Tak’s words cut off when Hope emerged from the house in Melody’s purple-and-pink creation. Her curvy hips swung as she padded barefoot across the deck and stopped. The sun illuminated her warm skin, her stunning features marred with uncertainty.
“What do you think?” She did a slow turn, revealing how the backside of her suit didn’t cover half as much as Archer had first thought.
Tak’s beef jerky fell out of his mouth.
“Give us a runway walk.” Virgil whistled at her.
If the sun hadn’t warmed Tak’s face, the sight of his mate did. Dark desire twirled in his eyes as he scanned her voluptuous curves and nervous smile.
“You should dress like that more often, sugarplum,” Virgil suggested. “You’re the cat’s meow.”
It was clear Hope was embarrassed to be so underdressed. Melody, on the other hand, was doing cartwheels in the yard.
She smiled at Tak. “Could you bring me a glass of tea? Mel and I need to run around and exercise to make sure they don’t fall off and nothing pops out.”
Archer sputtered with laughter.
“Yes, that would be a shame,” Virgil remarked. “Might I suggest a Hula-Hoop?”
“Forget what I said about baby clothes,” Tak muttered to Archer before prowling toward his mate. “I have a better idea.” Ata height of around six-seven, Tak had no trouble bending over and tossing Hope over his shoulder.
She swung her arms. “Tak, put me down! I have to test this out and get it wet.”
He parted the magnetic screen on the oversized back door. “Don’t worry about that, Duckie. I’ll help you get it wet.”
“Tak!” She sounded embarrassed by his sexual innuendo but then giggled.
Virgil reclined his head and waggled his eyebrows. “Someone’s feeling frisky.”
Tak’s sonorous laugh grew distant in the back hall toward their bedroom, which jutted out from the house.
“They’ll be a while,” Krys remarked before heading inside.
Virgil stood and set his glass on the railing. “I’ll never understand modesty. The body is a beautiful thing.” He let his robe drop to the ground. “If the fates wanted us clothed, we would have been born with fur.” He descended the steps and raised his hand. “I’ll model your swimwear line.”
“Are you kidding me?” Melody exclaimed around a laugh. “It was custom-made for Hope. You’ll stretch the material in all the wrong ways.”
“That’s what product testing is all about. You gotta stretch it to the limits.”
“You’ll just have to hold out for the men’s line. I’ll give yours a skunk tail.”
“Don’t be a hater.” Virgil sat on the steps. “If you want my professional opinion, fill a small swimming pool with water and mud. Wrestle around in there for a little while.”
“What for?”
Virgil leaned back on his elbows. “To see if the fabric slips off.”
She chortled. “No one wears bikinis just to get them muddy.”
“Oh really? Let me tell you about this little club I used to visit back in 1984…”
Archer noticed Cecilia walking to the well. A white butterfly was flitting behind her as if trying to keep up. Her brown ponytail swished back and forth. The girls must have given her the pretty white skirt, and Archer liked seeing her legs. Peering down the well, she drew up the bucket. Before drinking from the cup, she sniffed the water and stared at it for a moment. He wanted to yell to her that it was safe, but Cecilia would make that decision for herself.
Mercy and Bear had already gone to work, and so the rest of them were working on small projects since the big ones were complete. Obviously Melody’s project involved swimwear.
Archer picked up the beef jerky and whistled. Catcher’s wolf poked his head out from beneath the deck where he liked to sleep in the daytime.
“Barely been chewed. You want it?” Waving the stick, he dropped it.
