"Then stay here for a bit. Rest, give yourself time to adjust. From Ophelia's bustling, she's got this."
"I just have to have sex and make mate bonds," I said, my head dropping to his chest as I ran a hand across the soft cotton of his shirt. His hand covered mine, squeezing it for a moment. "Mating for the cause. Fucking for our freedom."
"Is that such a bad way to spend your time?"
I lifted my head to look into his eyes. His tone was light, almost.
"I'd make you my mate right now, if that's what you want. You are already, the bite's just a formality at this point."
"But it’s not, not to us," he said, though I saw the rush of pleasure in his eyes. "Everything happens when it’s supposed to. Don't let this or anything else rush it."
I kissed him then, slowly, quietly, with respect to the mood in the room. It was fragile, we were fragile, so I kissed him like he was made of glass. He warmed quickly, his hands moving restlessly over my back as our lips melted together. For once, he felt so, so soft, like he was something I could fall into and not stop.
"Jules, your stuff is—oh!"
I turned around to see Hawk in the doorway, Buddy wagging at his heels before launching himself at me.
"Hey, crazy pup! Buddy, down, down!" My dog finally settled into a sit beside the bed. I leaned over Brandon to rub the soft fur on his head until he curled up on the carpet. "Come in, Hawk, you don't have to stand there, unless you want to."
"He looks like he's missed you," he said, sitting down on the other side of the bed. The distance between Brandon and I and the other man seemed deliberate. Was it from respect? Was it nerves? I wasn't sure. Hawk was a big lump of mystery to me.
"The dog is obsessed with her," Brandon said. "Doesn't like being more than five feet away from Jules. God help you if you try to shut the door on him. Thankfully, he doesn't stare at your lily-white butt when you're smooching with his mistress."
"Knows his place, does he?" Hawk glanced over the side of the bed, past the two of us to where Buddy lay. He looked a little wistful as he watched the dog settle in for a nice nap.
"And you don't."
"That was very perceptive," Brandon said. I elbowed him in the ribs. "What? It was."
"Yeah, and what's your take on this situation, Doc?" I said.
"You really want that?" His eyes were filled with good humour and something else. It would be easy to describe his intelligence as cool and calculating, but I didn't see it that way. Rather, it seemed very... focussed, and there was a kind of narcissistic thrill to being the subject of his interest.
"You're always free to say what you think."
He chuckled at that. "Yes, but that's not what we're talking about here, is it?" His eyes slid over to Hawk and back. "You want this?"
"Look, mate, I heard you were a bit of a head-fucker, but I think you'll find I'm a pretty straightforward kind of guy," Hawk said, getting to his feet. "I've got more than enough games to deal with on the home front."
"Sit."
Brandon's tone was even and calm—no hint of command—yet Hawk sat down on the end of the bed, looking surprised when he did.
"You two are hovering around each other, being oh so careful. That's an interesting thing to see. I'm not sure if it’s because you're both introverts, or because you're trying to deal with a guy that's less upfront and in your face."
Hawk stared at the two of us, then shook his head. "Trying to be a good bloke here. She's got a lot on her plate, this Sylvan dude, coming to Sanctuary, what happened down at Stores. Even fucking Jack."
"Even fucking Jack," Brandon agreed, but with a whole other emphasis on the words. "How did that feel, watching her fuck your lover?"
"You trying to analyse me?" Those fine dark brows drew down. His hands strayed to his pocket, reaching for a cigarette before he stopped, looking around at the grand alpha's place and reconsidering.
"Nope. Tell me, don't tell me, it’s up to you."
Hawk stared into Brandon's eyes steadily for a moment, before looking away and shaking his head. "You know how I felt. Has to happen to you every day with her mob."
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Tell me."
"Tell you what? That it's envy and jealousy and awe all rolled up into one? That they looked so fucking beautiful together, like a pair of savages, tearing at each other until I wasn't sure if they were going to come or if they were gonna feast on the other’s hearts. I've never seen sex look so much like fighting and still be fucking. I hated him, for a moment. Just then, she was mine. For one fucking moment, I had something apart from Jack. Then he barrelled in.”