Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“I am?”
“Yes. Then we’ll eat . . . but not until I’ve had a long taste of you.”
Well, she wasn’t going to fight him on that.
“Had any other visitors?” he asked, carrying her upstairs.
“Nope. Although Shaya did call earlier to ask if I was okay and if I needed anything. I think, like you, she was worried I would be bored on my own.” Harley pointed at herself. “Hello, feline.”
In the bathroom, he said, “Promise me something.”
“No.”
His mouth twitched. “Promise me that if you ever do feel bored, you’ll tell me. I’ll fix it.”
“How can I be bored when I have my violin and I’m surrounded by books? Trust me, I’m content.”
Too much time alone might change that. “Promise me something else.”
“No.”
His smile widened. “Swear you’ll play for me sometime.”
“You mean the violin?”
“No, Scrabble. Of course I mean the fucking violin.”
“Your language is fucking awful,” she said as he urged her into the shower and turned on the spray. “And maybe I’ll play for you sometime. We’ll see.” It was much easier to play for an audience of strangers than to give a private performance to someone she knew well.
“You will play for me.”
“And giving me orders is supposed to achieve what?”
“You will play for me.”
“You know . . . I’m starting to wonder if it’s not that you lack caution lights; it’s that you only gargled from the fountain of knowledge.”
He growled. “Personally, I think you’re trying to make me crazy.”
“You have no proof of that.”
Growling again, Jesse gently massaged her honey shampoo into her hair as she soaped his chest. He loved her hair; loved the color and texture and natural shine. Loved how it felt against his skin, loved burying his face in it as they slept.
After a quick rinse, he then smoothed conditioner into her hair while a soapy hand slowly pumped his cock. There was only so much a guy could take. Soon enough he had her legs hanging in the crooks of his elbows as he took her hard and fast against the tiled wall.
Clean, sated, and dressed, they ate their lunch in a companionable silence . . . which was probably why they easily heard a crowd quickly approaching.
Harley cocked her head. “Is that Marcus I hear trying to calm someone down?”
Jesse sighed. “Yes.” And it was no doubt Roni.
Swallowing a slice of cucumber, Harley said, “I’m guessing they’re outraged on Eli’s behalf and I’m now an even bigger bad guy than I was before.” Honestly, it bothered her more than it should have that these people were so quick to vilify her. It was like they’d pounced on the whole thing as an excuse to do some venting of their own.
“I won’t let any of them harm you,” Jesse stated.
“Neither will I,” she said as they rose. “What are you going to do if people start demanding that I leave?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?” He took her hand. “If you ever leave this pack for any reason, I’m leaving with you. But I don’t think they’ll demand that; I really don’t.”
“We’ll soon find out if you’re right.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Harley and Jesse opened the front door and walked onto the porch hand in hand, presenting a united front. Roni, Marcus, Kathy, Kent, and Caleb stood at the bottom of the stone steps. Marcus didn’t spare Harley or Jesse a glance, too busy trying to keep Roni calm to even look their way. It wasn’t working; she was tense as a bow and, like Kathy, radiated hostility. Kent and Caleb glared at Harley—a ballsy move for submissive wolves. She could have used her dominant vibes to force them to lower their gazes, but fuck ’em.
Harley was kind of surprised Nat and Kim weren’t present. Surely they would have at least enjoyed witnessing Harley taking a verbal beating.
“I don’t know what you guys think you’re fucking doing, storming to our home like this, but you might want to rethink it,” rumbled Jesse, as offended and outraged as his wolf. “Did you rile them up, Kathy?”
Kathy didn’t look at him; she was totally focused on Harley. “My pack gave you sanctuary . . . and you repay us by attacking my son?”
“You all need to leave,” growled Jesse—the guttural sound came from both him and his wolf.
“Come on, Roni, let’s just go,” coaxed Marcus, gently urging her backward. “Ally healed him; he won’t have any permanent scars. It’s over now.”
“Did you see what your cat did to my brother?” Roni snarled at Harley, making Marcus groan and lower his head in sheer exasperation.
Harley jutted out her chin. “I did.” Her cat puffed up her body and whipped her tail, expecting a challenge from the other female. Harley didn’t want to fight with Roni, but she suspected it might come to that. The she-wolf was pissed.
“Did you see how deep those wounds were?” demanded Roni, fingers curled like claws. “Don’t you have any control over your cat at all?”