Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
But before he could decide if it was just insecurity about dry-humping like teenagers, or something darker, uglier—something that looked a lot like regret—there was a slamming on the door.
“There’s a time limit, you know!” a woman’s voice called, loud and annoyed. “I know you’re a mermaid and everything, but we all deserve access to the pool.”
Iris was off his lap before he could even try to reach for her.
She scrambled away, grabbing her clothes and yanking them on.
He reached for her towel, draping it over his arm to hold in front of his body.
But by the time he managed that, she was out of the room, and the woman was moving inside.
“Mr. Westrock,” the woman greeted. “I don’t mean to be rude or anything …”
Just once, he wanted the right to be frustrated or annoyed.
But he didn’t have that luxury.
“No, of course not. You’re absolutely right; it’s your pool too. If you’ll excuse me.”
By the time he made it back to the apartment, Iris was locked up in the bedroom with Monty, leaving him to go into the bathroom, strip, and clean up in the shower.
The taste of her lingered.
But he had the sinking feeling that her sighs, her moans, her shivers, and kisses would be nothing but memories soon.
17
Iris
“So, you gave in to a biological need,” Selene said as the two of them walked down the road after Iris showed up at the bookshop for an emergency meeting after a conversation with Monty devolved into a dramatic plotline in one of his dramatic romance shows.
She needed to call in reinforcements to talk it through.
Because what the hell was that?
Not bad enough that she’d let him go down on her, but then she’d climbed on him, and they’d humped on the chaise like a couple of horny teenagers.
“It’s not the end of the world. You’re both adults. And, I mean, you are a mermaid.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Iris asked over a mouthful of soft pretzel. Her third one. Thankfully, Selene was the kind of friend who didn’t judge her for trying to bury her feelings with food.
“That you’re, you know, innately sexual. It’s part of who you are.”
“It’s part of who we all are.”
“Yeah, but to a lesser degree. I mean, even if this is all complete nonsense, you can claim that’s all it was if he decides to confront you about it.”
“True,” Iris agreed, feeling a little of the tension in her shoulders lessening. They’d been inching up since she’d run out of the pool room. She was starting to worry she might need to get them surgically removed from her ears if she didn’t calm down.
Not just because of what happened, but what it meant. Or didn’t mean. She couldn’t stop herself from obsessing over what Finn might be thinking about it. Was there regret? Was he brushing it off? Did it even register as a mistake to him … or was it just another political complication he had to manage?
And, worse, why the hell did she care so much?
“I have to ask,” Selene said as they approached the entrance to the park.
A large sign hung from the wrought-iron fence.
No werewolves in the dog park.
There was a big wolf-man in the background with a red X across his body.
“Ask what?” Iris asked, scrunching up the piece of parchment paper her pretzel had been wrapped in and tossing it in the trash.
“Well, how was it?”
How was it?
Spine-tingling.
Soul-shattering.
Consuming.
Devastating.
But more than all of that: stupid. So incredibly stupid.
“It was fine.”
“Fine?” Selene asked, brows shooting up. “Huh. I had him pegged for one of those repressed guys who are animals when you peel them out of their stuffy suits.”
That was exactly what Finn had been.
Demanding, unrestrained.
Real.
For just a few moments, with their bodies moving together in an ancient rhythm, he’d been real with her.
“Well, I don’t know why you showed up at my doorstep all frantic over fine. I was about to get to a very important part in my book.”
“Were the enemies about to become lovers?” Iris asked, shooting her friend a smile.
“The villain was about to bang the heroine in all sorts of steamy ways. Then, I imagine, declare his undying love for her. At least the former part is believable. I’ve always found that the bad boys are the only ones who know what they’re doing in bed.”
Iris may have agreed with Selene in the past. But she had to admit that Finn was, objectively, a good man. And that good man? He really knew what to do with his tongue.
“So, what were you hoping to accomplish on this walk? Aside from bolstering up the local pretzel-vendor economy?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just need to figure out what to do next. I mean, we’ve hooked up now.”
“Barely. Look, most guys don’t want to make a big thing out of a little dry-humping. If you go on acting like it’s no big deal, I’m sure he’ll do the same. Now, what we really need to do is talk about that little interview you gave,” Selene said, shooting Iris a smirk. “That was brilliant.”