Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Well now,” Grandma said, when they pulled apart. “So you’re the man in love with our Mattie!”
She searched Grath’s face with faded eyes that were still sharp as she said it, looking to catch his reaction to her words.
Mattie felt her stomach twist sharply. This was the danger point right here! If Grath could fool Grandma Thelma, he could fool anyone. But if her Grandma sensed a hesitation or guessed the lie the two of them were trying to pull off—
“Yes, Ma’am, I’m deeply in love with her,” Grath rumbled with a straight face. He looked at Mattie as he continued. “I think your granddaughter is the most beautiful female I’ve ever met,” he said, sounding perfectly sincere.
Mattie could feel her cheeks getting hot, even though she knew he was just making things up for Grandma Thelma’s benefit.
“Oh, Grath!” she exclaimed.
“It’s true,” he assured her, again with a straight face. “How many times do I have to tell you how beautiful you are before it sinks in, baby?” And he put an arm around Mattie and pulled her close for a hug.
Mattie felt her cheeks get even hotter but of course she couldn’t refuse to hug him back. She put her arms around the big Kindred and pressed her cheek to his muscular chest.
Being this close to him, she couldn’t help inhaling his amazing scent. What was that? Some kind of aftershave or just the regular scent of his skin? Either way, it made her heart speed up and her legs feel weak as he held her against him.
“Well, now!” Grandma Thelma remarked when Mattie finally pulled out of the hug, feeling slightly wobbly. She was relieved to see that her grandmother was smiling approvingly. “I’m glad he sees your worth, sweetie-pie,” she said to Mattie. “You’re a very nice young man,” she said, looking up at Grath. “We’ll just see if you’re worthy of our Mattie.”
“Grandma!” Mattie exclaimed but Grath only nodded gravely and said,
“I’ll do my best, Ma’am,” in a voice that was completely sincere.
Mattie couldn’t help looking at him admiringly. The big warrior was turning out to be better at acting than she’d ever dreamed! The way he’d greeted her whole family and passed her Grandma’s test really was impressive.
She just wondered how long he could keep it up.
SIX
MATTIE
Mattie was less impressed with her big Protector a little later when they sat down to dinner and her mom asked Grath to tell the story of how they had met and fallen in love.
“Oh, Mom—Grath doesn’t want to go into all that!” Mattie protested uneasily as she passed the mashed potatoes. “You’re putting him on the spot!”
“I don’t mind,” Grath rumbled unexpectedly.
He was seated beside Mattie at the wide oval dining table, but she thought he looked like an adult at the kid’s table. His knees barely fit under the human-sized tabletop and the sturdy wooden chair had creaked alarmingly under his muscular bulk when he sat down.
But despite being too big for the furniture, he had perfect manners and had already praised her mother’s cooking two or three times, talking about how juicy the roast was and how creamy the mashed potatoes were. Her mother blushed every time and thanked him—Mattie could see she was well on the way to liking the big Kindred very much.
She wished she could kick him under the table and tell him not to overdo it. If he made her whole family fall in love with him, they were going to be devastated when she had to pretend they had “broken up” later!
But of course, she couldn’t risk saying anything. She just had to sit there and listen to the big Kindred charm everyone at the table, while knowing that every word he said was a lie.
“I don’t mind telling how we met,” he said again, smiling across the table at Mattie’s mom. “It was pretty much love at first sight, if you want to know the truth.”
“Oh my—it was?” Mattie’s mom put one fluttering hand to her heart.
Grath nodded.
“Absolutely. The minute I looked into Madeline’s big brown eyes and took her hand, I knew she was the only female for me. She was so fucking beautiful it hurt to look at her! Uh, pardon my language,” he added, speaking to her Grandma, at the other end of the table.
“Grath…” Mattie tried to give him a look without being obvious about it. “You don’t have to be so dramatic!”
“I’m not, baby.” Turning, he took her hand and looked down into her eyes. “I knew it—the first time I saw you. I knew you were the one I wanted—the only one,” he murmured.
And lifting her hand, he pressed it to his lips as he held her eyes with his.
Mattie felt her heart flutter and had to remind herself again that this was all an act.