Page 103 of Shiny Things

But after another impatient knock, he reluctantly pulled away.

“I’ll get rid of them quickly.”

I blew out a breath of frustration as he went to answer the door.

“Hello, Elias,” came the sultry voice of Novaleigh. “I brought you dinner. I hope you like chili.”

“Uh, thanks,” he said cluelessly. “Hey babe, how do you feel about chili for dinner?”

I bit back a giggle as I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist, staking my claim on him.

“You? Wow. Talk about downgrading, Elias.”

“Excuse me? Are you seriously putting down my mate in front of me in our home?”

“Your . . . mate?”

“I didn’t stutter.”

Her eyes slowly ran up his body stopping on his mating mark and her jaw dropped.

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

She glared at me, but I just shrugged.

“You wouldn’t have believed me if I’d told you.”

It was the truth, and we both knew it.

She grabbed the bowl of chili from his hand and stomped off.

“I guess we aren’t having chili tonight after all,” I said.

“What was all that about?”

“You do not want to know.”

*****

“Kim come on, we’re going to be late,” Elias yelled.

I checked myself in the mirror one last time, barely recognizing myself.

You can do this, Kim.

My nerves were at an all-time high. It would be the first time we would step out into public together, and I was certain gossip had spread like wildfire overnight.

With a deep breath, I stepped out of the bedroom and walked towards my mate.

“Shit. We aren’t going to make it out of this apartment with you looking like that. Babe you are stunning. You’re always gorgeous, but wow.”

I blushed but was thrilled by his compliments.

“You clean up pretty well yourself,” I teased. I’d seen him in tailor-cut suits a ton of times at these events, but always from a distance. Up close he was even more potent, and if I wasn’t careful, we really wouldn’t make it out of this apartment. I cleared my throat. “I dressed up, so we are leaving this apartment, and soon, before I chicken out.”Or change my mind and decide to keep you all to myself,I thought.

“You have nothing to worry about tonight. I will be by your side the entire evening. Where you go, I go. Got it?”

“Yes, but I’m still nervous. Has anyone even told your Aunt Ginny? Because I’m pretty sure she will lose her shit. I was forbidden to return to one of her parties even as a worker.”

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