Page 17 of Whispering Waves

Nina blinked. “I really meant on my end of things. If you sprout tentacles on day one, I am out of here.”

He laughed. “But day three is acceptable? Noted.”

She winced. “You also have to put up with my trying to desensitize myself going backward into freshwater.”

“I will help where I can.”

She snorted. “How long do you think it will take to dry my stuff?”

“An hour at least. Probably two.”

He finished his food and got up to collect their plates. When the plates were in the dishwasher, a timer beeped, and he got the rolls out of the oven.

She watched as he piled them onto a platter with a set of tongs, then he got a crock of butter from next to the fridge and plates and cutlery.

He set the rolls in front of her and grinned. “Have anything or nothing. I make them when I get bored during storms and put them in the freezer.”

She knocked a roll off the tower and onto a plate, then she slathered it with butter and watched everything melt.

He got two himself and simply tore them apart with his fingertips. She followed suit and took a tiny bite. There was spice, there was sweet, and there was pineapple and yeast. The butter brought it all together.

She sighed happily and smiled. “It’s really good.”

Kimo looked ridiculously pleased. “Thank you.”

They ate quietly, and she snagged a second. As she stuffed her face, she asked, “Wait, are you trying to fatten me up for some reason?”

He chuckled. “No. That will wait until you are nearing a heat.”

“Oh. Good to know.” She cleared her throat. “It is disturbing that you will know before I do.”

“Being able to determine pheromones is one of the greatest benefits to being an alpha.”

She froze. “Ohmygod.”

“What?”

“Drake used to bring me chocolate and soda randomly. Well, I thought it was random.”

Kimo laughed. “How old was he?”

“It started when he was fourteen. He got his allowance and brought me chocolate and my favourite fruit gummies.”

Kimo chuckled. “I will have to question him. It is handy to have such an information source so close.”

She grimaced. “I have said too much. But huh? My parents were giving him such a hard time for morphing into an alpha, it was surprising he had time to think of anyone else.”

“Your parents didn’t like having an alpha and enhanced beta in the family?”

She snorted. “They hated having an alpha, and after my very public attack, they didn’t mention me to friends or family. I was an embarrassment.”

“So, this is why you are interested in your local roots.”

“I am interested in my local roots because it is the other half of my family. Part of the puzzle of my family lines is blank. What you have told me today has started to make a new shape in my history.” She chuckled. “I might have relatives that don’t turn away when I talk to them. Do you know how precious that can be? I used to dream of that after I got out of hospital.”

He frowned. “What do you mean they turn away?”

“My mom’s family is very uptight. Very prim, very proper, all betas. For me to have been attacked by an alpha means that I must have been having sex with him and rejected him, right? He had to be a disgruntled ex and could not be a stalker.” She stopped eating and sighed. “In my family, anything unusual had to be bad.”

---