The Book of Spells (Marriage to a Billionaire #3.5) Read Free Page A

The stroke of his tongue, the nibble of teeth, the urging of his fingers toward orgasm, the release exploding through every muscle to her core, seeping with heat and that glorious melty caramel feeling he always coaxed from her body. “Aha, I can see by your face you got that part covered. Nice job.”
    Alexa sighed and shook her head. “Stop being nosy or I’ll call Michael and get him to wreak a bit of revenge.”
    Maggie glared, but shut up and drank her coffee.
    Alexa hid a smile and reached for her croissant. Maybe just a few bites. Then definitely a salad for dinner.
     
    ***
     
    Nick put down the phone, swiveled around in his chair, and gazed out the window. It was a beautiful day in the Hudson Valley. The gorgeous lines of the Beacon Bridge stretched out over the horizon, highlighting the kingly mountains and a sky that rivaled any Sinatra could sing about. Sun drenched rays covered the land and reflected on the water in a glitzy blast to the vision. A stark white sailboat drifted past on a lazy summer afternoon, a picture perfect scene of tranquility.
    It was cancer.
    Falling back on his sense of logic and order, he thought through his options. Dr. Jack wanted to operate immediately. If he got the entire tumor, recovery was a possibility. If the cancer had spread when he operated, it may be too late. The vet wanted Old Yeller in the office tomorrow morning. Putting him down wasn’t an option. The dog was strong in spirit, if not as much in body, and Nick knew he was a fighter. He figured he’d let the operation dictate what to do and make the decision then.
    A jet ski roared past. The teenager hit a wave, spun out and tumbled into the water. A few moments later, he surfaced, laughing, and climbed back on for another round.
    He remembered the dog he’d found when he was young. After hiding it in the mansion, caring for him and feeding it, his father had found out and taken him to the shelter to put him to sleep. Called him a lousy mutt, and not a real dog. The pain had been too intense to handle, so he’d pushed it way down and dealt. When Old Yeller came into his life, he hadn’t wanted to get attached, but he’d lost that battle too. And if he lost him?
    An icy ball of lead dropped in his stomach and stayed. The familiar darkness loomed, the reminder nothing was permanent, not even love, and whatever you risked could come back like a frikkin boomerang and take you out. He’d been living in denial for a while now, so happy he figured he’d hit stride and the bad stuff was behind.
    Stupid. Even in Disney movies the villain took one last stand. Sometimes they even won.
    Slowly, the emotions shifted into neat compartments, and he drifted into a pleasant numbness.
    Maybe this was better, after all.
    He dragged in a breath, swung away from the window, and called Alexa to give her the news.
    ***
    “Daddy, what’s wrong with Yeller?”
    Nick turned to Lily, her open face and Caribbean blue eyes so like her mother’s his heart automatically shifted. He paused for a moment, then spoke. “He’s sick, baby. We’ll take him to the doctor in the morning and he’ll have an operation.”
    Lily’s lower lip trembled. “Will he die?”
    The words struck him like a hard punch and shattered through his body. “Maybe.”
    “Nick.” His name ripped from Alexa’s lips with an icy warning. “Lily. Come here sweetheart, let’s talk.”
    His daughter trotted over and slid onto his wife’s lap. “Sometimes, like people, dogs and cats get sick. Old Yeller is old, and the vet is going to try to make him better. But sometimes, things happen.”
    “They die and leave forever?”
    He winced at her tiny voice. God, he hated this. Hated to rip down her innocence. He couldn’t really protect anyone, could he? Alexa kept speaking in a calm, gentle tone. “They die, yes, but they never leave us forever. The people and animals we love here wait for us. For dogs, this is a beautiful place called Rainbow