Page 98 of Castings & Curses

We continued up the winding staircase, and started down a wide hall.

“This house is huge.”

Eric nodded. “Family property. My grandparents lived here when I was a kid. That’s Sarina’s room,” he said, pointing to a closed door. “And this is mine.” He said as he walked through a set of double doors.

I gasped. The room was huge. I was pretty sure my first apartment with Dylan hadn’t been this big. The room was laid out with conversational and functional clusters. Yes, clusters, that's what they called those little areas on home decorating shows. Most of the clusters looked as if they were barely used. And then there was the functional bedroom cluster with a freaking huge bed, and a side table covered with daddy shit.

I stopped breathing when I saw the photo of the smiling woman next to a baby monitor.

Eric followed my gaze and picked up the framed picture. He handed it to me.

“I think you should meet Janelle.”

I took the frame and gazed at the woman smiling back. She had the warmest brown eyes and dark tan skin. Her hair was in long black braids. She looked so happy, so full of life.

“She’s beautiful. Sarina looks just like her.” I handed the frame back to Eric.

“She does. Some days, I can even hear Janelle in her voice.”

“Does Sarina have her, um, teeth and ears?” I still had no idea what that had completely meant. What morphing skill did Sarina have?

Eric went quiet. He kept his gaze on the photo of his late wife. “That’s all me, I think.” He placed the photo in the top drawer of his bureau.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” I asked.

His voice sounded deeper, stopped up with emotion. “I don’t want you to feel… I don’t know what to do with her. Haven’t had a woman up here.”

I reached in and picked the photo back up and changed my mind. “Maybe, just for now, I’d rather she not watch. This isn’t going to be pretty.” I placed the frame face down and pushed the drawer closed.

Eric’s mood swung drastically, no longer morose, he pulled me back against his chest. He growled in my ear, “Not pretty? This is going to be phenomenal.”

“Yeah, but I still don’t want your late wife watching me get my pregnant freak on.”

“Understood, but I can’t wait for this.”

He kissed the side of my neck, and I couldn’t help but squirm and giggle. I titled my head away, giving him more access.

“Okay, some grown up talk. Have you been tested?” I patted his hands and stepped out of his embrace.

“For what? Oh, damn, right. Yeah. Last test was clean, and I haven’t been with anyone since. I thought you were going to ask about the ears.”

“Yeah, well, this is more pressing. So when were you tested?” I plopped myself down on his bed and began pulling my shoes off.

“I’m a widower, not a monk.”

“I’m not gonna judge you. I just want to know if you’re clean. Look, I’m pregnant, and according to my tests four months ago I’m good. So if you’re good, we don’t need a condom. Cause, I can’t get more pregnant. But if you aren’t one hundred percent sure, I’ve got a baby here to protect, so you need a condom.”

Eric disappeared behind a door. I heard water running. He came back without a shirt on. He dried his hands on a towel. I forgot anything else I was about to say. How could I speak when Adonis himself stood before me. His shoulders had to be twice as wide as his hips. And that chest. I appreciated a nice pair of muscled pecs, the way most guys liked boobs. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that chest hair, though. He had more than I typically appreciated, and more than Dylan had, meaning more than I had ever experienced. Hell, if he was willing to bang me while I was pregnant, I could learn to handle chest hair.

“It’s been just over six months, so I’m a little horny too. Okay? I am clean, but if you are worried, I do have condoms.”

“It wasn’t that Lana, was it? That’s not why she keeps glaring at us?”

“No, definitely not Lana. Can we not talk about her? I’m about to get very personal with your body, I’d like to focus.”

I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry. “No condom, I’d rather feel all of you.”

He stopped next to the bed and looked down at me. I was glad I was already sitting because the molten gaze he gave made my knees stop working.

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