Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
She turned and went back inside. I watched for a moment while she hugged Iris and Winter. Then she waved to Serelda as Bellarose came in, her gaze roaming around the room like she was searching for someone. Then her face lit up, and I groaned. Fucking Blossom. Again.
“Blossom! I’m sorry! I’d have been down sooner, but I was busy sticking my head in a toilet bowl.” That last was said with an abundance of dry humor. “My favorite place in the world lately.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Rose. Little one giving you trouble?”
“Nah. Well, not much.” Rose grinned. “Gets me sympathy with Atlas, though. It’s kinda fun to watch him running around fluffing pillows to put behind my back when I sit. I’m only four months along. I can’t wait to see what he does later on.”
“I think it’s sweet.” Blossom hugged the other woman. “I brought you some gingerbread cookies. Little out of season, but I thought the ginger might help with the nausea.”
Rose gasped. “Seriously?” Her gaze darted around the room until she spotted the container sitting on the table the women had claimed and pointed. “There?”
Blossom smiled. “Yeah. Those are all yours. You don’t even have to share. I threw a little variety in there, but you get all the gingerbread.”
Rose squealed and hurried to the table and tore open the lid before gasping. “You always make the best cookies, Blossom. Thank you so much!”
“Let me know if it helps. I can make you some ginger tea if you like. I can also do some tamarind soup. It helps with nausea sometimes. Kind of an acquired taste, but let me know if you want to try it.”
“You’re a wonderful person. Thank you, Blossom. I really appreciate all the trouble you go through for us.”
Blossom waved her off. “It’s no trouble at all. I enjoy making treats for my friends.” Then she jerked a little, turning her head to my direction. Yeah. I was frowning at her. I felt like an asshole, but really. It needed to be done. She really was making a nuisance of herself, and it was time she moved on. “Uh, well. Anyway. I need to get going.” She smiled brightly and waved at the other women. “See you around.”
“You’re leaving?” Iris stood with a frown and reached out for Blossom. “You just got here. What’s the rush? Stay and have supper with us like you always do. We like having you here.” She grinned. “Helps even things up between us and the men.”
“I appreciate it, but I just wanted to drop off the cookies. I have, uh, an appointment I need to get to.” She didn’t sound at all sure of herself like she normally did. In fact, I’d bet my left nut she was lying. Which meant, maybe my message had been heard loud and clear. “Let me know about the cookies, Rose. Don’t stick your head too far in the toilet or you’ll get a swirly.”
Rose groaned. “Don’t I know it. Was touch and go for a while.”
With a wave, Blossom headed out of the clubhouse. She didn’t look as she passed me and headed for her ride. The Nautilus was gleaming black without a speck of dirt anywhere. Which was fucking nuts. ’Cause, really. How was a vehicle that fucking clean? Definitely a rich bitch slumming it up. Wylde had looked into her, and her daddy had been some bigshot oil executive. What the fuck they were doing in Nowhere, Indiana was beyond me. Seemed like an odd place for him to live, even if he was retired.
As she crossed the parking lot to her vehicle and opened the door, I heard the low bay of one of my dogs. Then there were excited yips as puppies came flying around the corner. All thirteen of the little fuckers. I sighed. They were five weeks old, but they were escape artists. Their mom usually wasn’t far behind. Sure enough, she came bounding around the corner after her pups. All of them made a beeline toward Blossom. No one else in the club touched my dogs. They were bred to hunt. Not to be friendly. They didn’t take up with people. Not even my brothers. But for some reason, Dog, the mama, took to Blossom the very first time she dug out of her kennel. The bitch had gone straight to Blossom, got her pets and praises, then scurried back to her kennel. That had been three months ago. Unless she treed, I never petted her. She was fed and watered, she worked. That was it. Until Blossom. Thing was, Dog didn’t expect it from anyone else. It hadn’t affected her willingness or ability to hunt, so I hadn’t said anything to Blossom about not touching my dog. Even I wasn’t that cruel.