Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
He mirrors my position and looks into my eyes. "What?"
"I thought I heard something. A shuffle, maybe?"
"Bel is probably around somewhere, and if you know Bel is here then Drew is also somewhere."
I shake my head and sit up, clutching the sheet to my front. "No, it was closer, like in the room? Could we have a mouse?"
He snorts. "We better not. I pay an exterminator a small fortune to maintain the properties. If we have a mouse then I’m getting a fucking refund. As you well know, my closet would take a hit."
My neck gets hot at the reminder of how he had to replace nearly his entire wardrobe after I took a knife to it.
There it is again. Another scuffle. I jerk my gaze towards the closet. "Is there someone in the closet?"
Fear spikes inside me, making warning bells go off in my mind. Almost like he senses it, Sebastian draws me into his arms. "Relax, Ely. It's nothing. A surprise, one second. I'll show you."
He peels himself out from under the covers on the floor, stands gloriously naked, and crosses the room to the closet. I don’t know what to accept so I remain laying there with baited breath. When he opens the door a streak of brown bolts out of the small room and right at me.
I’m only halfway to my feet when a heavy weight slams into my shins.
It's...a dog.
"You had a dog in the closet?”
He shuts the door and stands watching me as the puppy wiggles his little butt, his front paws up against my knees, his wet little nose gleams in the overhead light.
"Okay, what’s the catch? You hate dogs, so why is this little cutie in your possession?”
He settles back in our makeshift bed. "I don't hate dogs. Besides, you like them...and whatever you like I will learn to tolerate but I'm warning you, if he eats my shoes or pisses in the house he's going to be an outdoor dog."
I kneel down and tug the ball of curly brown fur into my lap. "You are so stinking cute!!. What's your name?"
Seb rests back on the pillows and watches us with a smile. "He doesn't have a name. I figured you could give him one.”
I cuddle him to my chest and let him lick my face. "I'll call him Osiris. That's a good name for a dog."
"Whatever you want Ely. I’m happy with whatever you choose.”
“Two firsts in one day. A baby and a puppy.” I whisper while I scratch the dog's long floppy ears.
"Wait, I have one more present for you."
I pick up the puppy by the belly and roll to face Sebastian. "I don't need presents, I've told you that before."
"But I enjoy giving them to you, so you'll take them and be happy about it."
I narrow my eyes. "That sounds an awful lot like an order..."
"Do I need to get back between your sexy thighs and make you see things my way?" He asks, pinning me with a look that says to test him.
A smile splits my lips before I can even try to school my features. "What is the present then?"
He reaches up under the bed and tugs out a stack of papers, then plops them right on my chest.
"A stack of paperwork, my favorite thing."
This earns me a little swat on the hip, which the puppy immediately jumps into thinking we’re playing. I scan over the paperwork, skimming the text to be sure that what I’m reading is really real. "An animal shelter, Sebastian? That’s not a present.”
"It’s yours. You can deal with it yourself, or focus on school and the baby and hire people to handle it until you are ready."
Tears burn my eyes, and I stare up at the ceiling to try and drive them away.
He levers himself beside me, scooting closer. "Are you okay? I didn’t mean to upset you. If you don’t want it you can sell it.” There's an edge of panic to his tone that I don't think I've ever heard before.
"No, I love it. It's ok. I promise. I'm just overwhelmed."
This time he drags me into his lap, ignoring Osiris as he thinks we are playing. "You mean the world to me, Ely. And I intend to spend my life showing you in every single way I can how much you mean to me."
I kiss him gently. "You already do. All I need is you."
When he kisses me back, it's hotter, darker, deeper, and he shows me again and again how much he loves me with his body, his mouth, his teeth, his hands, and his words.
I've never felt safer in my life.
EPILOGUE
Sebastian
Six Months Later
Acrash in the closet makes me rush out of the bathroom to check on Ely. I find her standing in the middle of the closet, clothes circling her in a ring on the floor, a pair of shoes by the entrance. "Ely?"