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 tried not to picture him in nothing but his underwear but since he was still bare-chested, it was a short trip in my imagination to take off his trousers. I bet he had long, tan, muscular legs with just a dusting of hair on them.
“That’s fine,” I made myself say, looking away. “I have some things that are ready for pickup too. We can go together…if you want,” I added. Because he might not want to be stuck with me on a trip to town when we were already spending so much time together.
“I’d love that.” Kor’s smile was warm and genuine. “Maybe you can show me around. And I should get to meet people if I’m going to be their new Pack Master.”
I bit my lip again. I wanted to warn him about the town—about how people weren’t exactly going to welcome him with open arms, even if he was rightfully the Pack Leader. The people of my late husband’s pack—and by extension, the town—were extremely insular and wary of outsiders. Also, most of them were probably betting on Harris Murdoch to win the Alpha Challenge.
I hoped and prayed they were wrong, but Murdoch was a hardened male in his prime and I still didn’t know how strong Kor was or how strong his wolf was.
Often, the wolf inside determines the strength of the man who is bound to it. Carter’s wolf had been insanely big and strong, despite his short stature. I had never seen Kor shift, of course, so I didn’t know what kind of wolf he had or how strong it was—or how likely it was to be able to beat Harris Murdoch’s wolf, which was a big, dirty, smelly mutt of a beast that could nonetheless take any other wolf in the Pack.
Reluctantly, I kept my mouth closed. There would be time to warn Kor later and he would find out a lot for himself, when we went into town tomorrow.
“Well, I should really be getting to bed myself,” I said, manufacturing a yawn. “There are fresh towels in the bathroom, and I think I asked the staff to stock it with new toiletries too, if you need them.”
“Thank you.” He nodded. “I’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
“Good. Then sleep well.” I smiled at him. “I’ll be right in the next room if you need anything.” Then I realized what that sounded like and went hot with a blush. “I mean, not that you’d need anything in the middle of the night. I, er…good night,” I said quickly and left, before I could shove my foot in my mouth again.
What must he think of me? I hoped he didn’t think I was coming on to him or asking him to “visit” me in the middle of the night for carnal reasons. I just wasn’t used to talking to people hardly at all. Carter never wanted to chat and the maids we hired were wary of getting too friendly with the Mistress of the House. Since most of them also came from the Pack, they didn’t want to get too close and catch my barrenness.
So I’d had almost no friends and not much conversation for the past twenty years. It was no wonder I was so bad at it.
Well, there was nothing I could do about it now. Hopefully, Kor hadn’t taken my words the wrong way.
I went into my room and began getting ready for bed, but I couldn’t help thinking that just on the other side of the connecting door, Kor was doing the same.
EIGHT
KOR
There was a door between my new bedroom and Vivienne’s—I noticed it almost as soon as she left. It was cracked open about an inch, letting light from her room stream into mine.
Curious, I went to look at it and saw that it led directly into her bedroom, which was much more feminine than my late uncle’s old room. I caught hints of rose and gold and saw that she had a vast arching window on her far wall, which was almost as big as the one I had on mine.
I was just about to shut the door and lock it—because I’m not a fucking peeping Tom—when Vivienne came into view. She didn’t even look at the door—she just started removing her robe. She pulled it off and I had to bite my tongue to keep from groaning.
She had a full, curvy figure with wide hips and big breasts—in other words, exactly my type. It was clear she wasn’t wearing a bra because the stiff points of her nipples were clearly visible through her cotton nightgown.
The nightgown itself was very modest—it went up almost to her chin and down to mid-calf on her. But it was white, and the material was thin, letting me see her body clearly.
I knew I ought to shut the door—and honestly, I tried. But when I pushed it closed—as quietly as I could—it popped open again with a loud creeeeak that set my teeth on edge.