Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
I frown, worry creeping in to taint my sex glow. “Wow, that sounds bad. Do you think our people are all okay?”
“I’ll turn on the weather, see what I can find out.” He reaches for the remote on the bureau as I snag his shirt and slide my arms through the Matty-scented fabric.
“I should call Gram,” I say, grabbing the fluffy knee socks I bought at the store last night and pulling them on to warm my suddenly chilly toes. “Make sure she and Aaron are okay.”
As if summoned by my thoughts of him, my phone begins to blare Aaron’s ringtone from my purse, which I apparently discarded in the hallway.
I hurry over, grabbing my cell and tapping the green button.
Before I can say “hello, how are you?” my brother is demanding, “Where are you? No more bullshit, the weather is getting scary, Nora, and I’m coming to get you. Now.”
Chapter Eighteen
MATTY
Nora paces in front of the wide window beside the bed, doing her best to smooth Aaron’s feathers, while I divide my attention between the muted television coverage of the flood, currently doing its best to wash parts of Bad Dog off the map, and Nora.
But mostly Nora.
She’s always beautiful, but in nothing but my button-down shirt with the top few buttons loose and a pair of giant fluffy socks, she’s reached a level of sexiness, I’m not sure I’m prepared to handle. At least not until I’ve run down to the hotel shop for more condoms.
Fate stepped in to hand me a long, uninterrupted afternoon with this incredible woman, and I mean to make the most of it.
“Yes, I think that’s fine,” Nora says, rolling her eyes my way as she turns to pace the other direction. “The Sweetwaters can’t leave their compound because Harmony Creek Road is already under water. And we know they’re telling the truth because Matty called Starling. She confirmed that they evacuated all the animals from the Furry Friends shelter this morning because they have to cross Harmony Creek Road to get in and out of there, too. She said the waters were rising so fast, they didn’t know how many days they’d be left without access to the facility and didn’t want the animals to be left without someone to care for them. So, no one is going to be coming after Melissa or anyone else tonight and besides, Rex already apologized for that and swore it happened before he and Matty made a date to talk things through.”
Aaron’s voice gets louder on the other end of the line, loud enough for me to hear, “…and I don’t like this,” without having to strain.
Nora winces and pulls the phone away from her ear before adding, “I know you don’t like it. I don’t love it, either. But isn’t this much better than when you thought Matty was a hooligan?”
“Criminal, not hooligan,” Aaron booms, making Nora wince again.
“Okay, fine,” she says. “I hear your concerns. Boy, do I hear them. I also appreciate them, and I don’t intend to take any unnecessary chances. But I’m committed to helping Matty save this mission before it’s too late, and no amount of yelling from you is going to change that.”
Aaron mumbles something I can’t make out, but that causes Nora’s expression to soften. “I know you’re just worried. I worry about you, too. All the time. But we’re both adults now with good heads on our shoulders. We can handle problems on our own sometimes. Not like when we were kids, and the only safety was in numbers.” She hums sympathetically. “I know you mean well. You always do.” She cuts a look my way, her lips twitching. “Yes, I’m sure she’ll realize that, too. She won’t hate you forever. Probably just for a year or two and you’re almost always on the road, so it should be easy to avoid further injury. Just…stay out of her face. And the squirrel’s face.”
I frown and she holds up a finger, indicating she’ll tell me more in a second.
Aaron mutters for several moments while Nora fights to keep from laughing.
She nods, taking a deep breath. “Yes, I know exactly how stressful an unwanted rodent interaction can be. I was humped by a squirrel, too, remember?” Her eyes widen. “Dude, what if it was the same squirrel? The park where I was humped isn’t that far from Melissa’s house. It could be the same horny squirrel! Who just happens to be inexorably drawn to people with Boudreaux blood flowing through their veins. Do you think our family might have mated with squirrels at some point way back in the family line? Are we part squirrel? Is that why I’m afraid of dogs and cats and all larger animals, because my squirrel instincts are warning me that I’m a prey animal and need to be on guard against potential predators?”