Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
I rub my forehead. A noise makes me turn. There’s a huge TV on the far wall, behind a bar-height table and stools. A Cheers style bar, recreated inside someone’s house. Light flickers on the screen as the TV comes to life—a screen bigger than my dining room table.
Pinkish shadows, and then a little face backs away from the camera. It's an adorable little girl with a white bow askew in her brown hair. She's in a yellow dress with what looks like purple paint smeared on the front.
“Hello.” She waves.
I wave back, unsure if she can see me.
“Jaylin,” someone calls off screen. “Jaylin, are you done with the paint? Oh, damn it.” A brunette comes into view.
“Dammit,” the little girl echoes.
“No, Jaylin. What did Mommy say about swearing?” The woman crouches down to dab a wet cloth at the purple smears on the girl’s dress.
“Don't do it in front of anybody,” Jaylin answers dutifully.
“That's right,” the mother says. “They might judge me.”
I must have made a noise because the mom raises her head. “Oh wait, did you turn on the screen? Is that…” The woman peers at the screen and waves. “Hi, there.”
“Hello.” I guess she can see me.
“I'm Kylie. I left the CallBot out because I was going to check on you guys later. I guess Jaylin got it to dial you. She uses this all the time to call her great-grandma upstairs. Anyway, did you get in okay?
“Got in just fine,” Lance calls from across the room. He bounds up to my side and puts his arm around me. “Thanks so much.”
“Oh, no problem. We'll be down there in a few days, so it should be stocked with everything you need.”
“Awesome, thanks,” Lance says. “Kylie, this is my mate, Charlie.” He squeezes me tighter.
“Hello.” I wave. Then I realize Lance called me mate.
“Is this…”
“Yep, they own the place.”
“My beach house,” Jaylin says. Kylie laughs and draws her daughter onto her lap. “That's right, Jaylin, all yours.” She rolls her eyes.
“We go there in my white plane,” Jaylin explains proudly, her little voice adorably squeaky.
“Yes,” Kylie says, “we'll go there in our white plane in a few days.”
“What color is your plane?” Jaylin asks.
“Green,” I answer.
“That’s nice.” She twists to face her mother. “Can I have a green plane?”
“I think one plane is enough,” Kylie says and kisses the top of her daughter's head. “Now go play.”
“Okay.” Jaylin pushes off her mother’s lap and waves to me with a small hand. “Bye.”
“Bye.” My hand goes to my belly. I'm surprisingly choked up seeing a mom and daughter. One day, the baby in my belly will be this big and this adorable.
“Charlie is, ah, new to our kind,” Lance says. “She’s carrying my pup.”
“Oh, yes.” Kylie cocks her head at me. She's as beautiful as her daughter. “I’m half-shifter, like your pup will be, but I didn’t know what I was until I met my mate. Get my number from Lance. You can always call if you have questions.”
“Thanks.” I clear my throat. I’m not going to get choked up by this woman’s generosity. “I will.”
“Wow,” I say to Lance when Kylie ends the call.
“I know, right? She and Jackson are pretty cool. Well, Jackson’s a little stiff, but Kylie has softened him. She’s not a wolf—she’s some kind of cat. Panther, I think. Or maybe jaguar. Her shifter genes didn’t kick in until she got pregnant. There’s lots of shifters like that we know. We can meet them, if you want.”
I stroke my belly. I want my kid to know his or her people. “I think I’d like that.”
“But enough about that. Today’s about fun. You wanna take a swim?”
“Definitely. But…” I look around as if expecting a bikini to appear magically. “Aren’t you forgetting something? I didn’t bring a bag.” He could have at least told me to pack a swimsuit. Ridiculous man.
“No problem.” Lance slants me a grin and slowly strips off his shirt. I’d pay good money for a striptease like this. Lust pushes the thoughts out of my head for a moment.
His hands go to his jeans. He holds my gaze as he undoes the top button and draws down the zipper.
Is it getting hot in here?
He kicks off his shoes, and I realize what he’s planning. “You’re not going to…”
He just gives me a grin.
“Lance, no.” I cross my arms over my chest. “We can’t skinny dip. Not here.” Some rich person will see us and swoon into their caviar, clutching their South Sea pearls.
“No one will see us. Charlie, relax.”
This man. He’s going to drive me to drink. Except I can’t drink for the next nine months.
“Race ya. Last one in gets dunked.” He winks, and it’s on.
I strip.
Lance
I let Charlie win, of course. No way I’d ever dunk my female. Or let her lose anything but her heart. And, of course, her clothes.