Fighting really hard not to smile, he said, “Anything else?”
“Just one. I like that you’re nice to me, even though it still weirds me out a little. But if you promise not to stop, I’ll promise to work really hard not to get that panicked look on my face when you do something particularly sweet.”
Yager couldn’t fight it anymore. He grinned. How could he not? She was wonderful. “That’ll work.”
They stared at each other until Neecy gestured with a flip of her hand. “Your turn.”
“I get a turn?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Um… let’s see. The only pussy I want or will ever want is yours. So no worries there.” He grinned. “It’s very tasty!”
“Yager…”
He held his hand up. “Okay. Okay. Um… I don’t really have a favorite holiday, but whatever will make you happy is what I’ll do. The only thing, Mike comes to Thanksgiving dinner. His other option is his father’s and I can’t do that to him. Of course, I figure you won’t mind since you already had his ass in your face.” He glared at her before continuing. “Even though I don’t have a favorite holiday, I do love summertime. Um… oh! I spend hours on the computer. Hours. Not just for the business, but because I really love it. But I have laptops, so I won’t spend all my time in the office. And nothing makes me happier than the thought of sitting next to you on the couch working on my laptop while you watch Law & Order.” She smiled warmly at his words. “Especially knowing that I can just reach over and start finger-fucking you.”
Neecy coughed in surprise.
“I hope you’re not a pet fan, ‘cause I really don’t want a pet. I could care less about kids. And on very rare occasions, Odin may drop by… in bed… with us.”
“What?”
“I already told him he shouldn’t do that on a regular basis anymore. Ya know… ‘cause you’ll hurt him. I’m not cranky in the mornings, but I do love to fuck when I wake up. Which was one of the reasons I was annoyed you kept leaving.” He glared at her again but she only chuckled. “So, cranky or not, be prepared for a regular dose of morning cock, as I like to call it. I’m okay with not dating, but I have every intention of marrying you and I want the full-on honeymoon. Two weeks in the Caribbean. No telephone. No gods. No work.”
“Just me in a bikini!” Neecy reared back startled. “Now where the hell did that come from?”
Yager shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Suspicious eyes locked with his, but she apparently decided not to pursue it as she asked, “Anything else?”
“Just one.”
“This isn’t the Will thing again, is it? ‘Cause I actually like calling you Yager.”
“No.”
“The nice thing?”
“No.”
“The this-is-the-only-pussy-you-can-ever-have thing?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Tell me you love me, Neecy.”
She blinked, an expression of horror spreading over her face. “I… I didn’t? I didn’t already say that?”
“No. You didn’t.”
Neecy smoothly sat up so that she rested on her knees. “Oh God, Yager, I’m so…” She stopped trying to move toward him, the chain halting her. Growling, she held her arm up.
Yager bit back his smile as he grabbed the key from off the bedside table.
“Sorry about that,” he chuckled as he unlocked her.
“Where did you get this thing from anyway? It looks fuckin’ medieval.”
“Tye.”
Neecy stared at him for a long moment. “Okay. Keep him away from my girls. Especially Janelle.”
Now free, Neecy crawled into Yager’s lap. She placed her hands on both sides of his face, stroking his jaw and staring deep into his eyes. He brushed her nipples with the back of his knuckles and when she sighed, her wings unfurled, black and powerful, from her back. He’d never seen anything more beautiful besides Neecy herself.
“I love you, Yager.” She leaned forward and kissed him softly. He knew what it took for her to say the words. And he knew she’d only say them if she meant them. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips.
He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I love you, baby. I’ll always love you.”
She gave an uncharacteristically shy smile as she leaned into him. “So what do we do now?”
“That’s easy.” Yager pulled her tight against him and her wings curled around them as she slid her arms around his neck. “We’re going to spend our snow day being nice to each other, Neecy Lawrence. Over and over and over again… until one of us passes out or dies.”
Neecy smiled, resting her forehead against his. “Now that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
About the Author
Originally from Long Island, New York, Shelly Laurenston has resigned herself to West Coast living which involves healthy food, mostly sunny days, and lots of guys not wearing shirts when they really should be. These days Shelly spends most of her time writing, reading and, like her heroines, trying to avoid any serious prison time. To find out more about Shelly’s books, check out her website at www.shellylaurenston.com.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
About the Author
Hunting Season (The Gathering Book 1) Page 29