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)
“I can’t do anything; that’s not the way I work,” I explained, forcing myself not to stare at his lips so close. The top one had the most perfect little bow to it. How had I never noticed that before?
“Tell them that, then, because I’ve been ready to drag their asses off my land for the last fifteen minutes, and they’re lucky I’m feeling more generous than I ever have before with a trespasser.” That time, he didn’t bother lowering his voice. Not at all. “They’re risking their lives coming onto my land, and they know that.”
He did have murder eyes a couple minutes ago. I grimaced.
The pad of one of his fingers slid to the corner of my mouth, and he did that scowl-frown thing again. “I’m running out of patience. Do what you’re going to do, or don’t, but decide. Their odor is starting to give me a headache, and I’ve been told I get grumpy when I get one.”
I smirked at the idea of him being grumpy. Serious, often and frequently. Broody, every once in a while. But grumpy? Aww.
But the weight of his words settled into my heart, at what he thought they knew they were risking by trespassing. At what they wanted. Just reproduction. No biggie. Sure.
I nodded at him and turned to the men. Might as well be up front about it. “That’s not the way my magic works,” I called out and scratched my cheek.
Two sets of eyeballs went wide, and I tried to ignore the fact that even they didn’t believe me. “You’re the one?”
That was definitely a touch of disappointment in their voices.
I smiled. “Neo is the one. I’m just Nina.” I shrugged. “But I think it’s me you’re talking about. Maybe. I can’t just… you know… it isn’t like that. I haven’t done a study if I work on men or women, or both.”
There was a sigh beside me. “It’s her,” Henri assured them, the slightest little growl in his tone.
If we were doing this, we needed to hurry up. He wasn’t exaggerating when he said he was losing his patience.
The men turned to each other. One of them bobbed his head. “A blessing… a touch… anything would be welcome.”
“Anything,” the other reiterated.
A blessing?
“Please, we would love a son or a daughter. Would do anything for one,” the bogeyman on the right pleaded, his wish so heartfelt even if I wasn’t convinced they believed us.
A slightly louder low growl started up in Henri’s chest, and I made a decision right then.
Telling myself to hold my breath, I started marching over there. At least I tried. I made it two steps before a hand landed on my shoulder. Before the momentum could stop me, Henri’s velvet grumble muttered, “Hold on a second, cowboy. You’re not going over there alone.”
I was such a sucker for Protective Henri. That was an undisputed fact.
And Matti’s admission came back right then and there, trying to lull me with a false sense of hope. Maybe my smile dimmed a little as I put a lid on it, but….
Henri was just trying to take care of me in his own way. And that was going to be all right with me. I smiled up at him so hard my cheeks hurt, and I didn’t miss the way his features softened. Only for a second, but they did.
Side by side, we walked toward them together. Henri was so close, his arm brushed my shoulder when we stopped a few feet away from the two. “I can’t do anything like what you’re asking for on purpose, but what about a hug?” I offered, telling myself I wasn’t wasting their time. I’d been up front about it. They’d insisted.
“A hug?” Right Bogeyman asked carefully.
All right, guess not that. I thought about it and held out my hand. “A handshake…?”
A thought made me straighten, and I took off my bracelet and bent to set it on the ground. “Or maybe I’m not who you’re looking for.” I raised my head and they… they… they both looked stunned all of a sudden.
Not a little stunned but s-t-u-n-n-e-d. I might even say flabbergasted.
And in the blink of an eye, whatever adjective that could’ve been used to describe the one bogeyman’s face turned to pure excitement, and before anything else came out of my mouth, they both threw their arms around me.
These two strange men with questionable body odor, whose names I didn’t know, who I had never seen or sensed before, hugged me.
Hugged the crap out of me the same way Sienna did after we hadn’t seen each other in a couple months.
The same way my parents did every time we were reunited since we’d moved away from each other.
Their frames trembled as I closed my arms around them too, trying to hold my breath in case I smelled something I couldn’t hide a reaction from.