You don’t?”
“No, I don’t. I don’t even know if I like you, but I feel … guilty. Greg is back there, and I think he’s trying to convince me to … I don’t know exactly what he is convincing me of, but either way, I don’t like it. He wanted to know if I had a mate, and I couldn’t exactly tell him no. So I kept on talking, and got him to talk, and now we’re here, in this situation. The truth is, yes, I do have a mate. I have you. The alpha’s son, who spent a great deal of our high school days hurting me.”
He held his hand up. “I didn’t spend a lot of time … bullying you. It was just a little bit.” Not that this helped at all. He had to learn to shut up.