CHAPTERNINE
Emmy jumped out of bed when her alarm started going off. She had a whopping forty-five minutes until Kingston was there to pick her up. They agreed to meet in the lobby at five sharp. That way, they could get to the spot for the sunrise.
Since she had showered before bed last night, she grabbed her brush and went to work on taming her wild locks. Thoughts ran through her mind of their walk along the beach, swim in the ocean, and the awkward-ish goodnight they had uttered to each other in the lobby before she dashed to her room to get out of her wet bra and underwear. She truly had enjoyed her time with Kingston last night and was looking forward to whatever surprises he had in store for her today.
Her phone rang as she was putting on a light dusting of powder on her face. She didn’t want a fully made-up face because she had no freaking desire to sweat it all off if he planned on hiking anywhere.
“Hey! I’m surprised you’re up so early.”
“Silly girl,” Gerri said, “it’s not early here, but super early by you. I was going to leave a message for you to call me later, but I see that you’re already up.”
“Yeah. I’m going out sightseeing today with a local who I met yesterday,” she explained.
“That sounds like it should be a lot of fun. Where are you going?” Gerri asked.
“I don’t know. He said he wants to keep it a surprise.”
“He?”
Emmy could tell by Gerri’s tone that more questions were on the tip of her tongue.
“Yes, he. And before you start, it’s not what you are thinking. But I do have a couple of questions for you.”
“Yes, it’s okay for you to have as much fun as you want with him.” Gerri laughed. “How’s that for an answer? Tell me he’s smoking hot.”
“Oh, geez. That’s not what I was going to ask about but thank you for giving me your permission.” She laughed.
“Fine,” Gerri sighed. “What’s the question then?”
“Well, when he was talking about his brother and his fiancé, he referred to her as his brother’smate. You are the only person I have ever heard refer to someone’s significant other as a mate. I assume that’s because it’s a shifter term.”
“So, you’re worried that he might be some sort of shifter?” Gerri asked.
“I am, but it’s more than that. We went for a swim last night, and I saw his eyes glow for a second. I know I wasn’t imagining it. I saw it.”
“Would it be a big deal if he is a shifter?” Gerri asked.
“I don’t know. It’s not like I’m in a relationship with him or anything. I guess it’s something that I’d really have to think about,” she said. It wasn’t that she was opposed to dating someone who was different. It wasn’t anything like that at all that bothered her. It was whether or not she felt safe around a person, shifter or not.
“I get it, girl. I do. You’re just a human and don’t know much about the paranormal world, but I want you to know that shifters are not uncommon. They are spread around the world in decent numbers. Most have higher moral standards than most humans. I do want to ask how he has acted around you. Has he been aggressive at all?”
“No, I wouldn’t say that he’s been aggressive. I’d say he’s been persistent when it comes to trying to get me to do things with him or spend time with him. He actually saved my life last night when we were swimming in the ocean. I got caught up in a big wave, and I swear I would have been swept out to sea if he hadn’t grabbed me when he did.” She was going to have to remember to do something nice as ahey … thanks for saving my life.
“Wow. He definitely doesn’t sound like a bad guy.”
“Oh, I never got the feeling he was. Not at all. I guess I’ve just been trying to figure out what the hell he wants from me. I’m not going to lie. He’s hot as hell. It doesn’t make sense for someone who looks like him to be interested in someone who looks like me.” Luke had always taken the opportunity to remind her how lucky she was to have him in her life, considering how thick her thighs were and how big her ass was. He definitely hadn’t helped her self-esteem at all.
“Please. You are absolutely gorgeous with all those amazing curves of yours. Don’t let Luke’s words stay in your brain. You deserve someone who loves you for who you are. Someone who would never try to change you into something they deem beautiful or acceptable,” Gerri said.
“I know. I know. It’s just hard to get past all of it. When you’re told something over and over for years, it’s hard not to believe it. The words get into your mind and sit there like a poison, infecting everything thing you do.” She was so tired of feeling horrible about herself because some asshole made her feel like that. She knew she needed to move past it but had no idea how to do that.
“It’s time to put the past behind you, girl. You need to move on with a more positive view of yourself. You are amazing, beautiful, and successful. Own it. And if this hottie wants to spend time with you … well, enjoy it. That’s my advice.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Now, I need to get my ass in gear. I have to meet him in the lobby in a few minutes.”
“Love you, girl. Be safe.”
“Love you. Bye.”