Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“We’re not bringing everyone,” Austin said, wrapping the towel around his waist and doing nothing to hide the now tented fabric. The guy was insatiable. Normally great, right now distracting. “We’ll only bring a few shifters and a few gargoyles to the parties—”
“Are you out of your mind?” I hollered, and then put up my hand, a signal that I realized my reaction had been out of proportion. I wasn’t very good at handling grief, anxiety about my friends potentially being in danger, or the sense of impending doom that dogged me everywhere I went.
After a deep breath, I tried again, with Austin watching me patiently.
Softer this time, I asked, “Are you out of your mind?”
He started laughing.
“It’s not funny,” I said, unable to help the edges of my lips from twitching upward. “Austin, no. How am I going to explain the gargoyles’ capes? Or the shifters’ unbridled intensity? These are all Dicks and Janes, and none of them know I am magical.”
“They probably all think you’re in a cult.” He took out his toothbrush. “Don’t your parents still think that from the time they were here?”
I put my hand over my face. “Please try to see this from my point of view. My ex is being really uppity, and his mom is just the worst, and I had hoped to dazzle them with my wealth and pretend social status and hot new boyfriend.”
“Life partner.”
“What?”
“I get that we can’t say mate, but the term boyfriend implies temporary status. We’ll use life partner.”
The suggestion would be sweet in any other situation, but he didn’t know what sort of world he was about to step into.
“We can’t use that, because then they’ll talk about you not having proposed,” I said. “They’ll question our whole situation. Do you not have enough money for a ring? Are you not ready for commitment? Maybe I’m your mistress, and you’re trying to keep me around by promising me you’ll leave your wife and marry me. Sound insane? I know, but these are seriously things I have heard them say. I don’t want to be part of that rumor mill. The result is snide remarks and sly grins and things I really would prefer to avoid.”
He finished brushing his teeth and walked up to me with swagger, a handsome smirk on his face. His hands settled low on my hips.
“They won’t question my devotion to you, Jess.” He leaned down slowly and kissed the side of my neck. “Boyfriend, live-in partner, love of my life…” He kissed the other side of my neck, and shivers coated my flesh. “Showing love is about actions more than titles. Touching. Possessive posturing. The women will know, without a shadow of a doubt”—he softly kissed my lips—“that you are my everything. You’re the woman whom I’ve pledged my life to protect, to care for. The men will know”—he slid his hand up my stomach and cupped a breast—“that you belong to me.”
I fell into his kiss greedily before I remembered my point and backed off again.
“Stop that. You’re intentionally trying to distract me.”
He laughed again, sauntering out of the room. He was confident and eager to prove his claim in front of my family and the people from my past. I was eager for the same thing, as long as everything went well. Bringing any part of my crew would ensure nothing would go well.
“Please, Austin, I don’t want to be the talk of the town this time. Negatively, I mean. I’ve always been the one who doesn’t fit in. The one who doesn’t belong. This time…I just want to shut them up.”
“You will, baby. I promise.”
I followed him into the bedroom. “Okay, but… You must see how showing up at a family gathering with a bodyguard detail is overboard. And if those bodyguards wear capes? Are you kidding me? First, they’ll think I’m faking. Of course they will. I manage a house. Why would I need bodyguards?”
“Because of the cult? Or, like…a cult war?”
“It’s not funny. Then they’ll think I’m unhinged because I believe my bodyguards are actually superheroes.” I shook my head, leaning against the wall. “Please, Austin, no. I’ll be a laughingstock. I’ll consent to having them at the house we’re renting, but that’s it. They have to stay inside at all times. Like prisoners.”
Jeans on, he came up to me again, pulling me into his warm embrace.
“Jess, I’m just messing with you. I am taking this seriously, I promise. We do need to have a detail with us. That is not up for negotiation, but the gargoyles can blend into buildings. They’ll stay out of sight in a way shifters can’t. I checked out the topography of the area. There are enough trees and natural life that the basajaunak can also blend in. So we have them for parties and the shifters can guard the temporary residence. Okay? I’m assuming everything will go smoothly, because we are in a sort of magical bubble, but I want us covered.”