Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
They were saved by the ding! of the elevator arriving just in time.
“Well, I guess this is me.” Terra laughed nervously and drew her hand out of his.
“I will see you tomorrow,” he rumbled. “I am already looking forward to working with you again.”
“Thanks. Uh, you too,” she said, smiling. And it was true.
As Terra stepped inside, she was already anticipating going back again the next day, even though she still wasn’t quite sure how she felt about the big Monstrum.
She just hoped she could keep things professional.
15
TAUREX
Slowly…you have to take things slowly, Taurex warned himself as he watched the elevator whisk Terra down to the parking area. You’re going to scare her away if you keep talking about how she’s exactly what you need.
He had seen how the curvy little human’s eyes had widened when he said that, but he hadn’t been able to hold the words back—they just rose to his lips and he’d said them before he could stop himself.
Because it was true—Terra was exactly what he needed. But what he needed wasn’t just an office manager—what he needed was a mate.
Taurex had been lonely so long it had become his status quo—a regular feature in his life he barely even thought about anymore. Now that he had found the woman he was certain was his fated mate, he was eager to make up for lost time…but he knew he couldn’t rush things. He had to take it slowly with Terra—she’d been hurt in the past. He’d seen that when he touched her hand.
She’d been thinking that no one else had ever said such things to her—that her ex-mate, Jackson, had been cruel and dismissive of her feelings and her desire to be loved and appreciated.
Well, Taurex told himself, he was going to show her more appreciation than she’d ever had in her life. And she deserved it! She’d already overhauled his business—he just wanted to let her do the same thing to the rest of his life.
Slowly, though, he told himself as he rode up the golden elevator back to the penthouse. Little by little I’ll bring her closer to me until she realizes that we’re meant to be together. Little by little she’ll fall in love.
He had no idea that his carefully laid plans would soon come crashing down around him and that he wouldn’t be able to take things slow for long.
16
TERRA
For the next two weeks, Terra felt like she was living some blissful dream. A dream where she no longer had to worry about money or having enough to pay the bills. She bought herself some nice new clothes that weren’t from Walmart for once and she got her kids some nice shoes to wear to school.
Taurex was true to his word—he gave her ten percent of every delinquent invoice she brought in and soon she had enough savings in the bank to make her feel truly secure for the first time in her life. She went and got her hair professionally styled and bought some makeup that wasn’t from the drugstore and began to feel like a real professional. She even started looking at cars—though she still wasn’t willing to buy a new one, she could now afford a really nice used one—maybe even a small SUV.
Every day at work, the big Monstrum was unfailingly polite and professional but somehow Terra found herself opening up to him more and more. He asked her about her life and her home, and she found she was willing to talk to him, even about her children.
Taurex, for his part, told her about the Monstrum Mother Ship and the various planets he’d visited, which fascinated Terra. She wanted to know all about his travels and the clients he saw on alien worlds.
“I’ve been stuck in Florida all my life,” she told him, as they ate lunch in his huge kitchen one day. “I’ve always wanted to see the world, but I could never afford to travel. I was always so jealous of women who could just jet off to Rome or Paris whenever they felt like it.”
“I’ll take you on a tour of the Monstrum Mother Ship, if you’d like some day,” he offered. “It’s orbiting Mars, the fourth planet in your solar system. That’s considerably further than either Rome or Paris.”
Terra smiled.
“I would love that, actually. Exploring an alien space ship would be such an adventure.”
“You’d have to be careful and stay with me,” he warned. “The Mother Ship holds dangers as well as delights. The Dark Side of the ship, especially, is a place to avoid.”
“I’ll stay away from it…if we ever go.” Terra sighed wistfully at the thought. It seemed like an exotic dream…one that could never truly come true.
That was what she thought, anyway, until one Saturday morning when Taurex called her out of the blue.