Chapter 7
My mind raced, and my heart pounded so hard I was surprised Leo didn’t hear it.
I kept my voice calm and steady, though. Eva was always confident. So I had to pretend to be confident, too.
“I wasn’t sure whether I should knock,” I said, “I didn’t want to presume.”
“You’re my wife,” Leo protested.
“Well, yes,” I agreed, “but we don’t really know each other, do we?”
“I guess we don’t,” Leo said. His face fell as if what I said saddened him.
Then he perked up and the shadow of a grin touched his lips. “We can fix that. Come on in. We have time to get to know each other now.”
He opened the door and stepped aside with a gallant bow. This teasing, happy Alpha was nothing like the stern, angry one I’d faced earlier. Which one was the real Leo?
Leo held out his arm and I tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow. It felt weird being respected like that. Most wolves didn’t touch me except to smack me around or shove me out of their way.
“I could show you my rooms? I mean, they’re your rooms, your family’s guest rooms. But still. I didn’t show you before and it wasn’t very polite.”
I smiled up at him as he spoke. Was he nervous? He sounded nervous. How weird was that?
“I’d love a tour,” I said.
“All right, then,” Leo grinned. “Well, this here is the sitting room. You’ll see I have a couch and a coffee table and a love seat. Why are they called that, anyway? Love seats.”
“I think it’s because two people can sit in one, and it’s small so they have to sit close,” I said, “Like lovers.” I paused. “Oh, they used to be called gossip chairs, too. I read that somewhere.”
“Gossip chairs.” Leo laughed and I wished I could wrap the sound around me like a blanket. “I like that.”
I tried to remember that old book on home decoration I’d read once. Just so I could say something else that might make Leo laugh.
“They started out as extra wide seats, for the big dresses women wore way back when. Well, human women,” I shrugged, like I never cared anything about humans because most wolves didn’t. “The big dresses went away but the big chairs stayed.”
Leo nodded. “That’s interesting. Are you a student of human history?”
“Not really,” I said. “I just like to read, when there’s not something more interesting to do.”
Tilat was a dangerous statement. I loved to read. Eva, though, barely picked up a book if she wasn’t forced to.
“I like to read,” Leo said. “Mostly when it’s raining or storming outside. My favorites are mystery novels.”
I looked around the sitting area. “This would be a nice place to curl up and read.”
“Yeah, it would,” Leo agreed. “I’ll get us some books later.” He turned slightly. “The bathroom’s through that door. Would you like to see it?”
“Sure,” I agreed.
I knew what the guest bathroom looked like because I cleaned them all. But I hadn’t seen it since Leo moved in. Had he changed something?
The bathroom was like I remembered. All black and bronze tile, with a massive tub shower combo behind glass panels and a nice, wide black granite counter that was a huge pain to keep clean and smudge free. The toilet was tucked into a slightly smaller room, for privacy since a couple was meant to share the room.
The counter was neat, unlike Eva’s bathroom sink which overflowed with cosmetics and skin care products. I spotted soap, shaving supplies, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Most everything was in those little travel sizes people carried on long trips. That made sense because before the wedding Leo and his pack had been moving all over the place, hunting the King of the Rogues.
“Okay, I admit it’s a little boring,” Leo said, closing the bathroom. He turned me towards the other door. “Here’s the bedroom. You, well, you already saw it.”
I certainly had. I stepped inside and looked around. Now that my mind wasn’t clouded with the aphrodisiac and Leo’s scent, I could get a better look.
1/2
Chapter 7
+25 Bonus
It was just like every other guest room in the pack’s manor. There was a bed, big enough for several wolves to sleep on. It had a deep burgundy comforter over black sheets. The colors were chosen to acknowledge Leo’s pack colors. Our pack colors were green and gold. Eva kept dressing in our colors, even though properly she should have started wearing Leo’s.
Besides the bed, which drew most of my attention, there was a well worn footlocker that must be Leo’s because I had never seen it before, and a large oak wardrobe. Otherwise the room was empty. Leo hadn’t had time to fill it with any personal possessions.
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