Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“Don’t gotta hope. I know it rightly. Enjoy.”
Austin stopped by the drinks cooler. “Coke for me, Jess,” he said.
“I can drive back if you want to drink.”
“Are you trying to rob me of my fun?”
I fished out a soda for him and a water for myself, then followed him over to a high-backed wooden chair by the fire. People nodded and said hello as we passed. I expected him to grab the chair and move it closer to one of the groups of people hanging out and chatting. Or at least drag another over for me. He didn’t do either—he just sat down with the plate of food.
“Uh…” I looked around, finding another empty chair on the other side of the bonfire.
“Here, Jess.” He leaned back a little and put out his hands.
“Oh.”
Feeling a little sheepish, I tried not to glance around as I took a seat on his lap. No one seemed to notice, though, or find it odd that a grown woman was going to sit on the lap of a grown man.
“Great,” I said, and I knew I didn’t sound totally comfortable.
Austin smiled in contentment, though, which eased my mind somewhat. I leaned against his chest.
“There’s plenty of time for us to be alone,” I said, “if you’d rather sit with the shifters. I have an afterparty planned. With just us.”
His reply was silky. “I also have an afterparty planned. With just us.”
“Right, but…maybe we should sit with your friends?”
He shook his head, situating me as he held the plate in one hand and the fork in the other.
“You clearly don’t know how shifter BBQs work,” he said.
I froze…I’d thought I’d gotten the info right. Kace had schooled me, after all.
His smile was not reassuring, though it was soft and intimate. He scooped a bit of potato salad onto the fork and reached it up to my mouth.
This part I’d been expecting. Shifter males had a strange desire to feed their mates. This behavior at something like a BBQ, in front of their people, was erotic for them. We’d done something similar on a smaller scale in the basajaunak territory. Kace hadn’t mentioned the lap thing, but I could tell from the feelings through the bonds that it was heightening the feelings for Austin.
I wrapped my lips around the bite, leaning against him as I ate. He speared a bit for himself before laying down the fork and using his hands.
“I’m the alpha,” he said as he picked up the steak. Juices dribbled down his fingers, and I tried very hard not to grimace. “It’s like a work function. I’m the C.E.O., and these are my employees. I mingle, friendly, but I must always remember my place. I’m their boss. I need to stay professional. We can make the rounds later. Let’s just enjoy ourselves for now.”
He ran the meat along my lips, and I opened for him, ripping off a bite.
His groan was audible. He watched my mouth as I chewed.
“I’d planned this because I thought you could relax here,” I said after swallowing.
He fed me the next bit, his eyes deeply hooded.
“It is relaxing, knowing the rules, knowing what’s expected. This is my upbringing, right here. It’s comfortable.”
“But it’s not really an outing with friends. It’s a boss with his underlings.”
“It’s an alpha with his pack.”
I minutely shook my head as I rested my arm around his shoulders. “What would you do if I weren’t here?”
“Visit with everyone. Engage in polite conversation. Eat, drink, be merry. Have a happier pack when I left.”
“Excuse me for saying so, but isn’t it a bit lonely if friendly BBQs or other parties are always work functions?”
He shrugged, feeding me more. “It’s the job. But there’s always the beta and family. Lines blur in some instances.”
“And they don’t mind if you give me all your focus?”
His smile was as soft as his eyes. “I’ve realized that shifters aren’t so unlike gargoyles after all. Seeing us happy, together, advertises the stability of the pack. It’ll give them more confidence in their leadership. In us. This is good, Jess. You did good.”
I smiled at that, taking comfort in the knowledge that he always had me and Ivy House for more blurred lines. It was impossible to keep pretenses with my people. They were just too weird to make any sort of hard rules stick. I liked that about them.
“How’s the situation at the fair?” he asked, taking a bite for himself.
I groaned and practically laid across his shoulder. “Sebastian and I had to go yesterday evening and reinforce the spell. Those flowers draw a huge crowd. They think they’re computer-programmed and battery-powered. They marvel at the life-like effects.”
“So the flowers haven’t broken free and tried to kill anyone?”
“One tried, but Edgar was there to back up the older man trying to get a better look. He’s been there twenty-four/seven, just like he promised. He skulks around at night, dodging the notice of the security guards, and sits there during the day, making everyone nervous. A few more days. It’ll be over in a few more days, and then we can hack down those flowers. Hopefully.”