Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Saw the job opening and applied.”
“That easy?”
“Pretty much,” I said. I turned so I could look out at the ocean. “They saw I was a dragon and hired me on the spot.” Manticore Beach, with its large granite black rock formations, appeared to be the popular hangout spot for today. A colorful array of beach towels were laid out with a smattering of surfers trying to catch the waves before they crashed onto shore. “It wasn’t my original plan. I was always into fitness and did take defense classes, but my real passion was to work in law. I wanted to be a lawyer.”
“No way,” Blake said. “Seriously?”
“You don’t have to act so shocked.”
Blake’s eyes opened wide, and he waved his hands in the air. “I’m not. I mean, I am kind of, only because you’re this superhot and muscular bodyguard, and that just seems like a natural fit for someone of your muscular aptitude and strength, and now I’m just rambling and—”
I quieted him with a kiss. “I got the point.”
He smiled wide at me, his lips shining. “Right.”
“I wanted to specialize in family law. Having such a strong family unit myself made me feel like helping others with their family issues, somehow try to make things right. It called to me. I just struggled during my schooling. Tests have always given me trouble. I sit down, and everything goes blank, which is what happened for my LSATs. All three times I’ve taken them.” I shrugged. The weight was heavy and not one I always talked about. It made me feel like a failure. I was used to getting over my hurdles, so when a seemingly impossible one presented itself, I became frustrated. It affected every other decision that came after it. It pushed me into doing what I felt I was “supposed” to do. I liked being a bodyguard, but I didn’t love it. I didn’t always feel fulfilled, not when my clients were entitled brats being protected from their own self-damaged egos.
Blake was clearly a different kind of client, so at least that was nice.
“I totally get it. I had a tough time with exams. It was the timing that always got me. I’m a thinker. I need to take my time.” Blake squinted his eyes against the sun as he looked at me. “Couldn’t you, you know, have checked the answers and turned back time a bit?”
I chuckled. “Yes, I did know, and no, I didn’t do it. Dragons are honorable.” I winked at him. “More so than your sneaky shifter ass.”
“I’m not… ugh, whatever.”
“It’s fine,” I said, smiling at how red he got. “I’m happy with where my life is heading. If anything, I can retake the test another time and see what happens.”
“If you need a study partner, you know my number.” The sunlight painted him like a glowing canvas, every brushstroke intentional, placed by a master at balance and shapes.
“You’ll be the first person I ask,” I said. I nudged him with a shoulder. “And how about you? I’ve sensed something’s up. You’ve been distant ever since we got back from DC.”
I didn’t blame him either. Our time at the White House had been tumultuous, to say the least.
“I’m just…” Blake chewed at his fingernails.
“What is it? I feel you worrying.” I wrapped an arm around him. It was an instinct, wanting to comfort him. He leaned into me.
“I’ve had a lot on my mind. That’s all. I get distant when I’m anxious, and the current situation is very fucking anxiety-inducing.”
“Want to try and talk it out?”
Blake considered me for a moment. I thought he was about to shrug me off and say it was all fine. He didn’t, though.
“It’s all tangled. My thoughts are a mess. I’m between stressing about my feelings for you and my feelings toward what’s happening”—he gestured in a circle—“around us. My father is a breath away from becoming president. And there’s someone out there with arguably the strongest weapon of mass destruction imaginable, and we’re supposed to be hunting them down. It’s a mess. A disaster. It’s totally wild.”
I placed a gentle hand on his lower back. He looked up at me with doe-like eyes that filled me with an urge to protect him. “I agree, this is completely outside the realm of ‘normal.’ I’m still processing it all. I can tell you not to stress about your feelings toward me, at least. Let that flow. I am. My feelings toward you are the only thing keeping the chaos at bay.”
“Really?” Blake asked. Those damn eyes. They cast a spell on me not even a Marvel could pull off.
“Really,” I replied. I leaned in and kissed him, further pushing the chaos away. He kissed me back, a hand finding mine. His grip fit so perfectly in mine. I held his hand tight.