Page 118 of Eight Count Heat
"Katherine Kincaid. Daughter of my father's business partner. Pre-law, Alpha, about as interesting as watching grass grow. My parents think she'd make an excellent daughter-in-law."
"And you disagree."
"Strongly."
Reese sets down the cables, giving me her full attention. "So you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend to get your parents off your back about this Katherine person."
"That's a crude way of putting it, but essentially accurate."
"What's in it for me? Besides the privilege of meeting your apparently charming family."
I study her face, noting the careful control that doesn't quite hide the exhaustion underneath. The slight tremor in her hands that suggests her heat is building again despite Bo's assistance.
"Distraction," I repeat. "Something to focus on besides your biology. Plus, excellent food and the chance to see me squirm under parental interrogation."
She considers this, head tilted in that way that means she's calculating angles I can't see.
"What kind of formal are we talking about? Because I'll need to know what's expected."
"Cocktail attire. My mother will be in designer everything, Katherine will probably show up dripping in the best that daddy's money can buy." I study her face. "Think you can handle that level of pretension?"
"Please." Her tone turns dry. "I grew up in that world, remember? I know exactly what your mother expects to see walk through her door."
"Good." I step closer, drawn by the slight hitch in her breathing. "Then you understand what we're walking into."
"This is a terrible idea," she says.
"Probably."
"Your parents will hate me."
"Definitely."
"At least I know their world well enough after dealing with my own parents for twenty years," she says with a sigh. "The question is whether I can stomach pretending to fit into it again."
"You won't have to pretend." I move closer, close enough to see the gold flecks in her eyes. "Though honestly, watching you navigate their expectations might be worth the price of admission."
"You want me to be myself?"
"I want you to be exactly who you are." I reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Smart, sharp, unimpressed by money or status. Everything Katherine Kincaid isn't."
She catches my hand, fingers curling around my wrist. "And what happens when my heat spikes again tonight?"
I pause, meeting her eyes directly. "Then we leave immediately. No questions, no explanations to my parents. I'll take care of you however you need."
Her pulse jumps under my thumb. The careful control she's maintained all day wavers slightly, heat bleeding through despite her best efforts.
"When do we leave?" she asks finally.
"Five-thirty. Dinner's at seven, and it's an hour drive to the house."
"Your parents live an hour away?"
"Lakefront estate in the mountains. Very private, very exclusive, very designed to intimidate visitors."
"Sounds familiar." But she's smiling as she says it, that sharp smile that means she's ready for battle. "My family has one of those too."
"I figured," I say. "Which is why you'll be perfect for this."
