She shook her head. “Not yet. I just left his room. That should probably be my next stop, though.”
“Perhaps after you shower. You smell like...”
Her shoulders stiffened, and she turned in my arms. “Go on. What do I smell like, Noah?”
“A very earthy version of yourself.”
The slight twitch of her lips and the laughter in her eyes eased something in me. “Well played.”
“I do try. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your room. Or... if you’d rather, you could come to mine?”
She looked torn. “I should probably go back to mine. Moira’s likely worried sick. Not to mention Alek. I don’t even know where my phone is. I need to check in with the troops.”
“You know, this is a problem we can easily solve. If we all lived together, everyone would remain in the loop.”
Her brow furrowed. “All of us?”
I shrugged as though it was the most natural thing in the world. “Yes. Your very own pack of misfits. Family is what you make it, dove. You’ve created yours, now you have to tie it all together.”
She snorted. “Can you picture Alek and Kingston sitting around a breakfast table? Sharing small talk over a cup of coffee? I can’t.”
“They’ve shared a meal before, at your dinner. What’s so hard to believe about it? They love you, Sunday. We all do. We just want what’s best for you. I’m certain I’m not alone when I say it would make me feel better to know where you were each night.”
“Would you just... draw straws to see who slept in my bed?”
Smirking, I winked. “Or we get a bed large enough we never have to choose.”
Her eyes heated, and I had no trouble seeing just how much the idea appealed to her. Flashes of her desires filled my mind. All of us together, touching her, kissing every inch of her body, filling her at the same time.
“What if I wanted alone time?” she asked. “Or to be with only one of you?”
“Then each of us maintains his own room for such an occasion. It’s not rocket science. No need to overcomplicate it.”
“And you’d really be fine with that? Having to listen while I was with one of the others? Without you?”
“Your moans of pleasure are never a bad thing. Maybe I’ll take up voyeurism as well. It has its appeal.”
The mere suggestion of Caleb cooled her desire. The light in her eyes faded, as did her smile. I mentally punched myself in the face.
Good one, Blackthorne.
I couldn’t believe I was about to defend the arse, but here we were. With a sigh, I hugged her tight, resting my chin on her head. “He’ll come around, dove. It can’t be easy for a man to let go of vows he’s clung to so fiercely. His entire world is shifting. That takes time to wrap your head around.”
“I know. It just... hurts. The rejection.”
Wherever he was hiding, I hoped the priest was in misery for hurting her. “Do you want me to track him down and show him the error of his ways? I’ll be happy to teach him a lesson.”
She smiled at the thought. “Best not. We don’t need anyone else sent to the well for breaking his neck.”
“Anyoneelse?”
“When my heat first started, Kingston snapped his neck to get to me. Caleb sent him to the well in retaliation. It was a whole thing.”
“Seems like I missed some things when I was away.”
Her cheeks flushed as she stared at me. “You missed too much. Don’t go away again.”
That made my chest flutter like I was a fucking teenager. “I won’t. I swear it.”