Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 101(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 101(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
“Nope, it didn’t go that far,” Luke assured with a shake of his head. “The guy backed down the second I yanked on the collar of his shirt. He sputtered an apology and promised to fix things for the bar.”
Kace chuckled. “You didn’t let him off that easily though, right?”
“Hell no!” Luke pulled a sheet of paper out of his back pocket and held it out with an outstretched arm. Kace moved forward to grab it and quickly returned to my side. “He’s knocking ten percent off cost for all our deliveries over the next year, and he replaced the missing bottles at no charge. I took them over to the bar already.”
Kace glanced down at the paper and grinned after skimming the details printed on it. “You did good, kid.”
“Thanks.” Luke grinned and jerked his chin in my direction. “You did even better.”
“Don’t look at her,” Kace growled, tugging me behind his back.
“Sorry, Alpha. I know better.” Luke did that thing where he looked at the floor and bared his neck at Kace as he reached behind him for the doorknob. “I’ll be on my way. I’m sure you want some alone time with your mate.”
When the door shut behind him, Kace stalked over to flip the lock. “Luke will get the word out that we don’t want to be disturbed.”
One minute, Kace was talking about our babies, and the next, I was stuck dealing with crap from some other girl in his life. Then he had the gall to act jealous over a small compliment from a guy I’d never met before. I wasn’t sure what to think of it all, but everything that had happened in the past five minutes made me even more confused than I already had been.
“Was Heather an ex of yours?” I heaved a deep sigh, feeling as though I’d been put through a mental wringer. “You know what? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to run across the street and let Allegra know I’m heading back to the dorm.”
“What? No!” His head jerked back, and his brow wrinkled in confusion. “She’s not an ex, and anything you want to talk about absolutely does matter.”
“There’s no ‘of course’ about it.” I jerked my thumb toward the door. “That girl wants you. Badly.”
“She doesn’t want me,” he insisted with a shake of his head.
“You’re blind if you truly believe that,” I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “She eye-boffed you the entire time she was here.”
He tugged my arms down and hugged me close. “Shifters don’t feel physical desire for anyone other than their fated mate, and I’m not hers. The only thing that particular she-wolf likes about me is that I’m the alpha, and she’s all about getting whatever she wants. She’s jealous of your position within the pack as my mate. That’s it.”
“Whoa. Hold up.” I hadn’t thought he’d be able to surprise me any more than he had when he’d changed into a wolf, but if I was understanding him correctly, he’d just proved me wrong. “Are you trying to tell me that the perpetual hard on you’ve been sporting since you hauled me into your house is a new thing for you?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you, baby.” He pressed his hard length against my belly. “This is all for you and only you.”
This hot man with the dominant personality was a virgin? He’d never look at another woman? “When you were explaining how mating worked, you probably should’ve led with that piece of information since it definitely goes in the plus column.”
His fingers dug into my hips. “Is it a big enough plus that you’d consider mating with me?”
I’d always known it would take a special man to capture my attention. Measuring up to my dad wasn’t an easy task since he was beyond awesome. But Kace seemed to be amazing in his own right...and not just because he could shift into a gorgeous wolf. He was sexy, bold, and confident. He was also the only man I’d ever felt an ounce of desire for—a fact I wasn’t willing to overlook. I’d always been someone who knew their own mind and was willing to take risks when I felt as though they were worth it. Throwing myself into a relationship with Kace—one he said would last forever—might be considered foolhardy by others, but it seemed like a no-brainer to me.
7
Kace
It felt as though the entire world hung in the balance while I waited for her answer. But the uncertainty—as unaccustomed as I was to the feeling—was more than worth it when she rose on her toes and tilted her face toward mine as she murmured, “Yes.”
Triumph and relief surged through my system. Cupping her face in my palms, I nipped at her bottom lip before claiming her mouth in a kiss. I groaned at her taste and deepened the kiss, needing more. One of my hands slid to the back of her head, tangling in her hair to hold her in place while I devoured her mouth. By the time I pulled away, we were both panting. “I’ll never give you reason to regret taking a chance on me, baby.”