Ace rubbed his jaw. “Well, I have a few jobs, but I’m sure I can juggle a few things around. But—” He held up a finger. “I can’t watch over her forever. I can watch her for a month and check in with you after that.”
That was better than she had hoped for. “Deal. We’ll have our lawyers work up the contract and then send me the bill.” She grabbed his hand. “Let’s go meet her.”
She dragged him out to the lobby. “I can’t wait for you to meet her. She’s my oldest friend. We went to high school and college together.”
“Uh-huh. Look, this tray is heavy and hot. Can we sit down at a table near the pool area? There’s a new lifeguard…”
“Ace this is Tiye.” Michaela released his hand and rushed to hug her friend. “Tiye, this is Ace, Riktor’s brother, and he’s agreed to help you for a month.”
Tiye’s face flushed, and she ducked her head. “Hello!”
“I can’t wait to tell you everything that’s happened here.” Mickey took the tray out of Ace’s hand and led her friend to the restaurant for casual dining. “I met my mate! Can you believe that? I’m still getting used to the idea.”
They sat down at a table.
“It’s only been a few days, but I can’t wait to get to know Riktor. I just know we’ll be happy.” She picked up her burger and took a huge bite. “And I can’t wait for you to meet him,” she murmured in-between chewing.
Her life with Riktor was just beginning, and she looked forward to fighting for it. Now, if only she could find Ace and Banan their mates, too. She eyed Tiye’s honey-gold skin, hazel eyes, and thick fall of dark brown hair framing a round face. She’d be perfect for Ace.
Michaela started plotting. Oh yes, she thought. All the brothers would find their mates, and before that timeline in the will ran out. She took another bite out of her burger and settled into her seat. Pleasure rushed through her, followed by a sense of yearning. She needed to see Riktor.
Mickey flagged down a waiter. “Please, send this plate up to Riktor’s suite.” She turned to Tiye. “I’ll have to finish this later. I just want to check on Riktor.”
Tiye nodded. “No problem. I’ll just eat and then explore for a bit.”
Mickey grinned and left the table. She rushed across the lobby, past the front desk, and turned down a hall. Her heart hammered against her rib cage. She arrived at the elevator and pressed the button.
Banan walked up to her. “Riktor is resting. I made sure.”
She grinned at him. “Thanks. You’ve been such a big help. One of these days you’ll have to tell me how Riktor chose you for your position instead of Ace.”
Banan ducked his head. A flush spread across his cheeks. “It’s easy. Ace turned him down for the position and Riktor asked me. Ace has his own reasons for things.”
The doors slid open and they both stepped inside.
“Anyway, I’m off to take a nap myself.” He pressed the button for the second floor of the private family residence.
They arrived and she waved him off. She tapped her foot in irritation at how slow the ride seemed to go. When the lift opened at the top floor of the private residential area, she rushed off the elevator. She reached the door and dug the key card to his rooms out of her pocket and unlocked the door.
Riktor lay on the couch, the TV showing some 80s action movie, complete with a hero wearing a mullet.
Her heartbeat increased. She stepped into the room and pulled the door shut behind her.
“Your food arrived.” He nodded to a small, circular dining table in front of a long bank of floor-to-ceiling windows.
She went to the table, grabbed the server, and carried it over to the couch. Mickey settled down next him and took a bite out of her burger.
Riktor wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You know, for a Shaw you’re not that bad.”
She let out a laugh. “What brought that on?”
“Nothing. Just a thought I had.” Riktor shifted on the couch, getting more comfortable.
She settled into the warmth and ease of sitting next to him. If someone had told her that one day Riktor Brody would be happy to be sitting next to her while watching a movie, she would’ve called them crazy.
Riktor let off a soft snore.
And she smiled. Emotion flooded her chest. Riktor felt so comfortable and safe with her that even in his current condition, he trusted her enough to fall asleep next to her rather than move to the bed. They had come a long way. She couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store for her. Maybe Maxwell Brody had known what he was doing when he’d put that clause in his will.
Maybe. Only time would tell.
~ About the Author ~
Multi-Published Author, part vampire, part pixie, Selena Illyria was born with a need to write and enable. Her imagination takes her into the paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy genres and all sorts of mischief. When not writing she enjoys catching up on her TBR pile, watching some of her favorite programs and listening to her favorite music as well as teasing people with posts on decadent food and plot bunnies.
Discover more about Selena Illyria here
Website: http://www.selenaillyria.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Selena-Illyria/100175079107?ref=nf
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Selena_Illyria
~ Also by Selena Illyria ~
Bewitching the Vampire
Flushed and Fevered Book One
Selena Illyria
A stubborn witch vs a vampire king…who will win on Halloween?
Bridget is a witch who has been given a sweet deal—nab a rogue vampire and score a big payday, but she must deliver him within twenty-four hours. She’ll need help from Joe, the local vampire liege, to find the rogue vampire fast. Joe agrees to give her the information...if she agrees to play a few hands of poker with him. For each hand, she must reveal a bit about herself. And for each hand she wins, he'll answer any question she asks. But Bridget isn’t sure she can keep things objective—not when Joe gives her that seductive grin.
