Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
When one of Momar's grunts breaks into Austin's territory looking to grab Jessie for questioning, Jessie and her crew realize they are under fire. In order to protect themselves, it becomes obvious they need backup.
Thankfully, the basajaun's people have invited Jessie and her crew into the basajaunak lands. This is their golden opportunity to seek their help.
The problem is, a host of mages and mercenaries are following them. Once they take Jessie this time it won't be just for questioning, and she won't be coming back.
To omit this detail to the basajaunak would result in punishment. And everyone knows "punishment" with basajaunak is synonymous with an unmarked grave. But to tell them would get their visit canceled and force them to face the threat alone. Either way could mean certain death.
Decisions, decisions.
Welcome back to O'Briens, where the only certainty is that nothing is normal.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
ONE
I trailed my fingertips along the muscular arm draped across my middle, which was illuminated by the butter-yellow sunlight pouring through the window.
Crap. It was morning. The challenge was in a scant few hours.
A flare of nervousness jiggled my stomach. Closing my eyes, I pulled in a deep breath, expanding my chest, and then let it out nice and slow as I opened them again. I looked at Austin, soaking him in, and flattened my palm on his big shoulder. He lay on his stomach with his left cheek buried in the pillow, his face pointed at me. The sheets bunched across his hips, revealing his broad, muscular back.
A sense of profound serenity welled up inside me, calming the swirl of turbulent emotion from the moment before.
Ever since we’d claimed each other as mates three weeks ago, I’d felt utterly at peace within his presence. There was a new warmth inside of me that grew with every glance he gave me, sang with every touch. I felt weightless and as though I were always glowing.
Most people would attribute this to love.
It wasn’t love.
Well…it wasn’t just love. Because yes, I loved this man with everything in me. He’d earned my trust through friendship before he captured my heart. But there was more to my feelings than adoration and romance.
My gargoyle was expressing a primal satisfaction in the strength and prowess of her mate. Which, great, I could handle that. I liked it, in fact. What I couldn’t handle was the insane jealousy that came with it, or the crazy protectiveness. If anyone so much as looked at Austin the wrong way, I had to fight the incredible urge to throw that person across the room.
I didn’t always win that fight.
A rhythmic buzz pulsed from the alarm clock, startling me. I reached over and turned it off.
I’d learned in the past that Austin would ignore the alarm’s loud blast for ten minutes or more before finally rolling over to slap it. Given it was ten minutes of agony for me, a mother who’d acquired the curse of light sleeping after my son was born nineteen years ago, I’d decided that I’d be the guardian of the alarm and make sure he got up. It really wasn’t so hard.
I turned on my side, facing him, and trailed my fingertips across his cheek. I felt along his soft, plush lips and over his square chin. Moving on down, I brushed my fingers across his throat.
He shivered, and his exposed eyelid fluttered open. A beautiful cobalt-blue eye regarded me for a moment before it drifted shut again. His mouth curled at the corner, a sleepy smile, before his arm constricted.
I squealed as he dragged me closer, turning me onto my back. In a powerful, fluid movement, he settled his large, hard body over mine, pushing me into the mattress. Sleeping naked, the way we almost always did, had its perks.
“Morning, baby,” he murmured, capturing my lips with his. His kiss was deep and passionate, and the slow thrust of his body pushed out all the breath in my lungs.
I meant to say good morning back, but instead I hugged him closer and moaned into his continued kiss.
“We don’t have as much time as I’d like, so we’re going to have to knock this out quickly,” he murmured.
A wave of nervousness stole through me again.
“Shh, shh,” he said, feeling my reaction through the Ivy House bond or our mating bond—probably both. “It’s going to be fine. Just focus on me right now. Focus on this.”
He reached between our bodies to massage me right where I needed it. His movements increased in speed, his body working between my thighs, and I did what he said. I let the pleasure of his body sliding against mine—the delicious ache of him inside me—crush the fear and anxiety. I lost myself in his touch.
Almost too soon I was writhing under him, hitting my high and crying out his name. He wasn’t far behind, shuddering against me.