“Only Roman has the palate to appreciate them,” Luc said, sounding like the complete snob he was. “I’ll wait.”
“Oh my God!” Soren crowed. “You brought your bestie a little vacation offering, just for the two of you. How adorable.”
Therewas the annoyance pulsing in the bond. Jamie could really learn a thing or two from Soren.
Luckily he had a whole two weeks to pick up some tips.
Eric
Eric relaxed into his mate, letting his eyes fall shut, relishing the feel of warm skin on warm skin.
He was in his swim trunks already, Wolfe was wearing only his silk pajama bottoms, and Eric was draped over Wolfe’s chest as Wolfe read his financial report on one of the pool loungers.
They were firmly in vacation mode.
Eric wasn’t sure exactly what made it different from their regular mode, seeing as how Eric was still not working and Wolfe was technically equally jobless (although he did occupy himself a great deal with personal money management).
But itfeltdifferent. The fact that Wolfe was willingly and carelessly shirtless around all the other vampires was kind of like proof positive. Wolfe wasn’t exactly a prude—he was too much of a filthy perv for that—but he usually stayed fairly buttoned-up around anyone who wasn’t Eric.
Maybe the softened vibe was due to the comfort of having everyone in one place for so long, or maybe the lazy days in the sun, or the endless time in the water.
But it was nice, either way. Eric rubbed his legs against the silk material of Wolfe’s pants, liking how it felt against his bare skin. Wolfe would change into swimwear eventually. The house they were staying in had a pool in its courtyard—the very one they were gathered around right now—and Wolfe was a shockingly graceful swimmer, cutting precise strokes in the water as he swam his laps back and forth.
But for now, they were just…lounging.
The familiar scent of sunscreen hit Eric’s nostrils. He opened his eyes to find Danny and Roman on the lounger next to them. Roman was working sunscreen into Danny’s shoulders and back with long, sweeping strokes.
“We don’t need that anymore, do we?” Eric asked, already knowing the answer in the back of his mind. Their speedy healing basically turned sunburns over too quickly for them to take effect.
“Huh?” Danny’s eyes had fallen half-closed, and he opened them as he glanced at Eric, seeming to take a second to understand the question. Then he grinned. “Oh, no. I just like the smell. It doesn’t feel like the beach without it.”
Roman tutted as he poured more sunscreen into his palm. “Your scent is better than this slop, little king.”
Danny tilted his head back to peer up at his mate. “But you don’t mind, do you?” he asked sweetly.
Roman huffed, pressing a kiss to Danny’s forehead and getting back to his ministrations.
“You missed a spot, Rome,” Soren called from across the pool, where he was perched under a sun umbrella that somehow perfectly matched his outfit. “Low down.” He gave Danny an exaggerated leer. “Very low.”
“Again, that’s mybrother,” Gabe whined from the pool, where he’d taken a pause from swimming laps.
Soren was suddenly the picture of innocence, if one ignored his manic grin. “Well, forgive me for not wanting yourbrotherto get a sunburn on his delicates.”
Colin snorted a laugh. He was sitting in the shade with his drawing pad, his mates on either side of him. Jay and Alexei were in the shallow end of the pool, Alexei cross-legged in the water and Jay draped over his back. Jamie and Luc had gone for a walk along the beach. Jamie apparently wanted to find some seashells to bring back for his sister.
Wolfe stroked small circles along Eric’s lower back with his thumb, turning a page on his report with his free hand. “Shall I rub useless lotion on your shoulders, pet?”
That was actually kind of tempting. But… “No,” Eric told him, nuzzling his head into Wolfe’s neck. “Too comfy.”
“Should we head to the beach soon?” Jay asked the group.
“Pool. Beach. What’s the difference?” Colin answered without looking up from his drawing.
“I want to try bodysurfing though.”
“You’re going to end up with water up your nose again,” Soren warned.
“I don’t mind,” Jay told him. “Danny said it’s good to clear the sinuses out.”
