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)
No one made a peep, and the man with the green eyes happened to catch my attention again, smiling just a little when he did.
I smiled back—a deep, low growl by my ear had my head jerking to the side.
“You good?” I asked the underside of Henri’s chin before leaning over so I could see his face.
I blinked. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw clenched. Even the tendons at his throat were standing out way more than usual, and I’d seen him aggravated and pissed before.
I tapped his chin twice.
Amber eyes landed on my face, that muscle in his cheek pulsing one single time before smoothing away. “Fine,” he just about barked.
That tone didn’t seem fine to me, but if that was the story he wanted to stick to, then who was I to tell him he was full of it? I was in the middle of a shrug when one of the men walking out of the kitchen—they all had their heads down for some reason, I noticed—stopped and flicked his eyes over to meet mine quickly. “I made breakfast today,” he announced quietly.
His irises were even prettier up close. It was almost as if there was a starburst around his pupil. A little gold, brown, and green all mixed in together.
Beside me, Henri took a single step toward the guy right before Franklin butted in again in an even more irritated tone.
“Do I need to repeat myself?” the elder snapped. His lips kept moving though, but the only thing I heard after that was something, something “death wish,” I thought.
Hazel Eyes looked startled, then quickly nodded and dropped his head again before he kept moving.
Werewolves weren’t normally so submissive….
My eyeballs followed the man with the pretty eyes out of the room, at least part of the way, before Henri startled the crap out of me. His voice was sharp. “What are you doing?”
I jerked, busted. “Whoa, Fluff, checking him out.”
Right in that moment, I learned that Henri Blackrock had a vein in his forehead that could bulge. I reached up and dragged the tip of my index finger across it before meeting his gaze and asking, “Where’d this come from?”
Then he did something I never, ever would have expected.
He nipped the side of my hand. Not even a little hard, but a nip was a nip, and I yanked my hand back in shock. I hadn’t been nipped in years. Decades!
I laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just so… bulgy.”
Fluffy didn’t seem impressed with my observation, not even a little bit.
Somebody was touchy.
I tried to make him feel better. “It’s cute?”
Franklin let out an exasperated sound that drew both of our attentions to him. “Can we have breakfast now? I have news and questions.”
Henri wasn’t the only grumpy one.
I said, “Yes,” at the same time Henri agreed too.
No one said much as we went to the range where there were different dishes already prepared.
Henri served up a plate for Franklin with a little of everything while I made the pups their breakfast as Agnes strolled into the kitchen on four legs. I was in the middle of portioning out a serving of eggs when a warm body leaned over me, and there was a nudge at the top of my head.
I blinked at Henri being right beside me, so close. Was he…? “Whatcha doing?” I asked.
Had he been sniffing my hair?
There was another nudge. “Marking you.”
My lips parted as he dipped his head lower.
He was rubbing his scent on me like he’d done when we’d gone to see Spencer.
It took me a second to get my words together, and when I did, there was only one I could come up with as he pressed his cheek to my crown. “Why?”
Henri didn’t let me down as the side of his throat grazed my ear so nonchalantly. “For protection.”
I almost freaking choked. “From the big bad wolves that just left?” I croaked.
He didn’t answer.
What he did do was lean forward and touch his cheek to mine, a soft puff of his breath hitting my ear while he did it. And just as casually as he’d done it in the first place, like he did this type of thing every day, Henri straightened, looked at me once more, and then cupped my cheek. Then he nodded one last time and turned to the range like that just hadn’t happened.
That sure hadn’t seemed like it was just for “protection,” but….
This wasn’t the time to overanalyze it, especially not with Franklin right there.
Trying to pretend like it was no big deal Henri just rubbed his face all over me, I finished serving myself and took a seat on the stool next to the elder I thought was still being really suspicious. More suspicious than Henri, who came and sat on my other side, his thigh crowding mine in.