Joe has always had an interest in the little witch. She defies his expectations and surprises at every turn. But despite his natural inclination to help her, he decides to make her work for the information she needs in the most delicious ways. With a little bit of seduction and a little bit of bondage, he tests her resolve to play the game…and tests his own self-control to contain the blood beast inside him. The stakes are sky-high, for both of them. But on Halloween, the most powerful night of the year, which one will be the winner?
Buy Bewitching the Vampire here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Selena_Illyria_Bewitching_the_Vampire_Interracial?id=Aqs5DwAAQBAJ
Making Demons Purr
Flushed and Fevered Book Two
Selena Illyria
They will bind her to them in every way they can.
Seraphena, a black panther shifter and familiar, hasn’t had a night off in months. Between work, dealing with her mother, and issues with her pard, her life is one challenge after the next. So when she finally finds herself with a night to herself, the last thing she expects is spending it with her secret crushes, Carver and Thorn, demons and owners of her favorite café, The Java Demon. Neither does she expect what happens when you play high card strip with a couple of pros. They give her a hot game, a night to remember with a little kink on the side. But Sera knows it can’t last with all the complications in her life. The last thing she needs is having to explain two men at once—and demons at that.
Carver and Thorn have wanted Sera from the moment she first strolled into the Java Demon for that low-fat caramel macchiato. Now that they have her in their life, they refuse to let her go. They will bind her to them in every way they can, fulfill her fantasies, and show her the love and support she needs. Nothing will stand in their way—not work, not her mother, not her pard. But it might be Sera herself who shuts them out if she can’t stand up to those who would dictate their love…
Reader Discret
ion Advised: Contains ménage, spanking, exhibition, and light BDSM elements
Buy Making Demons Purr here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Selena_Illyria_Making_Demons_Purr_Paranormal_Roman?id=qH46DwAAQBAJ
Mate Not Wanted
Bachelor Auction Book One
Selena Illyria
Letting Madison go unmated? Pierce won’t stand for it…
Lioness shifter Madison doesn’t want to be mated. So when her friends bid and win tiger shifter Pierce McKinney at the Bachelor Auction, she knows she’s screwed. Pierce is the one man who can get under her skin. Especially when she knows that sex with Pierce will burn hotter than the sun…
Pierce McKinney has been trying without luck to wear Madison down. So when her friends win him at a charity auction, he’s determined to win her for his own. He’ll give her what she needs and desires, and he’ll even bring in a friend to play to her fantasies. But Madison belongs to him, and only him. And he intends to show her that he plays for keeps. Even if she’s too stubborn to admit it. Because Pierce is too stubborn to let her walk away…
Buy Mate Not Wanted here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Selena_Illyria_Mate_Not_Wanted?id=D63aBgAAQBAJ
Goal: A Mate
Bachelor Auction Book Two
Selena Illyria
When you meet your true mate, you’ve got to take the shot...
Werewolf Pack Princess Kelly is overwhelmed with her new business, trouble with the rival cat shifters, and trying to ignore the attraction to her best friend’s younger brother. By bidding on Brandon in the Bachelor Auction, she thought she was just doing him a favor, saving him from the craziness. But now that she’s won him, her wolf wants to mark him as her mate, and she’s starting to lose control. So when he whisks her away for his birthday weekend, how can she say no? Every kiss distracts her. Each caress sets her on fire. And every whiff of his scent makes her wolf want to take him where he stands.
As a former hockey player and werewolf, Brandon knows all about being pulled in different directions. And he knows exactly what he’s asking for when he pursues a relationship with the already overwhelmed Kelly. She may be five years older than he is, and the daughter of his pack’s Alpha, and his sister’s best friend and business partner, but none of that matters. There’s only one person he wants to spend his birthday with, and he’s not going to let her refuse. And when Brandon has his eye on the goal, there’s nothing that can stop him...
Reader Note: contains BBW, light bondage, and spanking elements
Buy Goal: A Mate here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Selena_Illyria_Goal_A_Mate?id=_lTPBgAAQBAJ
At Drogan’s Command
Hades Helmet Crew Book One
Selena Illyria
Who knew one little disc could cause so much trouble? Certainly not Rena, until the disc in question—the one in which she lives out every sexual fantasy she’s ever had, including a few inspired by her crush, Captain Drogan Carter—falls into the wrong hands. Drogan’s. Rena is desperate to get it back—she can’t let him know all her darkest, dirtiest secrets…
When Drogan finds the disc and watches the very private contents, his first feeling is guilt. But that guilt soon turns to a raw, sexual need to have the wanton, carefree Rena in his bed. He knows she’ll never come to him willingly, but once he gets her, he’ll have plenty of time to win her over, and to prove to her that reality can be so much better than fantasy. But first he needs a plan, a way to get her right where he wants her: at his command.
Buy At Drogan’s Command here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Selena_Illyria_At_Drogan_s_Command?id=rRKgBwAAQBAJ
Dragons at Midnight
Dragon New Year Book One
Selena Illyria
One dragon is hot enough, but three can make this tiger shifter burn in the most delightful ways.
