Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 72561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
She leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. “Okay.”
The pain in my arm slowly lessened to just under ‘oh-my-god-i-got-shot-in-the-arm’ levels and I was finally able to take a deep breath.
Channing’s breathing pattern changed until her breaths became slow and steady.
She drifted off to sleep like that, snuggled deep in my arms. Her head pillowed on my chest. My wounded hand resting on the mattress on the opposite side of me.
***
Channing
“Loki?” I asked into the darkness.
I gave it three seconds before I called him again.
“Loki?” I called again.
Rolling over cautiously so I didn’t barrel into his wounded arm, I found him lying on his side.
He was facing away from me, the broad expanse of his back the only thing I could make out in the darkness.
The only light there was, was from the full moon peeking between a gap between the blinds.
It hit the bed in lines, and cast shadows around the room.
I’d woken in a panic, the dream that had been in my subconscious slowly drifting away into nothing. In the dream, Loki had left once he’d learned my secret. However, the longer I stared at his form and heard the soft sounds of his breathing surround me, the calmer I began to feel.
The erratic staccato of my heart slowed, and the bile rising in my stomach began to decrease.
My hand went down, unwillingly, to the slight curve of my belly, and I felt the flutters again, finally realizing what, exactly, had woken me.
Movement.
Movement from inside of me.
Again.
Toto, I thought. We’re not in Kansas anymore.
“Please don’t hate me,” I whispered to his back.
Chapter 16
Pogonophile- (noun) one who loves beards.
-T-shirt
Channing
I walked up behind Loki and listened unrepentantly to his conversation.
“What did he say to that? Uh-huh.” Pause. “Yep. Sure.” Pause. “Seriously? And Varian?” Pause. “Nothing? You’re sure?” Pause. “Goddammit. There’s no way he was acting independently from him. I don’t have that many enemies.”
I snorted, drawing Loki’s attention from the contemplation of the two raccoons currently chattering back and forth animatedly to me.
He smiled when he saw me, allowing his eyes to travel from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
I’d taken another shower, and then slipped into the only warm thing I’d had on hand, a pair of sweat pants that had been in Loki’s bag, socks that were about five sizes too big, and the long sleeved Henley he’d been wearing when he’d been shot last night.
It’d been a good thing that he had the sleeves rolled up at the time, or it’d been stained with his blood, and subsequently thrown in the trash.
It gave me comfort, though, because it smelled like him.
“Yeah,” he said into his phone, but kept his eyes on me. “I’ll be ready to head out as soon as the boy wonder twins and Cleo get here.”
He paused, listening to what whoever was on the phone had to say, and then said, “10-4. I’ll check in once I get there, mom... I mean Trance.”
He smiled at whatever scathing retort Trance had replied with, and hung up the phone.
Pushing the thin phone into his pocket, he walked towards me. “Nice clothes.”
I smiled slightly. “I don’t have anything else.”
At least nothing else I was willing to wear. My clothes from last night were stained with motor oil and dirt from the parking lot of Halligans and Handcuffs. I wasn’t willing to wear them, which meant it was the sweats or nothing.
Wearing nothing wasn’t really a possibility, either, since it was around forty degrees out.
“I have Cleo bringing you some clothes,” he said just as he reached me.
His fingers ran through my tangled hair, trying to separate the tangles. “I have a brush in my go bag. Do you want it?”
“What’s a go bag?” I asked with a raised brow.
“It’s a bag that’s ready in case of an emergency. It has some protein bars, a spare gun and a couple boxes of ammo. A comb. Some hygiene products and clothes,” he said as he worked his fingers through a particularly tangled spot.
“Sure,” I agreed. “How’s your arm?”
The small hole that went through his arm, now covered by eight tiny stitches, looked red and angry. The blue stitches stood out, making the wound look even worse.
His grimace said it all.
“Did you take any pain meds?” I asked. “How about your antibiotics?”
“I have to drive,” he replied.
I gave him a droll look. “That doesn’t mean you can’t drive if you’ve taken those. It means to use common sense.”
The sound of pipes started to vibrate through the forest, and the furry woodland creatures scurried away just in time for four bikes to pull into the driveway.
They parked beside Loki’s truck, and got off.
Silas’ beard looked even more badass today, than it had at the bar. Today, it was braided and fell to just about chest level.
And his shirt. Oh, God, his shirt was awesome. Although it was partially covered up by his leather vest, I could still make out the words.
It said, ‘With great beard, comes great responsibility.’
“I love your shirt!” I blurted.
His cool demeanor cracked, and the man gave me a devastating smile.
This man was sexy for his age. You could tell he could easily hold his own with any of the men that surrounded him in a fight. He was broad, tall, and devastatingly handsome.
“Thanks, honey. How’re you doing this morning?” He asked politely with his deep baritone voice.
I blinked.
I wasn’t really sure what I’d expected, but a cultured voice wasn’t one of them.
“I’m doing okay. I was about to make breakfast and force-feed Loki his antibiotics and pain pills,” I answered quickly.
He smiled, showing off straight white teeth. “Excellent. Are we allowed to put in orders?”
I blinked stupidly for a few seconds before nodding. “Sure.”
“Four eggs. Bacon. Toast,” he said simply.
“And, now that the king has put in his order, I’d like the same. Double bacon.” Cleo said sagely.
I giggled. “10-4.”
Loki’s answering smile was sweet. “10-9.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What’s that mean?”
He chuckled. “Repeat. I want the same as them,” he said, as he gestured towards the men.