Shake The Frost (Crystal Lake #6) - Juliana Stone Page 0,45

it.

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and she hadn’t seen Ethan since Friday morning, when he’d rolled off her sofa, checked his phone, and announced his truck was ready to be picked up.

“You’re working today?” she’d asked, still feeling the glow from their Thanksgiving at his parents. Still feeling like she belonged.

“That’s the plan,” he’d replied, distracted by whatever or whoever it was that had texted him. “Why?”

“No reason.”

He’d left without a goodbye. She’d been in the shower, and right or wrong, that had put her in a mood.

Restless, Emily paced across her living room for what had to be the tenth time and peeked out the window. But nothing had changed. There was still snow on the ground, still the same birdfeeder swinging in the breeze, and still only her car parked in the driveway.

She swiped at the condensation in the corner of the window and thought that maybe she could do some cleaning or organizing or something…but nothing appealed to her. She was about to turn away from the window when she caught sight of a couple walking along the street. They were too bundled up for her to know if she knew them or not, and as she watched, hidden in the shadows inside her home, they stopped, and the man bent his head and kissed her.

It was the kind of kiss you see in the movies. Bodies flush to each other like they belonged there, his hands cradling her face as if she were precious to him, and her arms holding on to him as if she was never letting go. Slowly, the man’s hands traveled down her body to cup her butt and pull her closer, and Emily went hot watching them.

Mouth dry, she glanced quickly to the right, but of course there was no one there watching her watching them. As the kiss lingered, as his hands slowly slid up to her face once more, goose bumps broke out across Emily’s body, and searing heat rippled across her skin. Her breasts felt heavy, and that part of her hidden deep within the folds of her sex began to throb.

“Jesus,” she whispered, fighting the urge to run her fingers over her sensitive nipples. She closed her eyes and mentally tried to step back, but God, it was hard. She’d heard that pregnant women, with all their raging hormones and out-of-whack emotions, could get very, very horny.

Seemed as if that was accurate.

Breathing heavily, she backed away from the window and nearly tripped over Bilbo. Without looking at the window, she turned and headed for her bedroom, hoping a long, hot shower and maybe a session with her vibrator would take the edge off. But as it turned out, all her vibrator did was heighten things even more. And by the time she was dressed, she was still horny, but also a whole lot grumpy.

She stared at herself in the mirror and took a critical step back. Her hair seemed thicker and shinier than it had ever been, the golden highlights emphasizing her big eyes. Eyes she’d touched up with smoky shadow and thick mascara. She wore soft pink gloss on her lips and a dab of perfume behind her ears.

Her stomach was definitely rounded, though the black tights she’d pulled on did a lot to hide the bump. She let the soft blue sweater fall down and padded over to the closet, where she pulled out a black bag and a chunky pair of black leather boots.

Okay. She looked good. Now what?

Emily wandered back to the living room and then took Bilbo out back, where she threw a stick until her muscles began to burn and she thought her arm might fall off. By this time, Bilbo was worn out and didn’t complain too much when she ushered the dog back inside and gave him a treat. Once the dog’s water bowl was topped up, Emily scooped her phone from the charger on the counter and did a quick check.

There were four missed calls from her mother and then two text messages that were to the point, to say the least.

Ethan Caldwell?

ETHAN CALDWELL????????????

Emily stared at the text messages, her finger hovering over the call button. A part of her felt guilty for not telling her mother that Ethan was the father of her baby before she found out from someone else. But in her defense, her mother could be exhausting, and Emily had to be in the right frame of mind to have that kind of