So I kiss her like it means something. Because it does.
Eventually, we slow. Her breath comes in short, shallow pulls. Mine aren’t much better. I rest. my forehead against hers, trying to calm myself.
“I could stay right here all night,” I whisper.
“Maybe you should,” she says with a soft smile.
I don’t think she realises how dangerous an offer that is. It’s one I’d love to take her up on, but I don’t push it. Instead, I kiss her one more time, sweet and slow, before gently helping her down
We don’t talk much after that. She heads into the living room to grab her laptop, curling up on the couch with a mug of reheated tea while I clean up the kitchen, trying to shake the heat from my blood, but I can’t stop watching her through the open doorway.
She looks peaceful now, typing away with furrowed brows, and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. There’s a tiny crease on her forehead when she’s concentrating; I could study that for hours. I want to commit all of her faint freckles to my memory.
I lean against the counter, arms folded, and let the silence settle over me. She’s here, she kissed me, she let me in. And Goddess help me, I want more of her every second.
The weight comes creeping in then, slow and suffocating
Ryder and Callen.
What the hell am I going to say to them?
It’s not like I
I’ve done anything wrong. The bond is there. It’s real, but we have never talked about what would happen if we all ended up fated to the same woman. I don’t think any of us really believed it could happen, so it’s not a conversation that ever came up.
Then there’s Remy. I haven’t seen my twin all day. He’s still out patrolling with the northern. scouts. Still volunteering for shifts that conveniently keep him far away from here.
He’s avoiding her, avoiding Callen and maybe even me.
I can’t even blame him. He doesn’t know how to handle this. He doesn’t know how to act around her and Ryder. We had agreed to wait until Callen was home to tell them, but it’s becoming hard to keep a distance from her when Ryder is around.
Now I’ve kissed her. Touched her. Claimed a part of her I’ve been aching for since the moment we met. It’s going to be even harder. And my brother is going to know I’ve kissed her the moment he walks back through that door. He’s my twin, he will sense the change in me.
I scrub a hand down my face, and exhale.
Paige glances up then, her eyes meeting mine. “You okay?”
I nod. Lie. “Yeah. Just thinking.”
She smiles, the kind of soft, sleepy smile that settles something deep inside me. “Don’t think too hard.”
“Trying not to.”
I move into the room to sit across from her, but this time I’m different. We’re different.
When she goes back to her work, unaware of the storm building inside me, I promise myself I’ll handle it. All of it. Ryder, Callen and Remy, because Paige is worth it and I don’t want her stressing over any of it. So whatever it takes, I’ll make it happen.
I try to read my book, but my mind keeps wandering, and I realise I’ve been reading the same page for about twenty minutes. Eventually, the sound of her typing slows. Then stops. I glance up and see Paige curled sideways on the couch, one hand still resting on her laptop, the other tucked beneath her cheek. Her breathing has gone soft and even, she’s in a deep sleep.
The mug of tea she barely touched sits forgotten on the table beside her. The soft glow from the laptop screen casts light across her face, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as peaceful.
I I stand and cross the room quietly, reaching to slide the laptop off her lap and close it gently. She doesn’t stir, just shifts slightly, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She must have been exhausted.
I linger beside the couch, debating. She should sleep in a bed. She’d be more comfortable, but waking her now feels wrong. The idea of just watching her sleep here doesn’t feel right either.
I lean over to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. She hums in response but doesn’t wake up. My arms ache to lift her. She wouldn’t mind. I know that, but where would I take her? I can’t take her into my bed or Ryder will go crazy when he comes home. I can’t bear to leave her alone in Rye’s bed either.
She trusted me enough to fall asleep here, in my space, nothing.
With her guard down. That’s not
I run a hand down my face and sigh quietly. “Should I carry you to bed or let you stay say under my breath. “Because either w
I’m not leaving you alone.” here?” I
A sudden creak from the front door breaks the silence. I turn quickly, every instinct alert, but
? then I hear familiar footsteps, and sense his presence. Remy.
He walks in, stripping off his damp hoodie as he steps into the hallway. He doesn’t look at me. His attention goes straight to the couch. Straight to her.
His whole body freezes, and he sucks in a breath as he stares like he’s seen a ghost. I don’t move, and neither does he. His eyes scan over her sleeping form, and something flashes across his face, pain, longing, maybe even regret. It’s gone just as fast, but I saw it.
He swallows hard, jaw working as he finally tears his gaze away and looks at me.
“Is she okay?” He asks through the mind link.
“Yeah,” I nod.
His eyes flick back toward her, even though he clearly doesn’t want them to. “She looks… peaceful.”
I say nothing, I can feel him trying to push it down. The bond. The pull. Pretending it’s not there won’t make it go away. I know that better than anyone.
“She’s peaceful because she’s around her mates, Rem. She’s ours. You know that.”
His jaw clenches. “Yours, maybe.”
“Don’t do that.” I step closer. “You felt it. Just like I did, and I saw the way you looked at her just now,”
“I don’t know what you saw,” he shakes his head, “but I’ve got no claim. Not really.”
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