Tiger shifter Louisa thought she'd ring in the New Year all alone. Little did she know that three younger dragon shifters plan on making sure she celebrates things right. Add a little steam, a few dragon shifters with dirty minds, and some creative use of furniture and New Year's Eve becomes the perfect scorching-hot party for four.
Buy Dragons at Midnight here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Selena_Illyria_Dragons_at_Midnight?id=-764BwAAQBAJ
Dragon Ugly
Dragon New Year Book Two
Selena Illyria
Can a dragon shifter give more than just hot sex?
After Brent’s New Year’s fling with his friends Fletcher and Tor—and Tor’s mate Louisa—Brent is determined to find his own mate. His dragon wants him to find their mate, too, and if Brent doesn’t find a way to locate her soon, his dragon will take matters into his own talons. And that could spell trouble.
Wolf shifter Carissa has no desire to live up to her wild musician mother and artistic father’s vision of free love and sex parties. She’s buried her sexual desires and focused on building up her aromatherapy store, Scentify, no distractions allowed. Until she meets Brent. The sexy dragon shifter makes her burn with suppressed need. The only problem? His dragon wants Carissa, too. And pursuing the dominant dragon would be playing with fire.
Giving in to his dragon saps Brent of his focus and energy. Things are turning ugly—dragon ugly. How can he bond with his mate when his dragon only wants sex?
Buy Dragon Ugly here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Selena_Illyria_Dragon_Ugly?id=-iezBwAAQBAJ
~ More Romance from Etopia Press ~
Curves for Fighters
Quick & Sexy Wolves Book Two
Zoey Thames
Two powerful werewolves. One irresistible woman.
Ruth, a curvy, good-hearted Oklahoma girl, drives limos for Mirage Confidential, a company that specializes in chauffeuring wealthy paranormals around New York City. When she's dispatched to a rundown martial arts studio to pick up a billionaire werewolf alpha, she's certain she has the wrong information. What would a rich and powerful man like Brian Barrington be doing at a fighting ring in the Bronx? Yet, after watching an intense sparring round between the attractive Brian and his equally hot MMA trainer, the sight of the two half-naked men has her imagination in erotic overdrive. And that was before she accidentally stumbles upon both men locked in passion in the back of the gym. She's going to need a miracle to survive this pair of clients, who already have her internal thermostat dangerously close to overheating...
Brian might be one of the world's richest and most powerful werewolves, but that doesn't mean he's let it go to his head. In his downtime, he trains as a mixed martial artist with his best friend and fellow shifter, Dominic. Being bisexual, they enjoy each other's company in every way possible, but what they really enjoy is sharing a woman between them. And the sweet little BBW in the chauffeur uniform is already setting them both on fire. Trouble is, winning the trust of the fascinating human woman is trickier than either of them imagined. Both men agree, she's one worth fighting for, but are they ready for a no-nonsense, full-bodied country girl with curves that have them ready to beg for mercy?
Reader note: contains m/m/f, ménage elements, BBW and billionaires, and male male love
Buy Curves for Fighters here
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Zoey_Thames_Curves_for_Fighters?id=awbwDAAAQBAJ
Maggie’s Mates
Logan’s Wolves Book One
Alexa Fox
A werewolf P.I. A reluctant alpha. And a jaguar princess who just wants to mate...
Maggie Marsh was at the Bayside Club for one reason and one reason only: to mate. As a jaguar shifter, and worse, jaguar royalty, she's kept on a very tight leash. Particularly since her parents are trying to arrange a royal match. But she's in heat—and the burning, throbbing need to find someone to mate with is too powerful to resist. So when the sexy wolf shifter plows into her and nearly knocks her over, she can't believe her luck. Logan K
ane is tall, gorgeous, and so sexy she's dripping with desire. She's determined to have him, until she meets the second wolf of the evening, the charming Matthew Mason, a private investigator who informs her that Logan Kane is more than he appears.
Matthew's had a crush on Logan since their school days. But Matthew's not a high-ranking wolf, and Logan's father was the alpha—until Logan's brother Zane killed him and usurped control of the pack. A duty that should have fallen to Logan. There's no chance a should-be alpha would pay a bit of attention to someone like Matthew. But he has other fantasies besides those involving Logan—fantasies of being with a woman, fantasies of being with a cat shifter. So as the beautiful, black haired jaguar puts the moves on him, he's not about to turn her down.
Logan wants nothing to do with being the alpha or dealing with pack politics. He just wants to leave the country to escape the half million dollar bounty Zane has placed on his head—for his delivery to Zane, dead or alive. But when Matthew's partner winds up dead in the parking lot, and somebody starts shooting, it becomes clear that Maggie and Matthew have made themselves targets as well. Thrown together to escape Zane's assassins, Maggie begins to realize the three of them have something else in common—their animals have all claimed each other as mates. A ménage relationship would be complicated enough, but mixing wolves and cats? The threeway sex is so hot, she doesn't care that they're wolves. And Matthew can't believe he's finally with Logan. But when things go sideways and Logan has to step up and take control, he teaches Maggie why even a jaguar princess must obey her alpha, and teaches her that a good spanking can be oh, so good...
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