Page 603 of Love Bites

CHAPTER11

“Honey, I’m so happy for you.” Granny trapped me in a hug that made me gasp for air.

“Thanks,” I choked out as I extricated myself.

“I know you’re my alpha,” she warned Hank with a twinkle in her eye, “but I will tear you a new butt if you hurt my girl.”

“Duly noted.” Hank laughed.

“Will there be a wedding?” Dwayne asked as he bounced with excitement.

Hank blanched and quickly stepped away from me.

“Apparently, but he hasn’t asked me properly yet. However, in the event he gets his act together and does it right, I would like Granny to give me away and I want Dwayne to be my maid, or um, man of honor.”

“Yesssssssssss,” Dwayne squealed and hugged me harder than Granny did. “Can I wear a dress?”

“Well…um, sure.” I was certain I would live to regret that answer.

“Oh my goodness gracious,” he muttered distractedly. “We have so much to do—dresses, invites, showers…Wait. What is that funky smell?”

“Self tanner,” I told him. “What do you smell?”

He circled me and sniffed the air. “Well, if that’s not the damndest thing. It’s muted your Were smell—almost eliminates it.”

“But you can still smell me?” He was amazing.

“Yep, but you’re stinky.”

“I can’t smell her Were at all,” Granny said. “What the hell is in that? Did Junior take a look at it?”

“You know about Junior’s brains?” I asked, shocked.

“Baby girl, Granny knows all,” she said. “Did he examine it?”

I nodded. “He can’t tell what’s in it.”

She was surprised, but I was more so. What else about this town didn’t I know? Shifter strip clubs, drag clubs, Junior was smarter than Einstein…

“I put a tracker in Essie. She’ll go to the agency as planned, but I want you two at the station on standby in case this gets as ugly as I think it will,” Hank explained. “Dwayne, can you shoot a gun?”

Dwayne rolled his eyes. “Hanky-poo, Dwayne doesn’t need a gun. I have crap in my repertoire that will make you lose sleep for the rest of your life.”

We all digested that nugget silently for a moment and then moved on. If Dwayne wanted us to know exactly what he was capable of, he would have volunteered it. Part of me hoped I would never have to find out, but the other half was dying to know.

“Speaking of secrets, what did you tell Hank about me?”

“You meanJeff. What did I tellJeffabout you? If I had known it was Hank I wouldn’t have told him anything. You’re my BFF and I would shred someone’s skin from their body and shove their bones down their dead ass throat for you.”

“That’s really sweet,” I muttered, trying not to picture that. “What was it that you toldJeff?”

Dwayne huffed a huge and dramatic sigh. Hank had the decency to look a bit ashamed and I waited…

“As you know, Essie, we had lots and lots of super fun slumber parties,” Dwayne began and I nodded. “Well, you tend to talk and cry in your sleep.”

“No, I don’t.”

“How would you know? You’re asleep,” Granny added her two cents. “And he’s right. You kept me awake for two years straight during high school.”

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