Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 38003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
He loved to hear her laugh.
“Sure, Klaus. Keep on telling yourself that.”
This was progress. It had to be.
“Come on, Poppy. You’ve got to give me the benefit of the doubt. That kiss was something, and I don’t seem to recall you pushing me away.” He’d tried not to bring it up. Attempted to be the bigger wolf, but when it came to Poppy, that wasn’t him. He needed her to see reason.
She burst out laughing, but for a comeback, she didn’t give him anything.
Chapter Five
Poppy arrived downstairs and came to a stop when she saw a shirtless Greg in the kitchen. She had forgotten they had a visitor.
Kind of hard to miss though, considering he snored really loud, and their bedrooms were close together. Her mother was already gone. She would open the shop early today. This left her with Greg.
An unmated male. A man with no female connections.
She’d heard Klaus growl last night, and her wolf had liked it. Really liked it.
This made no sense at all. She didn’t like Klaus, and yet, she enjoyed having his attention. The kiss they’d shared had played through her mind so often in the last few hours.
Ever since she and Klaus had become aware of their mated bond, she had this overwhelming need. Her body was constantly on fire. She had no idea if Klaus felt this way. She was always aroused, and she had to take care of that arousal each night. She’d been able to control herself throughout the day, but with Klaus there all the time, it was impossible.
“Morning, Poppy,” Greg said.
She smiled. “Er, what are you doing up?”
“Oh, I’m a morning person. Always have been. Pancakes?”
“Sure, yeah, I’d like them.”
Glancing at the clock, she saw it was a little after seven. She was used to her mornings being her own. Not staring at a partly naked man.
Imagine Klaus naked.
No shirt.
Those rippled muscles.
She wanted to slap her face. Why was she even tempted to see Klaus naked? This was so wrong on so many levels.
He was a bully, someone she didn’t even like, and yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
“I had no idea you could cook.”
“Forgive me when I say this, Poppy, but I don’t think you and I have truly met before.”
“Oh, we have,” Poppy said. “I was a young girl.”
Greg was never interested in a young girl, and well, she was never interested in any boys. Not since Klaus.
Her mother had often tried to get her to talk about her crushes and the guys at school, but there hadn’t been anyone. She always tried to avoid talking about the guys at school. Especially with Klaus.
“So, Greg, what are your plans for the day?” she asked.
“I was hoping I’d get a chance to hang out with you. Your mom said that you’d be able to show me around. Meet people.”
“Ah, yes, meeting potential mates and all that.” She kept the smile on her lips.
Greg chuckled and placed two pancakes on her plate. He grabbed another saucepan and dribbled maple syrup all over them. There was a little too much on them for her tastes, but she didn’t complain.
He placed the plate in front of her, and she took it, picking up her knife and fork.
“I heard you recently went through your first transition?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
“Not fun, huh?”
“It’s not high up on my list of experiences I care to repeat.”
“The first time is always the worst. Your body changes. The pain is what scares you. After that first time, it gets easier.”
Poppy nodded. Her mother had told her the exact same thing. It had been painful, but once she’d turned into her wolf and ran, it had been an exhilarating experience. One she hoped to try again and again.
Greg cooked up some more pancakes. They weren’t great, but she ate them because she didn’t want to be rude.
“So, you transitioned, and you didn’t find your … mate.”
Poppy sipped at her coffee, and she didn’t choke on it. Was this what he was getting at? Her finding her mate?
“Er, why do you ask?”
“A beautiful woman like yourself. Once you find that special someone, it is hard to deny them. Hard to ignore them as well.”
“You never found your mate?” Poppy asked.
“No, I haven’t.”
“I’m sure she’s out there, right? We all have a special someone.” She sipped at her coffee, trying to think of something else to talk about.
The guilt started to build within her.
She had Klaus. Her mate was Klaus.
Some men and women never got the chance to be with their mate, and hers was right there, in the pack, on her eighteenth birthday. This was the stuff of fairy tales, and yet, she hadn’t wanted anyone to know. Still didn’t want anyone to know.
“I … I don’t think everyone has a special someone,” Greg said.
“Oh, they don’t?”