Grayslake: More than Mated: PAWS & Surrender (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Bear Allegiance Series Book 1) Read Online Free
loud argument erupted somewhere else in the house so she decided that sneaking out before she had any awkward encounters was probably her best move.
Spying her backpack and shoes near the door, she tried not to make a sound as she made her way over to them. She looped the pack over her shoulder, slipped on her sneakers, and carefully turned the knob. She winced when the unoiled hinges let out a little squeak as she opened the door, but thanks to the shouting no one seemed to notice.
She was no dummy, so she headed in the opposite direction of all the yelling, which just so happened to be the area where all the heavenly breakfast smells were emanating from. She paused in the open doorway, noting straight away that the kitchen was already occupied. A trim elderly woman with white hair pulled back in a clip and an apron tied around her waist was leaning over a sink full of dirty dishes, sunk up to her elbows in soapy water.
Just beyond the stooped elderly woman was a screened porch door, which meant that there were only ten steps standing between her and her freedom. She took small careful steps, praying that the floor wouldn’t squeak and betray her presence. She was halfway there when her stomach betrayed her by growling loudly. The woman didn’t so much as turn her head or pause in her scrubbing as she spoke.
“Why don’t you have a seat and fix yourself a plate. They’ll be done arguing soon enough.”
Michelle stood frozen like a deer caught in headlights, unable to move in either direction now that she’d been caught.
“I’m Gigi by the way. I do the cookin’ round here.”
The woman snorted amusedly when Michelle still hadn’t answered her, let alone moved towards the table. She dried her hands on a dishtowel and gave her a gentle nudge towards the table. Then Gigi heaped a plate full of bacon, eggs, and french toast and plopped it down on the table in front of her. She eyed the food warily. Granted, she was starving... but these people were strangers. If she didn’t eat her breakfast it would be the start of day three with no food.
She briefly considered the fact that it could be drugged, but the old woman seemed harmless enough. She knew she wasn’t likely to get any other free meal offers while she was busy job hunting, and she somehow doubted that a town this size had a homeless shelter.
“Thank you,” she finally murmured graciously. She seized a crispy piece of bacon and tried not to moan as the rich flavor danced across her taste buds. “How did I get here?” she asked in between bites.
“I just do the cooking,” Gigi replied. “You’ll have to save your questions for the Itan.”
“What’s an Itan?” Michelle asked, wanting to know more about the person who had taken her in.
“The Itan’s the man in charge. He’s also my dad,” replied a husky voice from behind her, a voice that flipped a switch inside her and let all her hormones come out to play at the same time. She swiveled around in her chair and said the first thing that popped into her head.
“You’re the dumb model who made me get off the bench,” she accused him, waving her hands about wildly as it all came flooding back. She found that she was angry and embarrassed all at once.
“Well after you fainted…” he began.
“I’ve never fainted in my life,” she argued standing up to face him and planting both hands firmly on her hips.
“Call it what you will… you passed out and then I carried you here.”
She stared him down as she tried to calculate whether or not he really was strong enough to have carried her ANYWHERE. “Whatever,” she muttered. “It doesn’t matter, because I’m leaving now and I doubt we’ll be seeing each other again anyhow.” When she tried to reach for her backpack he nudged it out of the way and she hissed angrily as she tried to get past him.
“You can’t leave,” he said firmly.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” she countered loudly.
“But I can,” growled a
Spying her backpack and shoes near the door, she tried not to make a sound as she made her way over to them. She looped the pack over her shoulder, slipped on her sneakers, and carefully turned the knob. She winced when the unoiled hinges let out a little squeak as she opened the door, but thanks to the shouting no one seemed to notice.
She was no dummy, so she headed in the opposite direction of all the yelling, which just so happened to be the area where all the heavenly breakfast smells were emanating from. She paused in the open doorway, noting straight away that the kitchen was already occupied. A trim elderly woman with white hair pulled back in a clip and an apron tied around her waist was leaning over a sink full of dirty dishes, sunk up to her elbows in soapy water.
Just beyond the stooped elderly woman was a screened porch door, which meant that there were only ten steps standing between her and her freedom. She took small careful steps, praying that the floor wouldn’t squeak and betray her presence. She was halfway there when her stomach betrayed her by growling loudly. The woman didn’t so much as turn her head or pause in her scrubbing as she spoke.
“Why don’t you have a seat and fix yourself a plate. They’ll be done arguing soon enough.”
Michelle stood frozen like a deer caught in headlights, unable to move in either direction now that she’d been caught.
“I’m Gigi by the way. I do the cookin’ round here.”
The woman snorted amusedly when Michelle still hadn’t answered her, let alone moved towards the table. She dried her hands on a dishtowel and gave her a gentle nudge towards the table. Then Gigi heaped a plate full of bacon, eggs, and french toast and plopped it down on the table in front of her. She eyed the food warily. Granted, she was starving... but these people were strangers. If she didn’t eat her breakfast it would be the start of day three with no food.
She briefly considered the fact that it could be drugged, but the old woman seemed harmless enough. She knew she wasn’t likely to get any other free meal offers while she was busy job hunting, and she somehow doubted that a town this size had a homeless shelter.
“Thank you,” she finally murmured graciously. She seized a crispy piece of bacon and tried not to moan as the rich flavor danced across her taste buds. “How did I get here?” she asked in between bites.
“I just do the cooking,” Gigi replied. “You’ll have to save your questions for the Itan.”
“What’s an Itan?” Michelle asked, wanting to know more about the person who had taken her in.
“The Itan’s the man in charge. He’s also my dad,” replied a husky voice from behind her, a voice that flipped a switch inside her and let all her hormones come out to play at the same time. She swiveled around in her chair and said the first thing that popped into her head.
“You’re the dumb model who made me get off the bench,” she accused him, waving her hands about wildly as it all came flooding back. She found that she was angry and embarrassed all at once.
“Well after you fainted…” he began.
“I’ve never fainted in my life,” she argued standing up to face him and planting both hands firmly on her hips.
“Call it what you will… you passed out and then I carried you here.”
She stared him down as she tried to calculate whether or not he really was strong enough to have carried her ANYWHERE. “Whatever,” she muttered. “It doesn’t matter, because I’m leaving now and I doubt we’ll be seeing each other again anyhow.” When she tried to reach for her backpack he nudged it out of the way and she hissed angrily as she tried to get past him.
“You can’t leave,” he said firmly.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” she countered loudly.
“But I can,” growled a
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