When I’m done in the bathroom, I start to move around the bedroom, feeling a little lost. The need to go and search for the brothers intensifies with each second I’m left alone. It’s like finally, after all this time of wanting them to leave me alone, I miss them not being right there. In need of clothing, I open the first drawer of Declan’s dresser and luckily find his shirts.
Pulling the over my head, I let the fabric drop down my body. It fits me more like a dress, coming to rest just above my knees. I involuntarily shiver and my nipples harden at the coldness that cascades across my flesh. I walk to the door and reach for the knob, hesitating for a moment.
A sliver of doubt takes root in my gut. Are they going to be okay with me just walking around? Going where I please? Or did Declan want me to stay in bed? Maybe they even locked the door? I shake my head, willing the thoughts away as I twist the knob. The door opens and a small wave of relief washes over me. Clearly, they don’t see me as a captive anymore. As soon as I step into the hallway, my ears perk up.
I hear voices coming from the kitchen and I follow the noise until I’m standing in the entryway of the kitchen. For some unknown reason, I’m nervous. Every interaction we’ve ever had has revolved around sex, and now it seems we’re going to be interacting as, well, almost as couples. I take in the scene before me. Trey is at the stove flipping a pancake, while Wes sits at the kitchen table, fork and knife in hand. Wes notices me first and gives me a wicked grin that has my already out of control hormones on fire.
Trey’s head pops up and turns in my direction almost simultaneously. It’s almost like they can sense my presence or something.
“Hey, sleeping beauty, come sit with me.” Wes waves me over to him, pulling out the chair beside him almost at the same time.
“Are you sure?” I question nervously while nibbling on my bottom lip.
“Yes…unless you want to sit on my lap instead of on your own chair,” he teases and my cheeks flame. I make my way across the kitchen and take the seat next to him. A moment later a plate with two steaming hot pancakes appears in front of me.
“Ladies first,” Trey says as he sets down the plate and hands me a fork.
“Fucker, I’m starving,” Wes complains.
“Patience, asshole. Let her eat first, she needs to get something in her stomach before she takes her meds.”
“Thank you,” I mutter feeling shy. This is different, the interactions, their personalities, the way they’re talking. I’m not really sure how to act, or what to say. On top of that, I’m overwhelmed with everything taking place. They’re caring for me, pampering me even. No one has ever taken care of me like this before and I’m not sure if I should say thank you, or run for the hills. Are they expecting something from me in return?
Of course we had staff at the house who waited on me, but those people did that because they were paid to. Wes, Trey, and Declan take care of me because they want to. They want me.
A deep growling from my belly pulls me from my thoughts. I take a large bite of my pancake before loading another huge bite onto the fork and holding it up to Wes’s mouth. He smiles at me and playfully takes it off my fork.
“Thanks, Princess,” he mutters, swallowing the bite without even chewing. Jesus, he really must be hungry.
I’m so enthralled eating my pancake, that I don’t even notice when Declan walks in until he takes the remaining spot beside me. He shoves down into the seat with a plate and fork in hand.
“Are you fucking kidding me! Why does he get pancakes before me? I’m withering away over here.” Wes pouts and I softly laugh.
“God, quit being such a baby,” Declan growls before ripping off a large piece of his pancake and throwing it across the table at Wes.
“Wow, very mature,” Wes says, catching the pancake and shoving it into his mouth.
I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. I’ve never experienced anything like this. Having breakfast together with people you like spending time with, laughing and teasing each other. I’m used to spending breakfast and every other meal of the day the same way…alone.
So this is different, but a good kind of different. This feels like…a family.
A real family.
Chapter Twenty
Declan
Our lives have changed so completely it’s hard to wrap my mind around it. Never in a million years would I have figured us all to end up here. We went from kidnapping her, to fucking her, to saving her, to keeping her. It’s been two days since I was shot but I’m healing up nicely and I don’t regret taking a bullet for her. She saved my ass that day too.