Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Actually, Dante did. There was really no need to rub salt in the wound. After work, he took Jaime to the Steakhouse for lunch, but rather than going home as they’d originally planned, they spent the entire day together. First they went to an ice-cream parlor that Jaime swore made the best ice cream ever—it really did—and then they went shopping to get some personalized gifts for Kye. He hadn’t realized before just how maternal Jaime was. Dante liked this side of her, and he liked knowing that she would be happy if she got pregnant.
He wasn’t exactly in a rush to have pups, but he also wasn’t a person who believed there was a best time to have kids. No matter when you had kids, it was inevitably going to be a soul-shaking experience that affected just about everything. In his case, it was going to have a serious impact on his job and the hours he worked. But he’d learned his lesson since meeting Jaime that the significant people in his life should always come first. When it finally happened for him and Jaime, when she finally became pregnant, he would be proud and smug as all hell.
By the time they were done shopping, it was six p.m. Dante let her talk him into going to the movies to see a recently released horror movie. He hadn’t been for a long time and enjoyed himself more than he’d expected, particularly the part where they made out. He resolved that they’d make time to do stuff like that again. Sure, they spent quality time together, but it was very rare that they spent an entire day alone. In the future, he would ensure that he set aside one whole day each week to spend with Jaime, just the two of them doing whatever they wanted, or doing nothing at all.
It was eight thirty when they finally returned to pack territory. As they proceeded down the tunnels en route to their room, laughing about a specific scene in the movie, Jaime suddenly became aware that the place was eerily quiet. As they entered the living area, it became apparent why. She scented her before she saw her, and immediately Jaime’s wolf was alert, growling and flexing her claws.
“Dante! Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re back!”
Dante blinked in surprise as Laurie jumped up from one of the bulky leather armchairs and was suddenly hanging from his neck. Before he even heard the chilling growl behind him, he was untangling Laurie from him and setting her back by her shoulders. His wolf growled, offended by the touch of another female. Her face molded into an expression of confusion, and then her eyes found Jaime. Presumably his mate didn’t look friendly at that moment, because Laurie blanched and swallowed hard.
“What’re you doing here, Laurie?” He distantly noted that most of the pack was in the living area, and none of them looked happy.
“I had nowhere to go.” Tears filled her eyes, but there was no telling whether they were authentic or not. She flopped back into the armchair. “It’s Blane. He…Let’s just say he’s handy with his fists. I’ve borne it for years. He’s my mate and the father of my son, I had to. But I couldn’t take it anymore, and lately he’s been turning his fists on Leif. That’s not something I’ll tolerate.”
“Where is Leif?” Sensing his mate’s anger and extreme discomfort, Dante took her hand in his.
“One of your packmates, Grace, took him to the kitchen to get something to eat.”
“Not to be insensitive, but why come here? Your dad is the Alpha of your pack. He’d be the obvious person to go to.”
“My parents are on vacation for ten more days. No one else in the pack could have protected me from him, and I couldn’t have gone to stay with any of my family in other packs, because Blane would know to look there. I thought about going to Josh, but I couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t take Blane’s side and call him. This is the one place that Blane would never expect me to be.”
“And you want to stay here?” asked Jaime, her tone dangerous but empty of any hint of the physical pain she was going through. It had been a while since her wolf had tried so hard to surface, but the animal saw this female in front of her as a threat to her mating.
Sensing her wolf’s state, Dante released Jaime’s hand and slid his palm under her hair to cup her nape. Anybody looking would have interpreted it as simply an affectionate touch, as opposed to a move designed to calm her wolf. Laurie certainly saw, and she didn’t look pleased about it. The move didn’t make Jaime’s wolf back down, but it did make her begin to calm.