Page 17 of Beauty and Her Beasts (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 1)

“Moon, stop. You’re embarrassing me,” Declan said.

Moon stopped the second Declan’s words left his mouth and he turned his attention to his owner. He let out a short grumble.

That was interesting. The dog reacted almost as if he had taken offense to what Declan had stated. He growled as he reluctantly hopped off of my lap then went to stand obediently next to Declan.

“Sorry about that,” Declan said. “Moon doesn’t normally behave in such a way.”

“It’s okay,” I said with a smile. “I like him too.”

Declan cleared his throat. The man was even more beautiful in the daylight. His long, dirty blond hair hung loose around his broad shoulders. A thin beard covered the lower half of his face. His blue eyes were even brighter. I was dazzled by him.

“Enjoying the morning?” he asked. “Quite an unusually warm one for fall.”

I nodded. “For as long as the warmth lasts, I’m going to enjoy every second I can.”

“You should,” he said. “Winters here are harsh and very long.”

“Good to know. Care to join me?” I patted the spot next to me.

He shook his head. “Thank you, but I can’t. Unfortunately. I really should be going. Another time though?”

I cocked my head to the side. Something told me he didn’t really want to leave. The way he stood, maybe. He held all of his weight on the leg closest to me, his hands were in the pockets of his dirt-covered pants.

I smirked. “I insist. Ten minutes of your time is all I’m asking for.”

Declan’s ice-blue gaze twinkled in the light of the sun in the most enchanting way. I smiled wider, hoping the action would push him into sitting down with me. Declan’s lips stretched over his teeth, and I was blown away by the beauty in his smile.

I bit my lip as he took a seat next to me. I sucked in a deep breath and I almost moaned. Holy cow, he smells divine.

Moon whined as he laid on the ground.

“Oh hush, you,” Declan said. He faced me, setting his amazing, beautiful eyes on me again. “Allow me to apologize once more for my wolf’s behaviors. That was completely uncalled for.”

Moon growled.

I gaped at the wolf and then at Declan. “Can he understand you?”

“Of course,” he said with a nonchalant shrug. “He understands me better than most people.”

I nodded. “That’s amazing.”

“Thank you,” he said. “How do you like the garden now that you can see it in the daytime?”

I set my attention on the area around us. “It’s a lot more beautiful than you initially led me to believe.”

“Any changes?” he asked, keeping a business-like tone.

I raked my gaze around us once more, taking in minor things that could wait until spring. My eyes settled on the dilapidated fountain. The thing needed some serious love. It was a simple design that sat in the center of the garden. The simplicity of the structure was marked by the beauty of all the blooms surrounding it. What water that rested in the basin was cloudy and had started to mold. The neglected structure could use tending to.

“Does the fountain run?” I asked.

“It hasn’t for a while now, I can work on that first thing this week.”

I shook my head. “Have it winterized properly. If it can’t function in the spring, we’ll have to replace it. This garden is a wonderful selling point for guests. I’m sure we could use this as a means to garner more business.”

“You have some high hopes for this place,” he said.

I smiled. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

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