“Did you all think about the fact that maybe Kieran might want nights to herself as well, instead of assuming she’d be comfortable sharing a bed with any of us?” Gabe questioned, earning a grunt from Steele.
“I tried to point that out.”
Steele, pointing out boundaries I might have? Lightning was going to strike me at any moment now, I swear.
“There are seven days in a week,” Bastian defended, “and only five of us. That leaves two days for her to have alone.” His eyes cut to me as he smiled sheepishly. “If that’s okay with you, Darling.”
My cheeks immediately flamed, and I knew a blush stained them. I refused to glance over at Steele. Was he…included in this? Did he say he’d take turns in my bed too?
I let out a sigh, not truly caring about sharing my bed. I had been struggling to find a way to equally spend time with each of them alone anyways, so maybe this was the perfect solution.
“Can you guys just figure out the schedule between yourselves?” I questioned, glancing between them all. “I don’t want to be involved in that battle.”
Before the last word was even out my mouth, Bastian was yelling, “I’m first! I’m first!”
Niz growled on my shoulder at him, causing the Archimage to put a hand up to his forehead, making an ’L’ symbol with his fingers. Clearly, they were fast friends.
How were these men perceived as both deadly and feared outside of these walls when the second we were in private, I was surrounded by children who couldn’t share their toys?
I bit my lip, trying to hold my smile back. I wouldn’t change a single thing about them.
6
KIERAN
The lightest kissto the shell of my ear had my eyes fluttering open to my barely lit bedroom. The faintest amount of morning light broke through a separation in the curtains. I let out a happy hum of contentment as warmth exploded through my body upon waking to the sensation of Bastian’s body so close to mine.
This was far different from how I had woken up last time, and I couldn’t help but savor the moment. Bastian’s solid and secure arm around my waist felt natural—like we had woken up like this every single morning for years.
When he shifted his weight, his head fell to rest on the same pillow as me. I used the slight distance between us to turn my body until I faced him. Rolling into his chest, his arm immediately tightened around me in a possessive hold, removing the remaining distance between us. For someone who hadn’t known how to cuddle until recently, he was doing a hell of a job at it.
“Good morning,” I whispered, finding that while he was clearly awake, his eyes remained closed. His fingers traced back and forth along my waist in an intentional, soothing pattern. The sensation had me shivering, almost hypersensitive to his touch, as a blush spread over my cheeks.
While I wasn’t an innocent maiden by any means, there was just something about Bash that made me feel flustered when we were alone in these moments. Perhaps it was a combination of knowing he seemed to be entirely new at everything intimate coupled with the way my body innately responded to him. I found myself so drawn to him but uncertain of the path to take forward in the relationship, not knowing his comfort levels.
“Itismorning, but I won’t say it’s agoodone, because I have to get out of your bed,” he mused, his voice raspier than normal. His deep-crimson eyes opened to hold my gaze. I couldn’t help but notice how well-rested he appeared, a relaxed light to his gaze and a lack of tension in his frame.
“Did you sleep well? I don’t think I had a single dream,” I murmured, our voices intimate whispers in the cozy, warm space. There was averylarge part of myself that assumed I would be tormented by nightmares following such a gruesome battle, but so far I had yet to experience that…Or if I had, I didn’t remember them. Something I was thankful for.
“I always sleep the best when I have you in my arms, Darling,” he admitted, his sweet words pulling a smile from me. Considering we had only slept in the same bed a couple times, I took that as an endearing compliment. “And naturally, I plan on taking full credit for your great night of sleep—everyone in the house should know just how well you slept because of my presence. In fact, we should make this a nightly occurrence because of how much it benefits you!”
The teasing, dramatic tone to his words had me offering him a knowing look, my fingers sliding up to brush along his jaw from where they had been trapped against his chest. “Now you’re justtryingto cause trouble.”
“Or I’m trying to ensure that the others grow competitive over taking care of you.” He flashed me a wicked smile. “It’s a pretty ingenious plan if you ask me.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing, and his eyes sparked in response to the noise, shifting immediately into a bright, blood-red color. When his gaze darted down to my lips and heat saturated his expression, his hands tightened on my hips and my laughter faded immediately. The intensity and sudden change in his expression—now hungry in nature—had my toes curling with nervous excitement.
“Bash?” I whispered, my heart hammering so incessantly in my chest it felt like it might break free.
His gaze flickered up from my lips as he purred, “Yes, Darling?”
“What…what are you thinking about?”
His answer was immediate. “If your lips taste as good as your blood.”
Oh.
Drawing my lip in with my teeth was a nervous habit, but I loved the way he sucked in a sharp breath in response. I released the delicate flesh with a small smile curling my lips at the edges.
