Xander, fully dressed, walked over to Monique and pulled her into his arms. “We’re glad you didn’t.”
He bent his head and kissed her, like he had every right to do that. Which he did.
I expected a lot more jealousy to surge through me, but the pain of watching them kiss was easier today. Yesterday afternoon had been exciting, but watching Xander bring Monique to orgasm had been difficult. I wanted to be the one with my head between her thighs. Not him. I knew I had to share her, but I still wasn’t happy about it.
And yet, seeing her so fulfilled had its benefits. Maybe I really would get used to the idea of sharing her with Xander. We both had her at the center of our focus, so I had the feeling it would work out okay.
“What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” I asked, when Xander finally let her go.
Monique turned toward me. “Not sure. What do you guys want to do now?”
“I want to go and speak to the high warlock,” Xander said, reaching for her hand as if he needed to keep physical contact with her. I knew how he felt.
“Why?” Monique asked. “Won’t you just wait for him to contact you?”
“I want to see if he’s made any progress with breaking the curse. See if he needs anything else from us.”
Monique nodded, then bit her lip.
“You okay?” I asked, taking her other hand.
She smiled as I did, intertwining our fingers and holding on tight.
“Can I talk to you guys about something?” Her brows drew together.
I nodded. “Of course. Now?”
She glanced between us. “We could talk back at my place, then you could go see the high warlock from there.”
“Sure,” Xander said
Together, we ventured back past that super-weird invisible curtain entrance, and into Monique’s magical realm. We walked down the path, then had to break apart and let go of each other’s hands as we drew closer to town.
When we were finally back at her cottage, Xander and I sat separately on two sofas, while she perched on the edge of a chair. I waited for her to start the conversation, trying and failing to curb my curiosity.
“We’re ready, whenever you are,” I said, when she still seemed disinclined to speak.
She twisted her fingers in her lap, “I want to apologize for last night.”
I hadn’t been expecting that.
“For pushing you both away, when I really should have been drawing you closer.”
Her eyes shone with unshed tears, and my heart ached for all the stress she must have inflicted upon herself. Xander and I hadn’t even realized.
“It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” I said. “And we don’t blame you for it, either. This is very new to all of us. If you’re not familiar with fated mates it can be a huge shock when it actually happens.”
She swallowed hard, her throat working. “I performed a spell last night, a future spell. To see where we were all heading, and we were there, together, in my future. Happy.”
“All three of us?” Xander piped up, his gaze curious and intent.
She hesitated and then nodded, wiping at a tear that slid down her cheek. “Yes. Definitely the three of us. And babies.”
What was that hesitation for? The rest of what she’d said drowned out the questions in my mind.
“Babies.” My heart squeezed. “Huh.”
I love the sound of that.