Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“Your place?” My mom’s brows fly up. “Both of yours?” Props to her for not gaping about the limo part.
“Well, it’s Billy’s place. It’s in Brick and Madi’s building.”
“It’s our place,” Billy says firmly. “Aubrey’s painting murals on my walls.”
My mom’s jaw drops. “Honey! How long has this been going on? Why didn’t you tell us?”
I glance at Billy. He’s stiff, coming off as aloof, as usual, but I can tell he’s trying. “It’s recent. Billy hired me to paint the murals and things developed from there.” I reach for his hand, and he immediately catches mine.
Madi, who is tucked against Brick’s side, smiles. “It’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to see. Let’s go!”
We walk toward the limos, but Billy pulls me toward his Porsche. He opens the passenger door for me. There’s a little jewelry box on my seat tied up with a bow.
“I got you a present,” he says. “But if it’s not perfect, we’ll keep looking.”
It’s perfect. I know it’s going to be perfect. Billy pays attention.
I sit in the car seat and wait until Billy’s settled in the driver’s seat to pull the end of the ribbon. The ends fall open, and I pry open the lid.
It’s three rows of pink diamonds. Simple. Stunning. Totally me.
“I love it.” I check his face. “Lab grown?”
“No blood diamonds for my wife.”
His wife. Hearing him say those words sends frissons of excitement through me.
“Is this an engagement ring?” I ask, trying it on my ring finger.
He nods. “Marry me?”
He already knows the answer. He already demanded forever.
“Yes.”
Billy
I unlock the door and pick up Aubrey to carry her across the threshold.
She laughs. “I think you’re supposed to wait until we’re married.”
“Am I? I can’t get all your human wedding traditions straight.” I set her down as the elevator dings announcing the arrival of our guests.
While we were away, the caterers decorated the apartment with silver and black balloons and set up a few high-tops around the room covered in white linen and silver confetti.
“Oh my God! What is this?” Aubrey squeals when Pepper greets us at the door with a graduation cap and tiny cape that represents a gown. “You’re so freaking cute!”
She scoops up the puppy and Pepper frantically tries to lick Aubrey’s face.
“Who is this cutey?” her mom coos. She sends a curious glance my way, like she’s trying to reconcile why or how a man like me would pick a Shi-poo for a pet.
“He’s Aubrey’s,” I say.
“He’s ours,” she insists, the way I insisted the penthouse was ours.
“You two have a dog?” Caroline sounds incredulous. She rubs both of Pepper’s ears at once, telling the dog how cute he is.
“Yep. Co-parents.” Aubrey thinks it’s hilarious to say that. I hope she finds it equally entertaining when I put my real pup in her belly.
“Aubrey, this is incredible.” Jan surveys the first mural. It’s still black and white, but Aubrey wove silver accents through the entire thing which somehow brought it to life.
Just like she brought me to life.
“You like it?” Aubrey takes it in with a critical eye. She hasn’t decided if she’s finished with it yet.
“I love it,” Aubrey’s mom exclaims.
“It’s a huge departure from your normal style,” Jan says. “Your exploration of black and white for flowers is truly inspired.”
Aubrey’s eyes crinkle, and she sends me a broad smile.
I wink.
I’ve never winked in my life. I’m not playful. I don’t flirt. I can’t even imagine what made me wink. But then Aubrey puts her hand on her chest and closes her eyes like she’s swooning over the wink, and I feel a million feet tall.
She’s the reason for my personality transplant. She breathed life into me. Her chaos disrupted the rules and strict patterns of my life, and I’ll never be the same.
I never want to be the same.
“Ooh, I love this one!” Caroline exclaims, catching sight of the second mural that Aubrey spent all day and most of the night yesterday painting.
It is technicolor–painted in bright oranges, blues, yellows, and red. A giant blue wolf faces off to the viewer, hackles raised, teeth bared. Me. To his right, just behind his shoulder sits a tiny red dog, safe under the protection of the wolf. Pepper.
Aubrey left herself out of the mural, which bothers me, but she promised to paint me a self-portrait on canvas next. She claims she loves her new studio that overlooks Central Park, and of course, she can use any of the artist spaces at the Silver Arts Center after we complete the build-out if she prefers.
I nod at the caterers to crack the Dom Perignon as Aubrey tells her family about the Silver Arts Center. They’re all a little stunned at how much has happened that they didn’t know about, but no one seems offended.
The caterers carry out the trays of filled champagne glasses, and I lift mine. “I’d like to propose a toast,” I say.