Total pages in book: 203
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Suddenly, my mate bursts into the room, dressed in one of my button-down shirts.
I’m thrown for a half a beat because she’s not wearing her glasses and also not squinting to see me like she always does without them.
She’s worn those eyeglasses since she was small, but mating removed the need for them. Mating me granted her a wolf and perfect vision and I feel pretty damn good about those two things.
Though, I might miss the glasses, the way she wiggles her nose to adjust them, not to mention the cute way she squints to look at me on the rare occasion she has them off for a minute.
“I was bringing breakfast upstairs,” I advise.
“You were taking too long,” she says with a shake of her head.
And I’m about to suggest she throw away all her clothes and just wear my shirts from now on when she slaps the counter and demands, “Forget coffee cake. I want some bloody, raw meat. Fast!”
I guess I’m not fast enough because she yanks the fridge open and surveys the ingredients.
“I’m gonna eat some and see if it makes me shift,” she declares.
I step up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, using my chin to brush her hair aside so I can put my mouth to my mark on her.
Bailey shivers and melts into me which soothes the beast within like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Fuck, this feels good.
“Why is there no raw meat in here?” she asks, annoyed.
“Have some cake and coffee and we’ll thaw something,” I suggest, kissing her mate mark and backing up.
“Drats. That’ll take forever,” she complains, opening the freezer door. “Unless I use the defrost on your microwave. Hm…”
“You haven’t even had coffee yet. My mate doesn’t usually face the day without her caffeine.”
“Your mate wants something meaty!”
“I got somethin’ meaty for ya,” I drawl.
Humor lights up her face. “But I want meaty and bloody. And no way do I want you to be bloody because I can’t help but sink my teeth into you.”
“Then, let’s thaw something.”
She wrinkles her nose. “Turns out that technically it’s myoglobin, that comes out of meat, which is different from blood.”
“If that’s the case, it’d be meat, not blood you’re after, Baileypedia.”
“I feel like maybe it’s the sight of what looks like blood,” she declares, moving things around in the freezer. “Maybe that with the smell of the meat.”
“You want me to shift and go hunt you something?”
She looks at me like I’m out of my mind. “What? Some poor little fluffy woodland creature? No way!”
She says this now, but there will be times when her wolf craves the hunt. I don’t bother enlightening her. No reason to upset her.
The coffee maker beeps, so Bailey abandons the fridge and moves to the counter, getting on her tiptoes to reach up for two mugs.
While I’m admiring the view she adds, “I was about to suggest we go to the butcher shop in town for some fresh steaks, but–”
“Hold that thought. I’ll send someone to buy them.” I grab my phone to fire a text off to my council group chat to ask if someone can ask a beta to run to town for us.
“Anything else you want?” I ask while she’s making the coffees. “We aren’t leaving the house today.”
“I want to eat meat and try to shift. So, if I can manage that, I want to run afterwards. With you. And that’s leaving the house…”
“Okay, baby. You want any more groceries added to the list?”
She’s stirring the coffees now, pushing one toward me. “Nope. I think I’ve got all I need right here.” She sips from her mug, holding eye contact.
I set my phone on the counter beside my mug. “Come here.”
She puts her cup down and walks the two steps to me.
I snatch her and lift her up to sit her on the counter, holding her hips while burying my face in her chest.
“You washed me away,” I note, rounding her body with my arms and pulling her closer. I tsk.
“I told you… sticky.”
“You still smell of me. But not enough.”
She runs her fingers through my hair and puts her cheek on top of my head and says, “I love this.”
I love the happiness in her voice.
“I love us,” she adds, and she says it in a way I know she really means it.
I press a kiss between her breasts and lift her from the counter, devouring her mouth and swallowing a sweet whimper while she’s got all four limbs wrapped around me.
“How badly do you want coffee and breakfast?” I ask.
“Less than I want to try shifting but… sorry… a little more than I want to be sticky again.”
I throw my head back and laugh. Her expression is one of joy. As it should be. I slap her backside and put her on a chair at the dining table.