Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
He spots me immediately and doesn’t take his eyes off mine, which is really annoying because I’d like at least a solid minute to stare at and study every inch of him.
“You look… incredible,” he says as he walks over. His eyes leave me warm everywhere he looks, which is everywhere.
I’m starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, we are mates.
I’ve heard about the intense love affairs of the lucky few women who get to be mated to a shifter. No one I know has experienced it before, but I’ve seen it on the cheesy talkshows. Topics like, I never knew love until a shifter marked me, or My bear shifter husband jumped off a building for me and survived!
I always thought they were so ridiculous and laughed through the episodes, but now I can see how wrong I was. These women weren’t living a pretend fairy tale like I thought. They were living the real thing.
I haven’t been able to get that kiss out of my mind. It rocked me, staggered me, made me believe in true love. I don’t know what would have happened if his friends hadn’t come in when they had. I’m not sure how far I was willing to go.
I’ve never been the slutty type. Alicia calls me Dr. Prude. I guess that’s deserving when you’re a twenty-seven-year-old virgin who’s not even trying to get laid.
But with Rylan… geez… I haven’t been able to turn off the dirty thoughts that keep pouring into my head. It’s like a pipe in my mind broke and I can’t turn the escaping stream of filth off. A guy came in with a rusty nail through his hand and I was thinking about undressing Rylan as I pulled it out, puss and all.
All this must mean something. This is not just a crush. I’ve had crushes before but when it came time to act on them, I got instantly turned off. It’s the opposite with Rylan. I’ve never been more turned on in my life.
He steps up to me and takes his time looking me up and down. Why doesn’t that bother me like it normally does with every other guy? Why do I like his eyes on me?
This is all so confusing…
“You really are stunning, Mila,” he says without a hint of sarcasm in his deep voice.
“Please,” I say with a nervous chuckle. “I’ve been working for twelve hours and I have a guy’s blood on my shirt. You don’t have to compliment me.”
“You are gorgeous,” he says, shutting me up. “I have more words if you’d like. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Dazzling. Lovely. Magnificent. Superb.”
“We haven’t even gotten in the car,” I say as I hold my hand up. “It’s a little early in the date for sucking up.”
“It’s a little early for falling in love too, but that’s already happened.”
I turn away because I don’t want him to see my blushing cheeks. “There’s an Irish pub around the corner. We can get a drink there. I’d kill for a beer.”
“Lead the way.”
We start walking together and I look up at the stars as I breathe in the crisp autumn air. He’s only looking at me.
“So, you’re a fireman?”
He nods. “In Blackcloud Point.”
I know that place. It’s a small town in the mountains about half an hour away. I’ve always thought about living there. It’s so cute and looks very peaceful. Not to mention, there are a ton of hot muscular guys always around. There must be something in the water.
We talk about his job and his friends who work there as we walk over to the pub. He smiles easily and is quick and witty, which I like. I already feel at home by the time we arrive.
“After you,” he says as he opens the door.
There’s a band playing tonight so the place is busy. Heads turn as we walk in and I swear I hear his bear growling.
“You okay?” I ask as I turn around and look up at him. His jaw is clenched and he looks tight all over, like he’s fighting something back. Maybe he’s in pain from his accident. Shifter or no, it’s going to be a while before he’s completely pain-free.
His eyes look dark and fierce as they dart around the room, quickly glaring at every guy who’s checking me out.
Suddenly, Rylan’s big protective arm is around me, pulling me a little closer to him. It feels pretty nice so I lean in a little closer.
“Let’s just go somewhere private,” he hisses through clenched teeth.
I bring him to an empty table in the back where we’re mostly hidden by the giant cigarette machine. He seems a bit better as he settles in, but not by much.
“What’s going on?” I ask softly as I lean over the table. It dawns on me how well I can already read him, how concerned I am with his feelings.