Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“I…um…” I shook my head, at a loss for words as the bad memories overwhelmed me.
“Now I went and made you uncomfortable again. I’m sorry,” Kor apologized. “I promise I’m not always such a jerk. It’s just been a long day, and you surprised me when you took off that veil.”
“Oh, well…” I cleared my throat. “It’s all right. It’s been a long day for me too.”
“Of course it has!” He raked a hand through his hair. “I just keep making things worse, don’t I? Look, tell me if you want me to leave.”
“No, no,” I said quickly, surprising myself with my certainty. “No, I invited you to stay—please don’t leave.”
“Well, thank you.” He gave an embarrassed sounding chuckle. “I promise I can do better.”
“You’re fine,” I assured him. “Look, would you like a tour of the house? Then we can get you settled in one of the guest rooms.”
“That would be great, Vivienne. Thank you.” He nodded and smiled at me. It was a charming, slightly crooked smile where one side of his mouth went up higher than the other.
I didn’t know why but I really liked it—I liked him. I liked looking at him—his bare chest and torso still dripping with rainwater and his big brown eyes, fringed thickly with lashes several shades darker than his golden-brown hair.
I liked talking to him too—there was something so warm and natural in the way he talked and his deep voice was calm and soothing. There was something unaffected about him—something genuine that drew me after years of awkward, stilted conversation with my late husband, where all he did was pick at me and complain about the ways I wasn’t good enough.
I took him through the Manor, showing off all the places Carter had been most proud of. The library, filled with rare books my late husband had never bothered to read, the solarium filled with tropical plants that blossomed year-round, the gymnasium, furnished with all the latest fitness equipment and a full set of weights, the billiards room, and of course, the indoor swimming pool where the water was kept at a constant 75 degrees.
“But I’m afraid you won’t be able to swim in it,” I apologized to Kor as we looked at the vast expanse of water. “I let most of the servants go after Carter died and I’m not very good at adding the chemicals myself. I think I didn’t add enough last time and now I have some algae growing on the deep end.”
“Oh, you probably just need to shock it,” Kor said, frowning at the water.
“Shock it?” I asked, raising my eyebrows in confusion.
“Sure—you need to add extra chlorine. I can do it if you want me to,” he added. “My Dad and I lived in Florida for a while after my mom died and I had a job as a pool boy. I mean, I went around to people’s houses and checked the pH balance of their pools and regulated the chemicals.”
“Oh, could you?” I asked hopefully. “I’d love that. I’m not a very strong swimmer myself but I do like to paddle around in the shallow end from time to time.”
“I’d love to—just show me where you keep the chemicals,” he told me. “And please let me know if there’s anything else I can do around here to help. I like to earn my keep.”
I almost said that just his company was compensation enough—that it was nice to know I wasn’t going to be so lonely, knocking around in the big old house by myself anymore. But I thought that might sound too forward, so I just smiled and showed him the small closet where the pool chemicals were kept.
I gave him one of the spare towels too, and took one for myself. I probably should have gotten changed out of my wet clothing before we started this tour, but for some reason, I hadn’t bothered. Maybe I was just too distracted by my new houseguest’s charming smile and warm personality.
Or maybe you just liked the way he looks all wet and half naked, a scandalous voice whispered in my head.
Quickly, I pushed it away. Though Kor and I weren’t blood related any attraction between us would be utterly forbidden. Fatally so—we could be killed for breaking the Unbreakable Laws of our Pack. Most packs have two Unbreakable Laws which state that no two people who are in any way related may have carnal relations and also that a male must never breed his female while he is in his Fur Form.
But the Blackridge Pack had a third Unbreakable Law—that no one may breed a Moon Widow. Unless, of course, the Alpha who breeds her is the new Pack Leader.
The first law makes sense, of course and the third…well, I don’t know when it started. As I said, most Packs only have the first two.