Total pages in book: 254
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
The man’s ears started turning pink. “You’re going to have to marry one of us. Whoever it is, is gonna have to know.”
“He will, sure, but not everyone else needs to, and that includes you.”
His eyes went squinty, his mouth almost pouty, and it sure seemed like he gritted his teeth.
If he thought I was going to cower, he was out of freaking luck. Was this what Phoebe had meant about being nervous around werewolves? If some of them acted like this, it was no wonder. This guy wasn’t just being pushy, he was being a dick.
And I really didn’t like bullies.
The man leaned over, elbows going to his knees, his whole face, his energy, so aggressive. “You don’t get to tell me what I should know and what I shouldn’t.”
I wasn’t going to win this argument. I knew it. I couldn’t. Not when this MFer was this hardheaded.
Butttt I needed to play nice. I didn’t want an enemy, no matter how rude he was. This is for Duncan. Who had just had the time of his life. Who was thriving here. Who needed this place.
When people said being a parent was hard, they never brought up the little things like having to be the better person. Marrying a stranger was nothing compared to having to suck crap up.
Forcing my best impression of Henri’s neutral face, I focused all my attention on the blond. I knew I’d seen him somewhere. He was handsome in his way. He was fit, had more facial hair than Henri, but there was a mean glint in his eye that was very, very obvious.
There was no hiding it: he was definitely an asshole.
“What’s your name?” I had to ask.
“Dominic.”
I wasn’t sure I managed not to flinch. That’s why he looked familiar. It was the same man from the diner. The thorn in Henri’s ass… paw. No wonder. I didn’t even need to know his name to not like him on principle.
Phoebe’s reaction to him explained a lot.
If he could get under Henri’s skin, no wonder he could do it to other people.
“So?” the guy who had punched Henri weeks and weeks ago asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “They say you smell sweet. You a gingerbread woman or something?”
I deserved a medal for not rolling my eyes. “No, I’m not a gingerbread woman.” Was he going to ask me if Pinocchio was real next?
I swear I could feel the condescension radiating off him.
“You a bogeyman?” Dominic goaded after a minute, with a nasty little sneer. “’Cause that’s what everyone thinks.”
He was mocking me, saying “bogeyman” like he was convinced there was no way that was possible. I wasn’t sure I’d ever wanted to smile smugly so bad ever before in my life. But I didn’t. Instead, all I said was, “I’m too old to care what anyone thinks.”
His sneer became even worse. “Henri had us running around like dumbasses looking for that river monster, and you conveniently show up the same day. Nobody knows anything about you, and they’re letting you move in? How does that make any damn sense? You’re going to be helping raise our kids. How do we know it isn’t them that need protection from you?”
I wasn’t about to let anyone make me do something I didn’t want to, especially not this asshole.
Not like this.
As much as I might want him to tolerate me and might want everyone else here to do the same, I wasn’t going to bend over backward to get that to happen. I decided that right then.
I would do anything for Duncan, but I wasn’t going to let some dickhead be rude to me for no reason.
I looked him dead in the eye and blurted out one of the last things I probably should have said, “I’d never do anything to the kids. But people who hurt them? Who hurt me? I can’t say the same for them.”
If his face had been pink before, it was bordering on coral by the time I finished talking. “You threatening me?”
“I’m not threatening you. I’m telling you.” There was a big, big difference.
And I should’ve shut up or walked out of the room when he’d started, I knew that then, but it was too late, so now I had to ride this out.
Across the room, he rose out of his seat. Six four to my five six, I guessed. He had to have at least fifty pounds on me.
“That sounded like a threat to me,” he argued as he stopped a couple feet away from where I was standing.
Maybe it was, but he needed to get out of my face. “I don’t need to threaten anyone.”
He took another step, and there was no way I was going to be breaking eye contact now.
I knew I was daring him. He was an agitated werewolf with an attitude problem. For most people, this whole situation would be a terrible idea.