Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 828(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
I smiled at those I passed, and when I arrived at the closed door to Tanyn’s study, I raised my hand to knock twice, then opened it and stuck my head in.
Hurley appeared from behind Tanyn’s desk, trotting my way.
My male turned his attention from two displays hovering over the desk, whatever text covering their clear surfaces in blue, green, yellow and red I could not read, because it was backward.
When he caught sight of me, he smiled.
He was, for once, alone.
“Got a minute?” I asked.
“Always,” he answered.
That made me smile, internally, but as his reward, I swayed my hips naturally as I entered, closed the door, said hello to Hurley but didn’t bend to him because I was making my way to his daddy.
Though, full disclosure, the reward part was that I put more oomph into my natural sway.
I stopped on his side of the desk and leaned my bottom against it next to where he sat in his chair.
His gaze was still aimed at my hips which were incased in a skintight, cobalt-blue pencil skirt.
Mission accomplished.
I gave him time to appreciate how mega I was.
He took it, and finally, lifted his gaze to mine. “Meeting done with Mira?”
I nodded, resting some weight into the apples of my palms on the edge of his desk. “I’m sure it’ll take an enormous weight off your mind to know the ball is in hand.”
“Finally, I can sleep easy,” he quipped.
My lips curled up before I shared, “Mira thinks I need an aide.”
Tanyn sat back in his chair. “I agree with her.”
“I do too.”
I explained how we were going to attempt to hire internally.
Tanyn listened then jutted up his chin. “A good solution.”
“Did you see the pic of Mac and Gayle today?”
“Mira forwarded it to me.”
“Do you know anything about that?”
“No.”
“So they’re just being idiots?” I asked.
“The only being who cares less than me about what others think about what he does and who he does it with is Mac,” Tanyn reminded me.
“Right.”
“It’s good, baby,” he said softly. “It paves the way for when they’re actually together.”
“Right,” I repeated, because he was, indeed, right. I just hoped the “when they’re actually together” part came true. I then tilted my head to the side and decided, since he seemed chill and didn’t have a study full of beings when I arrived, now was the time. “Is there a reason the number of guards has been increased?”
“Yes and no. You know we had that pic analyzed.”
I nodded.
“Even so, we don’t know what that form is in it. All we know is that it’s not a smudge on the lens or a pixel glitch.”
I nodded again.
“And I’m not taking any chances,” he concluded.
Well, there it was.
Tanyn being protective.
Since I had nothing to say about that, I said nothing.
“Bain has been in touch. They’re returning on Friday,” Tanyn told me.
That was good.
And Tanyn already knew Gayle had been in contact last night, sharing she and Cormac would return on Sunday. We both knew Laura and Aleksei were returning tomorrow.
On that topic…
“I’m not sure this is sustainable, honey,” I told him.
“What?”
“Us four, together all the time.”
“Cat—”
“For starters, we just made that pact not too long ago, and we’re not together now.”
Tanyn didn’t reply, because he didn’t need to. He was well aware they weren’t with us.
“And I’m going to need to go down to the Fall and stay there at least a week. I need to introduce important clients to Lua. Assist in her transition.”
“We can work that.”
“Okay. Then there’s the ball. That’s happening here,” I shared something he knew. “The Vernal Gala in Land’s End. And the Sunray Soiree in Dawn’s Break during the Solstice. We’re all going to have to go to both.”
“Sweetheart—”
“Laura’s planning a wedding and she can’t beg off appearances she’s barely just accepted.”
“Catty—”
“Gayle and Mac need room to maneuver whatever is going on between them. Bain is going to release Aleece from her spell, and then there’s that. They should have privacy for those things.”
“I understand, but—”
“And you and I need to be out and about. We can’t all go traipsing around as a foursome to the symphony and ballet. Beings will wonder what the hells is going on. I shudder to think what they’d think if they knew we were all hunkering down in Berg Castle.”
I finally let Tanyn speak, and he said, “We already knew we’d need to go about our lives and duties as they came about.”
“And I know this contradicts all I just said, but I feel weird about us not being together,” I admitted. “Vulnerable, somehow.”
He reached to me, wrapping his fingers around my hips and pushing his chair back to adjust my position so I was in front of him.
Once he got me where he wanted me, he kept his hands on me, looked into my eyes and said softly, “I sense, with you saying that, you, and perhaps all the females, are feeling what we males are feeling. It’s mostly that I’m far more comfortable knowing you’re near and safe. But I settle even further knowing all of them are safe…and near. And since we discussed this very thing, I know the other males feel it too.”