Page 55 of Pulled By the Tail
“Can you explain to me why we have no bookings for the next month when I know we did?” Talen’s voice pierced her musings. He stood opposite the table, every inch of him dripping with pheromones or whatever witchcraft that made her lose her damn mind and start her mouth watering. Opened at the collar, he had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to the elbows.
Witchcraft.
She looked down quickly, wanting to avoid torturing herself with his sexy arms.
Too late.
“I canceled them.” She focused on assembling the cleaning bot. “Before you get all huffy about the lost income, we’re starting renovations in the ballroom tomorrow. It’s better to take the loss than deal with noise and dust complaints.”
“You really think so?” His tone sounded like a challenge.
She looked up, meeting his glare. “Yes, otherwise we’d lose money on refunds and get a slew of negative reviews.”
“That is acceptable,” he said at length. “What is that?”
“Cleaning bot. I want to see how this little guy works in the drawing room.” When they were ready to host events in the summer, they’d need to either hire to increase the cleaning staff or kit out the rooms with bots. Either way would be an expense. Retrofitting cleaning bots to an older house without a centralized computer was difficult, so she’d start small. One room at a time.
“They are expensive,” he said.
“Cheaper than hiring new staff,” she replied.
“You didn’t ask my approval.”
“Do I have to run everything by you? You hired me as the manager, not your assistant.”
His tail swayed behind him and he leaned forward, planting his hands on the table. “Georgia, I—”
“I’m really busy. Can it wait?” She looked back down at the bot, its internal workings exposed, and compared it to the setup guide.
He stood by the table for several minutes before eventually leaving. She swallowed the feeling of disappointment.
She wasn’t staying, she reminded herself. She was leaving him before he had the chance to leave her. It was better that way.
The bed shifted.A familiar presence crawled under the blankets and snuggled next to her.
“Talen, I’m not in the mood,” she said, voice thick and groggy.
“I can’t sleep.” He pulled her into him, her back against his bare chest.
“So, you thought you’d wake me up?”
“I sleep better with you.” His hand rested where her hip blended to her thigh, fitting like it belonged. A brush against her ankle had to be the tail.
“You’ve slept without me your entire life.” Too heavy to open, her eyelids fluttered.
“Yes, and now that I know a perfect night’s rest, I can’t go back to that. It’s uncivilized.”
Sleep must have impaired her judgment because she giggled at the scandalized indignation in his voice. “All right, but keep your paws to yourself, mister. Now let me sleep.”
He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck.
Yup, her judgment was totally impaired because she smiled.
Talen
He heldhis mate in his arms, but she might as well have been a thousand lightyears away.
Chapter 12
