Page 18 of Shark 2

“Well, let’s hurry home then,” he said, picked me up, and started running down the street. People shouted in shock as he flew by them while I laughed giddily.

Once at home, he set me down to open the door, but I grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him against the door, pressing my lips against his at the same time.

His hands dropped to my hips and he kissed me back, his lips and tongue just as aggressive as mine.

My hand fumbled behind me to open the door and we both nearly fell as we shuffled inside. He kicked the door closed and steered me into the living room, which was thankfully empty, gently lowering me to the couch and pressing himself atop me, his lips never leaving mine.

His hands pushed up the hem of my dress and when I sat up, he tore it off completely.

I pouted, but he said, “I’ll buy you a new one.”

Tugging at his shirt, he tore it as well. I smirked and said, “I’ll buy you a new one.”

We laughed softly and he rested his hand against my cheek. “You’re so beautiful, especially when you laugh.”

“Serrated teeth and all?” I asked.

He nodded. “Serrated teeth and all.” His lips crashed into mine and with his hot, smooth skin against mine, I lost all train of thought after that.

8

Morning sunlight broke through the curtains, waking me where I lay, naked and sprawled across Reed.

“Well, you two clearly had a good night,” Grant commented as he walked into the room drinking a cup of steaming coffee.

“What time is it?” I asked around a yawn.

“Time for you to get ready for work,” Grant answered, “or I would have let you two continue sleeping.”

I nodded, kissed the still sleeping Reed on the cheek, stood, and kissed Grant as I walked by.

He slapped my bare butt and winked at me when I looked back. “Couldn’t resist.”

Rolling my eyes, I skipped up the stairs to take a quick shower and dress.

Today was the last day of work before we left for the tournament, so I was going to put on my best performance yet. The aquarium was going to put a sign up that I was sick and would return soon, which I hoped wouldn’t worry the kids too much.

When I made it to the kitchen, Grant had a breakfast sandwich wrapped in a paper towel waiting for me, as well as an energy drink I’d recently found that I loved the taste of.

Reed shuffled into the kitchen, still half asleep, but his eyes brightened when he saw me. He walked over and pulled me into a hug, claiming my mouth with a deep, hungry kiss that had me wishing we could stay home instead. “Good morning, beautiful.”

The bond between us thrummed and, had I been feline, I would have purred. “Good morning, handsome.”

Grant held out a metal travel mug towards Reed. “Your coffee.”

Reed took it, grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the table, and headed towards the door.

“Did you turn him into a zombie?” Grant teased.

I grabbed my breakfast, took a bite, and said, “No comment.”

Grant chuckled and slipped his arm around my waist as we headed to the car. “Well, you’re welcome to do the same to me tonight.”

Swallowing my bite, I answered, “Can’t. Tonight is trivia night.”

In the Fall, when there were less tourists, Gina offered a weekly trivia night at her pizza place. Theo and I went as often as we could, enjoying being one of the top teams.

“Oh, right,” he said with a soft exhale. “Guess we’ll order in and watch something.”

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