Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Shaking the strange feeling off, she squatted down once more, this time to open her suitcase. She’d tossed everything into it in a hurry. She wasn’t even certain what she’d brought. Some of her clothes hadn’t fit in, and she’d left them in the hotel room.
After finding a T-shirt she thought might cover her butt, she hurried across the hall toward the bathroom. She saw Phoenix in the kitchen, but his back was toward her as he stood at the sink, and she didn’t linger. If she paused to look at him, she’d never make it into the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, she stepped back out. Her hair was damp and wild. Lyra shouldn’t have been so reassured to see that the bathing supplies were the generic hotel ones. He didn’t seem like the type to have random women in his apartment. She tugged her shirt down a bit more. It didn’t quite cover her panties, and she was wearing plain cotton briefs. The thought that he might see them embarrassed her.
She hesitated in the doorway when she found him sitting on the edge of the daybed. He’d pulled the covers back and now patted the mattress as she shuffled into the room. There was no way she could climb into the bed without him seeing her panties.
“Ready for bed, Little one? Did you find any cuts or scratches?” he asked, scanning her exposed skin.
“No. Believe it or not, I think I escaped injury.”
Phoenix stood and moved toward her to circle her as he checked her skin. “One small scratch.” His finger traced over a small spot on the back of her right arm. A delicious sensation scintillated on her skin at his touch. She allowed him to steer her to the edge of the bed.
Pausing, she glanced at her suitcase again. She needed her stuffie. She hadn’t slept without Harry in years. He calmed her, kept her safe, and kept watch for monsters in the night.
And you say you’re not Little. She nearly giggled as she realized how very Little her feelings about Harry were. It was just this one aspect of her life, though. Her stuffed animal made her feel…loved.
“I don’t suppose you have a stuffie in that suitcase who needs to join you in this bed, do you?”
Lyra’s breath hitched, and she nodded.
“Go grab it then, Little one. I want to meet him or her.”
“Him,” she said as she bent down to unzip the other side of the suitcase so she could extract Harry.
When she turned around, she hugged Harry close to her chest so Phoenix wouldn’t see him. She’d never introduced anyone to Harry, not even Boyd. Most likely, Boyd knew about her stuffie, but he’d never said a word.
“Are you going to introduce us, Little one?”
Lyra approached slowly until she finally relaxed her arms and held Harry out for Phoenix to see. If he made fun of her, she would never forgive him. Something about her furry friend made her feel safe. She couldn’t imagine Phoenix teasing her about her stuffie.
Phoenix’s eyes went wide. “Is he a tarantula?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
If she wasn’t mistaken, Phoenix grimaced slightly.
She remembered Phoenix had shuddered when she’d told him about the spider in her car. Could this giant buff beast of a man be afraid of spiders? “He won’t hurt you. He’s a friendly tarantula. His name is Harry.”
Seeming to recover, Phoenix held out a hand and shook one of Harry’s legs. “Nice to meet you, Harry.” He lifted his gaze to Lyra. “He doesn’t scare you in the night?”
She shook her head. “No. He protects me.”
“Where did you get him?”
“One day several years ago, I had some time off between concerts in New York. Boyd didn’t want to take me shopping, so I went out alone. In retrospect, I’m glad. I had the best day. I spent over an hour in a giant toy store. That’s where I found Harry. Some child had picked him up, carried him around, and then left him in the wrong spot in the store. He was lonely and looked at me with huge, sad eyes. I couldn’t leave him there, so I bought him. I’ve slept better ever since. Most people don’t like spiders, and he’s so large. I figure he would scare off any bad guys or monsters in the night. He doesn’t even sleep while I do. Tarantulas are nocturnal. He keeps watch over me.”
Phoenix reached out a hand and pulled her closer.
She didn’t even care that his palm slid under the T-shirt to rest on her panties over her butt. The look in his eyes erased her embarrassment.
“I’m so glad you found him and that he found you. I’m also glad he has kept you safe for all this time so that I might get to meet you tonight. I promise to keep you just as safe as Harry has, day and night.”