Page 76 of Forever Touched

“Seriously, Pepper? Knock it off already, would you? Here. Everett’s going to pet you now.”

Oh, goodie. It’s my turn to get a piece of him.You’ve been hogginghim all to yourself, you greedy girl.

Ignoring her, I held my hands out toward Everett. As he reached up to pet my tiny familiar, some of my nerves vanished.

“What?” Everett asked, seeing the little smirk on my face.

“You just don’t seem like the mouse-petting type, is all.”

“Then what type am I?”

“The squish-mice-for-fun type.” When he frowned and Pepper squeaked in protest, my smirk grew. “Just saying.”

“Well, maybe I have a soft side for small creatures,” he replied, keeping his gaze on me as he gently stroked Pepper’s back with his index finger.

I swallowed hard, pretty certain he wasn’t referring to Pepper.

He abruptly jerked his hand back with a hiss.

I looked down and saw that his finger was now bleeding. “Pepper, how could you?” I scolded, mortified that she’d bitten him.

Just wanted to see how he’d react. Don’t worry. He passed the test.

“Oh, Pepper,” I sighed, shaking my head.

“What did she say?” Everett asked before popping the finger into his mouth to lick the wound clean.

“Apparently, she wanted to test you. Good thing he didn’tsquishyou for that, Pep.”

She twitched her whiskers, not the least bit apologetic.

“So, did I pass?”

“Yep. You’re all clear. Whateverthatmeans.”

I suddenly felt something through our bond, making my eyes widen. He waspleased.

“You’re both crazy,” I muttered.

He huffed a laugh. “Come on. Let’s go outside.”

My nerves returned tenfold. “I really shouldn’t. What if the Faircrofts come back early?”

“I’ll hear if they come back. I can have you inside the house in seconds, and my car is parked a mile down the road. They won’t even know I was here.”

Still not convinced, I blurted, “But I’m not wearing pants.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I’ve seen you outside in far less.”

Oh my. Now I was remembering our time in the rain with me naked on the car and his head between my thighs. My resistance started to melt, along with my panties.

Squeezing my legs together, I made one last weak attempt at an excuse. “I still can’t step foot outside this house.”

Faster than I could blink, Everett scooped me into his arms. “Then I’ll just have to carry you.”

Spirits save me, he’d totally won. As he stepped out the door and into the dusky evening, I cradled Pepper close and allowed my resistance to fade.

Fresh air!Pepper sang, her little nose happily twitching.It’s been so long since I went outside. I’m officially a fan of your vampire prince.

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