Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 70779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Little things like that wore me down and eventually I stopped trying to take a bath at all. One of the things I liked best about getting divorced—aside from not getting beaten on an almost daily basis—was being able to soak in the tub for as long as I wanted with no one bothering me. But as I said, the bathtub in the little apartment at the back of the shop was short and shallow. Sinking into the claw foot monstrosity was like sinking into a warm, sweet-smelling cloud.
I sighed happily as the hot water closed over my body. As I had suspected, it came all the way up to my neck and everything from my shoulders down was submerged completely. The bubbles smelled sweet but not overpowering and the bubble bath pearls had given the water a silky quality that seemed to nourish my skin. It was absolute Heaven.
Speaking of Heaven, I couldn’t help thinking of the fallen angel/gargoyle who was currently sitting on the couch downstairs. Should I have allowed him to stay inside with me, especially after kissing him? Probably not, I thought, but it was done now. I would be sure to lock my bedroom door, though considering he was nearly seven feet tall and extremely muscular, he could probably break it down if he wanted to.
Only he didn’t seem like the type to do that. Carlo certainly was. I didn’t dare to try and lock him out to hide from him. He’d taken an axe to our bedroom door once, not long after we were first married, and at first I was sure he was going to chop me up too, the way he’d chopped through the wooden door.
Kael didn’t seem like that. Yes, he had gotten mad and went full-gargoyle when he saw the bruises Carlo left on my face, but his anger hadn’t been directed at me. And I couldn’t help remembering the gentle way he’d kissed my cheeks to heal me.
In his angelic form he was one of the most beautiful men I’d ever seen and his silver eyes were so unusual. Also, what was that strange, almost electrical surge I’d felt when I took his hand to bring him in the house? It had tightened my nipples and made my pussy instantly wet. A sensation I got again when we were kissing. How—
Stop it, Willow—what are you doing? I scolded myself. I hope you’re not catching feelings for the statue-man who came to life and says he’s your protector. Because that’s crazy and you know it. You’re leaving Hidden Hollow tomorrow and you’re going alone—you are not bringing him back with you. Where would you even put him? And what if he just seems nice now, like Carlo did at first, and then turns into a monster—literally!
No, I decided, I was better off trying to forget all about this crazy adventure and going home to New Orleans. I would make myself scarce if Carlo came around and as for Big Nicky, I would just have to apologize again and hope he would forgive me. It might be nice to think about taking a huge angelic/demonic protector home, but in the end, I was sure he would cause more trouble than he would solve. Besides, he was male, and I still wasn’t ready to trust a man again—and never would be, I didn’t think.
You trusted him enough to kiss him, a little voice in my head pointed out. But I refused to listen to it. I was going back home alone and that was that.
Decision made, I put the whole mess out of my mind and tried to relax in the tub.
12
WILLOW
Ihad the best sleep of my life in the Flower Bower. The cottage was the perfect temperature and the bed was just the right combination of firm and soft. It must have been a magical mattress because nothing ached when I woke up—not even my lower back which twinged sometimes if I slept in the same position for too long.
I took a shower—the claw foot tub had turned into a shower stall, probably because the cottage somehow knew I preferred a shower in the morning and a bath at night—and got dressed in my clothes from the day before, which had been cleaned and pressed for me.
“I could get used to this,” I murmured as I finished dressing and checked my appearance in the oval bathroom mirror over the sink. “I just wish I had my makeup so I didn’t look so tired,” I added, frowning at my pale cheeks and the dark circles under my eyes. Even a good night’s sleep hadn’t been able to erase the effects of yesterday’s stress.
At once, a familiar looking makeup bag appeared on the side of the sink. It was mine—from home, I was surprised to see. So apparently the Flower Bower was able to bring things I wanted over to Hidden Hollow as well as making new things appear—interesting.