Raed came and sat on the edge of the bed next to him and took his daughter. As he cradled her against his chest, he said, “I hear you found your mate tonight.”
Wulfric snorted. “It didn’t take Dolf very long to spread the news, I see.”
“I was surprised he took it so well. You two always seem to be practically joined at the hip. I would have figured Dolf would have had a hard time with a mate coming into play.”
“His time will come,” Wulfric said. “Then it will be four of us always together.”
Raed groaned. “Let’s hope your mates don’t turn out to be as avid football fans as you and Dolf are. The two of you are bad enough.”
Wulfric shook his head. “Nothing wrong with enjoying a bit of football on the telly. I have a feeling Cydney won’t be into it, anyway. She’s Canadian. And according to Kamyrn, ‘soccer’ as they call it, isn’t as popular over there as it is here.”
Kamryn was Algar’s mate and a Canadian as well. So far out of the three mates, she was the only one who hadn’t become pregnant right away, which suited her just fine.
The baby let out a long, breathy sigh. Raed kissed the top of his daughter’s head.
“I’d better put Petra to bed.” He stood. Before he left, he said, “Just remember, if you need any advice on explaining everything to your mate, Algar, Garrick and I have already been through it and can help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
After Raed left, Wulfric got up and stripped out of his clothes. He had a feeling he’d take Raed up on his offer. The idea of having to explain what he was to Cydney seemed like a daunting task, and there was no getting away from it.
Chapter Three
Cydney rolled onto her back and stretched. She then groaned and clutched her head as it pounded. After Wulfric had left the nightclub the night before, she’d had a few more rum and Cokes. Obviously, she’d overdone it. She mostly blamed Ali for it, though. Maggie’s friend had been the one who bought her at least one of those drinks in exchange for Cydney telling them what she’d done outside with Wulfric.
A smile stretched across her lips as she thought about the kiss they had shared.
Never one for holding back when it came to wanting something, Cydney hadn’t been prepared to let Wulfric walk away without getting a little taste first. She’d caught him a little off guard at the start, but he’d gotten into the swing of things quickly after that.
And boy, did the man know how to kiss. By the time he’d pulled away, her nipples had pebbled beneath her blouse and her pussy had ached as wetness pooled. He left her wanting more than a meeting of the lips.
She flipped back the covers and sat up in bed. A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand showed it was the middle of the morning. Considering her and Maggie hadn’t gotten in the door until well after one in the morning, it wasn’t surprising she’d slept in for so long. What she needed now was a shower to help clear the effects of last night from her head. Wulfric would more than likely call in a couple of hours.
Cydney slipped off the bed and poked her head out of the bedroom door, listening for the sound of the shower in the bathroom just down the hall. Not hearing anything, she was about to pull her head back inside when Maggie appeared at the top of the stairs.
“About time you got up, Cyd. I’ve been awake for a while.”
“Blame it on the alcohol and Ali, the drink pusher.”
Maggie chuckled as she came to stand by the bedroom door. “I doubt Ali had to push very hard. At least you had a good time last night, and you did find your British boy toy. I have to say that didn’t take you very long.”
Cydney smiled and shrugged. “I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. And Wulfric more than measures up to my expectations.”
“In all aspects of his person?”
“Just about all. I felt the hint of the important one last night while he kissed me, but it needs further investigation.”
Maggie shook her head. “You really are bad.”
“No, I make life interesting. Is it okay if I take a shower, or does someone else have dibs on it?”
“You can have it. My parents went out to do some shopping, so it’s just the two of us here at the moment. Wulfric should be calling you soon, right?”
“Yes. He said he wanted to see me this afternoon. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. You deserve to have some fun. I’m happy you came to England with me. I have to admit I didn’t like the idea of you having to go home, even if it was for only until you found an apartment.”
Cydney knew what Maggie meant. It was no secret between them that Cydney’s father wasn’t much of a dad. He was there physically, and being well-to-do, he supported her financially, but other than that he just wasn’t there for her. Though never what she would have called affectionate by any means, the distance between her and her father had increased to what it was today after the death of her mother when Cydney was fourteen.
“Yeah, I hadn’t relished the idea that much, either,” she said. “Well, I’d better hop in the shower and then get dressed. I’m not sure exactly what time Wulfric is going to call. He only said late in the morning.”
“Sure. And since you’re going out on your hot date, I’m going to meet up with Ali and Carol again. If that’s okay with you?”
Cydney rolled her eyes. “Maggie, you don’t need my permission. You’re best friends with them as well as me. I can share. You haven’t seen them for a while. Go and catch up on things. I’m sure you three didn’t have much time last night to cover everything.”
Maggie smiled. “No, actually, we didn’t. Ali was too interested in hearing about Wulfric. I’ll leave you to it. When you’re finished, my mum left some breakfast for you.”
“Great. I’ll be down as soon as I can.”
While in the shower, Cydney couldn’t help but think about the differences between Maggie’s family and hers. Maggie’s parents were close, and had a closeness with their daughter Cydney wished she had with her father. Most of the time she thought of him as a cold-hearted bastard. A good parent it did not make him, but it helped him become a bigwig in the corporate world.
Finished with her shower, Cydney dressed in a pair of skinny blue jeans and a not too tight lavender t-shirt. Even though the day was warm, after a quick look out the bedroom window, she’d seen heavy rainclouds in the sky. She just hoped it would hold off for a while. But being in England, she had to expect it to rain at least once while she was here.
She went downstairs and headed for the kitchen. The shower had helped with her pounding head, but food and water would take care of the rest. As promised, Cydney found a plate made up with bacon and scrambled eggs sitting on the counter, covered with plastic wrap. She lifted an edge of the covering and put it in the microwave to heat.
Cydney had just finished eating and had put her dirty plate in the sink when she heard the sound of the phone ringing. She rinsed her hands and dried them as Maggie brought her the cordless. Her friend held her hand over the microphone and mouthed Wulfric’s name.
Taking the phone, she silently thanked Maggie, then asked, “Hello?”
“Hi, Cydney. It’s Wulfric.”
“Hi.”
“Are we still on for this afternoon?”
“Sure. What time are you thinking about?”
“Say in a half hour I come pick you up?”
“That’s definitely doable. I suppose I’d better give you the address.”
The sound of Wulfric’s deep, male chuckle sent shivers of longing through Cydney. She figured she could listen to him talk all day. His accent did delicious things to her.
“Yes, the address would help. Do you know what it is, or do you have to put Maggie back on the phone to tell me?”