Roman groaned as Danny’s inner muscles clenched down around him, pressing Danny harder into the mattress and pumping his hips erratically as he joined him over the edge.
It took a long time for Danny to find real words again. It wasn’t his fault though. Puddles didn’t speak, and he’d become one.
But eventually, after Roman had withdrawn from his body and settled them on the bed, Danny’s head on Roman’s chest, Roman’s fingers dancing through his curls, Danny teased, “You know the cleaning crew is going to change the sheets before Luc even gets back here.”
He could feel Roman’s smirk. “He will know regardless.”
Well, then. Those two had a weird fucking dynamic if Danny had ever seen one, but if it led to Danny getting dicked down like this, he wasn’t going to complain.
And Roman had never said no to Lucien and Jamie joining the den.
Roman
Roman found his lovely mate by the hotel pool, sunning himself in one of the loungers. Roman took a moment to appreciate him, and his demon uncoiled within him, standing at attention at the sight.
Perfect. Lovely. Ours, ours, ours.
Roman could only agree. Dannywasperfect. And lovely. And theirs.
Jay was in the pool close to Danny, wading in the shallows and splashing at nothing. They were the only two braving the midday Arizona sun, the rest of the hotel patrons wise enough to remain indoors.
Danny didn’t open his eyes at Roman’s approach, but his lips pulled into a grin as Roman’s shadow fell over him. “You’re here,” he murmured.
“I am.” Roman sat on the lounger by Danny’s hip, unable to stop himself from tracing his fingers along Danny’s bare thigh, grateful that his lovely mate had let him pick out an indecently short pair of swim trunks for him.
His mate who was so much more relaxed today than the day before.
Roman knew Danny had been worried about Lucien’s potential mate. Worried that he was an innocent in need of rescuing and that they’d find him too late.
Luckily what they’d found instead had been a cocky spitfire in absolutely no need of rescuing at all. And while they still had a feral vampire to deal with, Danny didn’t have to worry about an innocent human being held captive.
Roman’s sweet, caring Danny. He was too good for Lucien. Too good for Roman, for that matter. And yet Roman would keep him anyway. Always and forever.
“Stop brooding about how you don’t deserve me,” Danny scolded, his eyes still shut against the sun.
“Does your demon read minds now?” Roman asked, still stroking Danny’s thigh.
“There’s a very…specific feel to it.”
Instead of acknowledging his supposed brooding, Roman reported, “I spoke to Lucien just now. We shall join him and the brutish twins for a hunt. I offered Jay to stay with Jamie.”
It had been a remarkably civil conversation overall, with only a few curses and threats of decapitation. Perhaps Danny was right. Perhaps Roman was learning to let go of some of his and Lucien’s sordid history.
Jay made a sound of distress in the pool. “Me? Are you sure? I— With Gabe and Soren—”
Ah. The time Jay had been victim to a snapped neck, leaving Gabe and Soren to deal with Hendrick.
Danny opened his eyes, turning to Jay with a soft look. “That was different, sweetie,” he soothed. “That was a raging psycho specifically targeting them. This is just some rogue feral vamp. He won’t be after Jamie.” He smiled sweetly at the nervous vampire. “We trust you with this.”
Jay nodded uncertainly, but his cheeks still flushed at Danny’s reassurance.
Roman had been reluctant to bring him with them but had ultimately caved to Danny’s pleading. He was fond enough of Jay, but Lucien put Roman on edge in a way he was loath to have others bear witness to. But he was glad he’d acquiesced. Jay seemed so delighted by every little facet of their trip. And the little vampire hadn’t had much joy in his life until now.
Roman supposed this was his new cross to bear—coming to care for the people Danny selected for their inner circle.
It wasn’t in Roman’s nature to care for the vampires around him—other than Soren, who’d wormed his way under Roman’s skin long ago—but Jay’s delight made Danny happy, and that in turn pleased Roman beyond measure.
Roman didn’t even mind the way Jay’s gaze was fixed on his wandering fingers and the way they trailed over Danny’s bare skin. Anyone else would have set Roman’s demon on a rampage, but there was a guileless curiosity to the way Jay watched them. It was hard to be too displeased with him even in that.
