Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“We’re going back to Nashville in two weeks,” Camden went on frankly, despite that no one had prompted a conversation. “I miss all my stuffies, but at the same time, it gives me an excuse to buy more here and in New York. You know?”
Shay and I exchanged a grin.
“Oh, this is so delicious,” Camden gushed around a mouthful of pizza. “Mm-mm-mm!”
He wasn’t wrong. Domino’s for the win. Besides, it was one of the few takeout joints that promised the food was still hot upon delivery. Ordering a burger and fries from somewhere just made you disappointed. Then you sat there with your cold, limp fries.
“I don’t think you understand what a treat this is,” Camden said. “Daddy hates takeout. August, that is. It’s usually something Anthony and I sneak around with.”
I chuckled and bit into my slice of cheesy goodness.
Halfway through lunch, someone showed up with a carrier—one of those used for cats and small dogs—and the woman was definitely here for Penelope. Because she rushed over to greet the woman with a bright smile.
Then Penelope bent down to peer into the carrier. “Oh, he’s adorable, Sierra. Nora, get over here, please.”
Yes, Ma’am!
I wiped my fingers and scurried over there.
“You’ll have to make sure I bought all the right things,” Penelope told Sierra. “I almost gave myself a headache trying to figure out what litter was the best.”
Sierra chuckled. “I’m sure it’s fine, Ma’am. Mistress wrote you a helpful list too, and I brought food for a week, plus a baby blanket that smells of home.”
Penelope extended her hand to me, and I was happy to thread our fingers together.
“Nora, I want you to meet Sierra. She and her Mistress have helped me find the perfect early birthday present for Ash. Sierra, this is Nora, a hotheaded obsession of mine.”
Hotheaded obsession, huh?
I wanted that on a business card. Hotheaded Obsession of Mistress Penelope.
“The obsession is mutual, and it’s nice to meet you, Sierra.” I reached out and shook her hand.
“You too, Nora.”
It was my turn to peer down into the carrier, and my heart about jumped with the adorableness. Oh my gosh, the kitten was so cute! And tiny! Gray and stripey, with a white belly. Blue eyes.
“Oh, I want one.” I pouted. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
“A boy,” Sierra confirmed. “He turns ten weeks today, actually.”
I sighed and straightened up. “One day… One day, I want a house with a big backyard and all the animals.”
I caught Penelope’s curious expression in the corner of my eye, and she could file away that little tidbit of Future Nora.
Some ten minutes before Ash was due, I had ants in my pants!
I hadn’t left the floor of Penelope’s cabin since we’d let little Paws loose. It was the name I’d chosen for the wild sprite, but I could pretend to be understanding if Ash wanted to change it.
“At the same time, he needs to realize it’s the perfect name,” I said matter-of-factly.
Penelope laughed as she finished setting the table. “Would you say kittens trump lizards?”
Oh. Hmm. “I’d say they don’t really compare. I can’t cuddle with a lizard the way I can with a kitten.” Not that Paws was in a cuddle mood either. He was currently rolling himself over my leg while I leaned back against the couch. “Lane and Ty have invited me down to their place in Florida, and if all goes well, maybe I’ll bring a Mistress, and we can chase lizards and snakes together.”
She didn’t even hesitate with her answer. “I’m afraid your future Mistress will leave the reptile-chasing to her girl because the Mistress prefers furry animals.”
Unbridled excitement tore through me, and I lifted Paws off my leg before I rose to my feet and hurried over to her.
“You said future Mistress!”
She smiled and pulled me in close, right where I wanted to be. “Did I?”
“You totally did.” I snaked my arms around her neck and brushed our noses together. “My hopes are high, just so you know.”
I understood why she was careful. And maybe I was okay with her cautiousness because she wasn’t difficult to read anymore. Her eyes seemed brighter, and she wasn’t holding back as much.
She didn’t say anything now either, and she didn’t have to. She leaned in and kissed me instead, holding me tightly, speaking with her actions. She wanted to hope, and that was enough for now.
I deepened the kiss, tasting her on my tongue, and I eased my fingers up into her soft waves.
She always smelled so damn amazing, like some kind of flowers—never too sweet, more fresh and just…perfect.
She slowed down the kiss and squeezed my butt through my shorts, until she took a breath and rested our foreheads together.
I cupped her face in my hands and ghosted my thumbs over her freckled skin.
“I wanted to ask you something earlier.” She averted her gaze to my shoulder and slipped her hands beneath the waistband of my shorts. “In that house with the big backyard and all the animals, are there kids too?”