The trip to Aurora had been magical. Okay, so at first she’d gotten a bit motion sick when she went through the worm hole thing that sucked the air out of her and she thought she was going to die, but then she’d been fine. The planet was beautiful. Purple forests and so many flowers, she could sit for days and stare at them.
“She likes you,” Bella said with a grin. Someone helped Bella, who reminded her a lot of her cousin Ivy, turn a blanket into a dress and if Cassie hadn’t been so mesmerized by the tiny beauty in her arms, she would have been curious about the material of the dress. “It’s surprising because she doesn’t like anyone.”
Cassie watched Avery yawn and blink her pretty golden eyes at her. The baby cooed and snuggled into Cassie’s arms. She was so cute Cassie’s ovaries hurt from how badly she wanted a baby at that moment. Talk about wanting to get knocked up in the worst way.
“Bella, let me have her. Come on,” she whispered and grinned at Avery. “I promise to take good care of her.”
Bella laughed. “Alyx would hunt you down within ten seconds of his daughter disappearing. I already feel bad for when she’s old enough to get male attention.”
“With those eyes, she’s going to be a knockout,” Cassie said and made a kissy face at the baby.
“You look ready to go out and find yourself a mate,” Gerri said when she walked into the nursery next to Bella’s suites.
Cassie sighed and cuddled Avery closer. “How could anyone not want a baby this cute?”
“Thank you,” Bella said and twirled around in the previously strange sheet now turned into a purple dress that flowed down her body to caress her curves. The style was the same as Avery’s with the exception that Avery’s dress was really long and came with a little headband that matched her eyes.
“Are you letting Gerri match you up, Cassie?” Bella asked, slipping on her sandals. She sat to get her hair pinned up by one of her maids.
“She wants me to, but I don’t know.”
“You said you wanted mind-blowing sex,” Gerri reminded her.
“Gerri!” Cassie’s cheeks flushed.
“Don’t worry. I know Gerri well enough and am familiar with her no-filter personality.” Bella laughed.
“In that case, yes, I did say I wanted good sex, but that doesn’t mean I want forever. I want a few good orgasms,” she told Gerri.
“What if you can have both a good relationship and great sex?”
“She’s got a point,” Bella added, closing one eye from the pulling on her hair. “She can get you both. If she can, why not take it?”
Why indeed? “I don’t know. I would need to consider it.”
“We have a lot of single men here, today,” Bella said enthusiastically. “I bet Gerri can see if one of them is right for you.”
“I don’t know. This sounds too rushed.” She noticed Avery watching her avidly and kissed her forehead again. Ah, that soft baby scent was making her crazy.
Bella opened her arms when Avery started squirming and Cassie wanted to say no and keep holding the baby, but she clearly needed a feeding. She handed her to Bella and a wave of emptiness went through her. She’d never felt this need for a child before. She wasn’t sure how to react to the sudden urge to go out and get herself a sperm donor.
“Come on,” Gerri said, grabbing Cassie’s hand. “Let’s show you around and have you meet a few of the eligible bachelors.”
“I feel like I’m on a dating show,” she murmured.
“Good luck,” Bella shouted. “Go with your gut; it won’t steer you wrong.”
Her gut. Right. At the moment her gut wanted her to find a man to give her a baby or two. This was surreal. Cassie hadn’t given children this much thought her entire adult life. Then all of a sudden she holds a cute infant and now her biological clock is trying to make up for lost time.
They walked down one of the hallways facing the gardens and were about to bypass a group of men when Gerri stopped and turned to face them.
“Talen Arctos, is that you?”
Cassie glanced at the man in question. He was huge. Fuck huge, he was massive with a face she couldn’t look away from. Deep set eyes that zeroed in on her. But it was his scruffy beard that gave her all kinds of dirty thoughts.
“It is,” he said, his gaze still pinning Cassie to the spot. Holy cow this guy was hot. The sound of his voice sent shivers rushing down her spine. His light brown shirt matched his eyes and gave his pale complexion a hint of color.
“I’m Gerri Wilder,” she said. “I knew your parents back when they led the Arctos clan. I remember meeting you when you were a kid,” she laughed. “I see your serious face hasn’t changed.”