Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“It sounds like Victor only has one close friend,” Pandora said.
“Well, he might have some hot cousin or something … No?” she asked when Pandora shook her head.
“No. Victor said he has a really small family. It’s really just his parents and his best friend.”
“Well, luckily, it seems like you have more than enough for the two of you.”
She had no idea.
Pandora suspected that her wedding would be the event of the century. Which didn’t make her want to throw up or anything. But there was no way Ophelia Von Ashmore was going to have some small backyard exchanging of vows with just the immediate family.
Oh, no.
That wasn’t her style in the least.
Pandora was imagining all the guest rooms in their house full. Plus the basement that would be lined with dozens of coffins for extended family and friends.
Pandora felt like she was getting hives just thinking about it.
But it would all be over in less than three months. Then she could finally move out of her parents’ place – and away from the revolving door of guests – and start working on her dream.
It wasn’t that she didn’t love her family. She did. She was just overwhelmed at the idea of lying to them all, and trying to keep Victor from seeing something he shouldn’t and couldn’t. There were so many ways things could go wrong. She was just looking forward to being on her own so that no one could find them out while they finished out the charade.
Though, as her gaze slid to Victor again, this time catching him looking in her direction then quickly away, she had to admit that the larger part of her didn’t want the part with him to be over.
In fact, the more time she spent with him, the more time she wanted to spend with him. Even if it did open her up to being found out by him. Especially after the wedding when …
“Wait,” Pandora said, looking over at Lucy, who was rearranging the disorganized tea caddy.
“What?”
“I’m going to have to live with him.”
“Ah, yeah, genius,” Lucy said with a laugh. “That’s what married people do.”
“I’m going to be living with a vampire expert,” she whispered.
“Yeah.” Lucy nodded. “Only about a thousand ways that could go wrong.”
“I really didn’t think this through.”
“In your defense, you didn’t know he was a vampire expert when you made him the offer.”
And now she had paperwork signed that she was reasonably sure held some sort of legal weight. There was no going back.
“Look, we will be all stealthy about it. Get you a place leased, then get some of that nifty film for all of the windows. Maybe get a mini fridge that you can hide somewhere to keep your blood in. Those are the two big things, right?”
“Right.” But her mind had already moved past all the ways living with someone who could find out her secret could go terribly wrong and shifted to all the ways living with Victor could be a dream come true.
No one complaining about books hiding in the strangest of places. Since he would likely accidentally leave one in the cabinets or in the laundry basket on occasion as well. No more oppressive black and grey. She could fill the space with colour.
“Earth to Pandora,” Lucy said, snapping her fingers in her friend’s face.
“Sorry, what?”
“You were totally fantasizing about getting all glandular with Victor, weren’t you?”
“What? No!”
“I’m not buying it. Your eyes were all dreamy and faraway.”
“I was thinking about how our book collections would fill up our flat,” Pandora said.
“Suuure.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “Wait, are you going to be getting all glandular with him?”
“What? No!” No matter how much she wished she could.
“Don’t you have to, though?”
“Why would we have to?”
“To make the marriage official,” Lucy said. “Right? Like, marriages aren’t official until they’re consummated.”
“Is that still the rule?” Pandora asked, a mix of panic and excitement flooding her system.
Excitement, because she’d done little but fantasize about that very thing since the first time she’d seen Victor.
But panic because, well, what if Victor didn’t want that? Didn’t want her?
He’d sure been quick to move away from her, to put distance between them, after he’d saved her from that out-of-control cyclist.
“Why do you look like you’re going to be sick? Haven’t you been dreaming about getting between the sheets with him since you first laid eyes on him? I mean … he looks all buttoned-up and reserved,” Lucy said, looking over at Victor. “But I bet once you get him unbuttoned, he’s all commanding and assured. I bet that man loves to give an Aussie kiss.”
“What is an Aussie kiss?” Pandora asked as she took a sip of her chamomile tea, definitely needing something to slow down her nerves that felt ready to fly right off the tracks.