Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 128380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
“I’m good,” replied Bailey. Both Havana and Aspen echoed her sentiment.
“All right, just holler if you change your mind.” Therese turned to leave, almost bumping into two other females who’d appeared at the table. “Sorry, my bad.”
“No problem,” said Blair, their Beta female.
Similarly, Livy—who was the birthday boy’s mate—assured her, “It’s fine.” She stepped aside to allow the waitress to pass and then turned to face Bailey and her girls. “Hello, ladies,” she greeted, a bowl in hand. “Thank you so much for coming. My Clarence really appreciates it.”
Havana waved off her thanks. “Of course we came. It’s his birthday. And you made chocolate fudge cake. We were never going to miss that.”
Visibly pleased by the compliment, Livy patted the back of her dark, asymmetrical bob before cutting her blue gaze to Bailey. “Well, don’t you look pretty tonight.”
“And every other night,” said Bailey. “You and I have that in common.”
Livy chuckled. “I like this one, Havana.” She set a bowl of pecan pie in front of Bailey. “Here. I know it’s your favorite, so I saved you a slice. Enjoy.” With that, she left.
Her mouth curved, Blair stared after the woman as she took the chair beside Bailey. “She’s so sweet.”
“I know,” said Aspen. “I want her to adopt me.”
Bailey peered into the bowl, her nose wrinkling. “She’s always feeding me.”
Blair’s brow furrowed. “Feeding you?”
“Yes. She comes to my apartment with homemade casseroles and stuff, saying she had them lying around. Sometimes, she just stops by to ‘chat.’ Like we’re old friends. And she’ll always bring a cupcake or something.” Bailey rubbed at her neck. “It feels weird.”
Aspen snorted. “Of course someone being nice to you feels weird. You’re not used to it. People are usually threatening to end your existence.”
“I like it better that way.” Bailey swiped the bowl from the table and lifted the plastic fork. “Things get boring otherwise.”
Blair gave her a playful nudge. “If Livy was unmated, I’d say you were being courted. Hmm, maybe she’s got her eye on you for one of her sons.”
Bailey froze, her fork wedged in her pie. “What?” Her snake also stiffened, equally wary.
“She did the same thing years ago with Colby, who’s now happily mated to Livy’s eldest son, Matthew,” explained Blair, her green eyes twinkling. “Livy knew he had a huge thing for Colby, so she gently pushed them together. I remember watching it all go down, wishing my mother could be so supportive of my choice of mate.”
The nineteen-year-old bush dog shifter might not have mated their Beta male, Luke, until recently, but they’d been part of each other’s lives since they met when Blair was twelve. “Maybe Livy has you in mind for Deke,” Blair added.
Bailey blessed her face for not flushing. Just the mention of the male enforcer made her belly do a dumb little flutter. And that was some bullshit right there. Never before in her life had a guy made her stomach do anything.
It was annoying, but unfortunately not enough to dim his appeal for her. There was a reason that Bailey called him Eye Candy, and it wasn’t merely to poke at him. Truly, Deke Hammond was a treat for the eyes.
Big and broad and inked, he was packed with muscle. He had the eyes of a predator—focused, intense, and filled with an animal cunning that spoke to her snake. Those same eyes were a vivid caramel-brown that looked a lustrous gold in some lighting.
The angles of his ruggedly masculine face were hard and sharp. His short hair was dark as molasses, much like the light layer of scruff that darkened his strong jaw. His bottom lip was slightly fuller than his top one, and she wanted to lick both. Maybe even nibble on them a little.
She’d never admit it aloud, but Bailey loved his voice. It was rough and scratchy; all thorns and barbs. It could make any girl’s skin break out in a shiver.
Unlike most, he wasn’t one little bit unnerved by her inner snake. But then, Deke never seemed rattled by anything. The tough bastard was so damn steady and sure of himself.
For Bailey, there was something unbelievably enticing about his air of cool stoicism, even with its underlying sense of danger. Or maybe because of that danger. But no one else needed to know that, including her friends.
Bailey chomped down some pie. “It’s not that.”
“It could be,” argued Blair. “It would make sense.”
“How? Livy knows perfectly well that he promised himself to Therese’s bestie. Dayna Something-Or-Other.” And if Bailey’s stomach cramped each time she thought of it, well, it just meant she had gas.
“Not quite. He’s not in a long-distance relationship with Dayna. He simply agreed to wait for her to come home rather than move on while she was gone—it was to see if they had the potential to build something real. But according to Colby, Livy is of the opinion that he needs to untangle himself from Dayna.”