Страница 45 из 52
Maizie’s sex muscles flexed, aching to be filled. She braced her hands into the mattress on either side of her hips, unable to deny the pleasure A
Maizie looked down for a moment and watched the sweet feminine face pressed to her breast. Her little ear with its silver hoop earring, her smooth skin and pouty lips. She watched A
Maizie’s brain spun with a heated mix of sensation and reason, but it wasn’t natural. Not for her.
Her body had a mind of its own, wanting anything, everything, recognizing satisfaction in any form. But Maizie’s brain couldn’t allow it, couldn’t let go of instinctive preferences.
“No.” Maizie’s voice was barely there, her breath hot and panting. “Stop. I can’t. A
A
“Yes. I like it, but not…not this way. This…this… No, no, this isn’t…me. Shit.” A
“A
A
“You didn’t force me,” Maizie said, fighting to catch her breath, to calm the pound of her heart, the need storming through her body. “I should’ve stopped you sooner. Maybe it’s the virus. But I’m with Gray. Not even sure what that means, but I can feel it and this…this is wrong. Not just because you’re a woman, but…”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that. Shoot.” A
Maizie couldn’t help the smile tugging at her mouth. What an odd world she’d fallen into. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not now. I’m not sure how I feel about being…what I am. I don’t feel right condemning you to the same fate until I do.”
A
“Maybe.” Maizie smiled, hating the disappointment edging A
“Thanks.” A
Maizie’s cheeks warmed. She pulled the sheet to her neck and smiled. “Okay.”
A
Ravenous, Maizie devoured the triple-decker peanut butter sandwich and downed the tall glass of milk before she even considered a shower. She took her time under the hot water, memories flashing through her mind. They were skewed through the eyes of her wolf-half, cloudy and ominous as though something about them was important. She couldn’t put her finger on it, though. She’d dried her hair and finished dressing before it hit her.
“Cadwick.” The memory crystallized in her mind the moment she said his name. Those papers, what were they? Maizie’s gut told her they were nothing good. A
Maizie raced to the phone on the opposite side of the bed. The intercom buzzed and buzzed, but no one picked up. She couldn’t wait. She had to find a way to contact Gray before his meeting was over, a cell phone or pager number-something.
She ran full-out down the long halls, her footfalls echoing off the high ceilings and paneled walls. She found the enormous staircase leading to the foyer and took the steps three at a time. Tall entry doors in front of her, archway to parlors and living rooms to the right, Maizie turned to the wide double wood doors at her left.
She’d seen A
She knocked first. No answer. She knocked harder, pounded, still no answer. Maizie tried the door. It clicked open and she slipped inside.
The desk she’d seen through the open door was the smaller of the two. Stacks of papers, open file folders and sticky notes covered the top, chaotic organization. Maizie guessed the desk belonged to A
Maizie glanced at the larger sleek wood desk, neat and tidy with its dark leather desk set. She could almost see Gray sitting behind it, scowling as he scribbled notes or sent out important emails to one of his high-powered co
Her belly quivered, a smile pinching her cheeks. She tore her thoughts from silvery hair and hard muscles with decided effort. She circled around A
Maizie reached for the phone in the opposite corner from the computer monitor when something on the desk caught her eye. An open letter, paper clipped to its envelope, the golden letterhead glinting in a stream of sunlight. She recognized the name, Judge Charles Woodsmen, from Gra
She hadn’t thought anything of it at the time, figuring the guy was humping for reelection votes or something. Was it just a coincidence he knew Gray? She sca
Gray,
Enclosed are the papers and procedures we discussed for gaining guardianship of Ester Hood. I spoke with her over the phone and I don’t foresee a problem supporting an argument for mental incompetence, provided there are no family members to protest your filing. Should such a dispute arise, I will of course fully examine their argument. In the meantime, as you surmised, you will retain full control of the holdings. All sales and transfers undertaken during this time will not be easily overturned. I hope this information is of use to you.
I look forward to our game on Sunday. I’ve got a new seven-iron I’m dying to try out.
Sincerely,
Chuck
Judge Charles Woodsmen
District Judge
Pittsburgh County Courts
Maizie couldn’t breathe. She swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her ears. She’d been right all along. Gray was after Gra
“What’s this?” Anthony Cadwick took the stack of papers from Gray, glancing every few minutes back to the crowd of reporters milling around the spot of his soon-to-be riverside restaurant.
“A copy of an amendment from the township zoning board, stating that the sale of property will be kept to a two-acre maximum for residential, eight acres for commercial. Passed at last night’s meeting. Unanimously.”