A smile floated onto my lips as I turned my head to find the man in question standing at the side of my bed. His gaze ran over my body, and I was suddenly self-conscious of my lack of clothing. I was only wearing his oversized shirt and underwear, so with how I was spread out on the bed with the sheets pulledaway from my body due to all of my tossing and turning, my ass was definitely exposed.
A deep groan left Gabe’s throat at the sight, and he ran a hand over his face. “The things you do to me.”
“Morning,” I offered sheepishly as I tried to discreetly pull the sheets over me.
We’d already agreed to take things slow, but I knew what happened yesterday with Steele was the real reason that I felt so uncomfortable right now. I didn’t want to entice Gabe until he knew the truth and we discussed how to handle it. I didn’t wantanyoneto take another step forward with me until they all knew. I was just lost on how exactly to break the news to them.
Gabe ran a hand through his dark hair and stepped back, as if he needed to physically distance himself from me. “Come on, up you go.”
I scowled at the thought of leaving bed and facing the consequences of my actions.
“Ronan is making breakfast, and you can’t skip it,” he explained with a knowing glint in his eyes. The fact that Ronan was freaking out about me not eating lunch or dinner with them yesterday was left unspoken between us.
It was honestly pretty incredible to see how quickly Bastian, Gabe, and Ronan had adjusted to living with one another. I wouldn’t call them friends by any stretch of the imagination, but they all seemed to allow room for their individual quirks—like Ronan’s obsessive, sweet need to feed me ten million meals a day.
“Alright,” I grumbled dramatically. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be down.”
With a smirk, he nodded and turned around, leaving me to go about my business. I made quick work of getting ready, my stomach growling at me impatiently the entire time. I threw on a pair of leggings and a soft hoodie before looking at myself inthe mirror. The healthy glow to my now-clear skin told me I was getting used to living here on Earth.
Leaving my bedroom, I couldn’t help but pause and look to my right at Steele’s door, seeing that it was closed. My eyes fluttered shut briefly.
Please let me get through today.
I made my way down the stairs and immediately caught sight of Steele with his back to me in the kitchen. Seeing him standing by the coffee machine caused my entire body to tense up.
I felt so fucking guilty because of what we did. Considering the already-tense nature of our relationship, the orgasm felt like a dirty secret between us, and I didn’t like that at all. I hated feeling like I’d taken advantage of the trust and space each guy had given me.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I took stock of the room, immediately noting that Gabe had stepped out onto the back deck through a pair of glass doors. The back yard was filled with a misty fog and a light drizzle was coming down. Niz was perched near one of the upper windows looking outside, and I wasn’t sure if he wanted to join Gabe or if he was just keeping watch.
Out of nowhere, he turned swiftly and launched from his perch. He nearly crashed into the TV, blocking the show from view as Bastian scowled and muttered under his breath as if annoyed. I couldn’t help but smile as Niz’s little claws scrambled to find a launching point on it before gliding over to me. His head nuzzled into my chest as I held his warm body to mine.
The scent of bacon filled the air, drawing my attention to where Ronan was cooking over the cooktop. My stomach rumbled loudly, and the unfortunate sound did not go unnoticed.
Steele turned sharply from where he still stood at the coffee machine. His thunderous gaze caught mine, the intensity of it fully focused on me and left me feeling momentarily breathless.
So many emotions hit me at once, and for the life of me, I couldn’t read anything in his expression, except for the faintest trace of heat in his gaze. I couldn’t tell if he was happy to see me or if we were going to resume our normal behavior despite our explosive moment yesterday. He’d admitted that he wanted me, but he said he couldn’t cross the line because of his friendship with Gabe. But he had, and I was left suspended in the unknown of not only where that left us but also what Steele even wanted.
“Darling!” Bastain called out as he scrambled up from the couch. He offered Niz a look of annoyance as he approached me before planting a kiss on my cheek. “You look well rested. How’re you feeling?”
“I’m okay, just a bit hungry.” I offered him a warm look, seeing a softness in his gaze that made my heart swell. While I hadn’t told any of them what Amelia said, nor what happened between Steele and me, I hadn’t made it a secret that yesterday was difficult.
“And right on time for some breakfast,” Ronan pointed out. as I made my way into the kitchen. I sat at the island as Bastian trailed behind me, taking the seat on the right. I tried to control the urge to sneak a look at Steele, whose gaze I could feel boring into me. Niz flew away with a chirp, leaving me entirely alone under Steel’s scrutiny.
“I’m sorry,” Bastian whispered as he leaned in. “I’m afraid I scared your friend away. He really has a grudge against me. Do you think you could put in a good word for me?”
A soft chuckle rose from me, and I shot him a smile. Leave it to Bastian to bring me joy in the midst of my inner turmoil. I winked at him, “I’ll see what I can do.”
Ronan placed a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of me before placing a soft kiss on top of my head. I exhaled deeply, soothed by his presence. The food helped as well, my mouth watering at the sight of it.
The harsh sound of a coffee mug hitting the counter echoed through the room, and I jumped.
I flicked my gaze toward Steele, finding his back tense and his body turned away from me as he poured himself a cup of coffee. A sick feeling twisted my guts. He was pissed. I could feel his bad mood vibrating in the air, and unfortunately I had a feeling of what may have caused the sudden shift.
What he said yesterday about being bothered by Ronan’s and Bastian’s affection toward me rang loudly in my mind.Was that why he seemed suddenly upset?I felt my brow dip—I wouldn’t push the other men away because of what had happened between Steele and me. Especially considering that he all but stormed off afterward, ignoring me for the rest of the day. Although, even if he hadn’t thrown a fit, the affection I feel toward the other men wouldn’t have lessened.
Ronan went back to cooking, seeming to not notice the mounting tension. I looked down at my plate, realizing my appetite had all but disappeared with the nerves that were twisting my stomach into knots. My gaze moved back toward Steele, and I felt the breath whoosh out of me. His large hands were splayed on the counter, and his expression was one that I should have expected. After all, it was one that I had grown used to. Disdain, annoyance, and dismissiveness met my gaze. This time it hurt a lot more than I wanted to admit, though.
I held his gaze, refusing to back down, which only seemed to make him more frustrated as his scowl deepened.
