Her Mane Men (Paranormal Dating Agency Kindle World)(23)

As they kicked off their shoes, I focused on not drooling. The two of them standing there in just jeans was the stuff those sexy calendars were made of.

When their hands reached their flies at the same time, I knew I was being toyed with. They had choreographed their routine to some extent. The zippers made their slow decent before the jeans pooled at their feet. They were both commando. Commando, and not unhappy to see me. Before I could form words, they walked into the field, hand in hand, kicking their jeans off within the first two steps. My gaze was glued to their asses. It was official. They were trying to kill me with sexiness. There were far worse ways to go.

Their hands dropped to their sides as they took their form. None of the cracking and pain I’d read about in books and seen in crappy movies. It was a fluid, graceful motion that if I had blinked, I’d have missed.

Parker stood a bit taller than Curtis, both of them larger than any lion I’d seen in a zoo or at a circus. I put my cup down, getting to my feet before I chickened out and closed the distance between us. Up close, they were even more beautiful.

“Stunning,” was all I managed to verbalize before reaching my hand out, tentative at first, not out of fear I would be harmed but that they might not want me to treat them like a pet in that way. Each of them lowered their heads in a nod, and I petted them one after another, their fur not as soft as I’d imagined it would be.

I pointed to the blanket and wandered back, both of them padding behind me.

“Can we just lie here, like this? Together?” I asked. They both settled down, their bodies reaching beyond the scope of the blanket, and I climbed into the space they left for me and snuggled in, feeling safe and warm and suddenly sleepy. I let my eyes close and sleep take over when I heard the soft sound of their breaths slowing as well.





Chapter Thirteen


“Madeline, I need to see you in my office.” George’s voice grated on me worse than normal.

The day before had been so very perfect. After a nap in the sun, we shared a nice lunch at a small diner near the field before going back to their hotel and chatting the day away. Chatting and making out was more accurate, but the conversation was the best part of it and, with kissing that unbelievably hot, that was saying something. We talked about good things like favorite foods, but also about their plans to possibly relocate temporarily. It no longer felt too soon to have that on the table, the morning spent with their lions bringing us closer together, something I hadn’t anticipated when I first had the idea. Everything was so great and then reality hit back. It was time for work.

And George and whatever bug he had up his ass.

“Yes, sir.” Plan of the day, comply with all requests, apologize even if not my fault, and get back to my desk and away from him. At least that was the plan until he accidentally brushed up against my ass just as we reached his office. How was it again that this scum earned an office?

“Come in.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the door clicked closed, I knew things were not going to be as easy as I’m sorry. I will do better.

“Do you know why I called you in here?”

Ha, as if I would pre-confess even if I had an inkling, which I did not.

“From the sounds of things because you are upset with me.” I opened my eyes extra wide with each blink, the look of innocence I attempted designed more to annoy him than anything else. Why hadn’t I taken a second not-so-sick day?

“This is your formal write-up from the other day.” He slid the paper across the desk. Fuck, I’d almost forgotten about that. “Sign here.” He tapped on the highlighted line as if I couldn’t find it on my own. Asshat.

The document was pure fiction. Anyone reading it as truth would assume I was a volatile, lazy shithead employee who not only used their phone the entire shift but then belittled him in front of the entire staff as an ongoing bully brigade I was the mastermind of. Eff that.

“This isn’t accurate sir.” He pushed it back to me. I found it oh so convenient he’d managed to fill the entire page, not leaving any room for my rebuttal, which was required by state law.

“You can sign it or head straight to Human Resources.”

“Here.” I signed it with a notation saying further response forthcoming because, while I might not want to deal with Human Resources while I was so ticked off, it needed to be done at some point. George had no idea who he was dealing with, either. By the time I was done with it, not only did I envision a clean record on my side but also some disciplinary action on his. He’d finally done something that could be pinned on him by picking a moment with both witnesses and technology recording how untrue his phone complaint was. He was going down. I’d given in far too many times.

“Now, here is a second write-up for yesterday.”

I will not stomp off or slap him. I will sit here and wait until the time is right to take him down.

“I wasn’t here yesterday.”

“And that is the reason for the write-up.” He pushed it closer as if that would have me handing over my John Hancock without a fuss.

“I’m allowed to take a sick day.” In fact, if I didn’t, I would lose it, thanks to my sick bank being full, but I kept that part to myself.

“Yes, when you are sick and we both know you weren’t sick, you were with that that…”