I can feel Ellis’ gaze burning into the side of my face as I nod, but then he crosses the room to offer Catherine his arm. “Let me walk you to your room, Mom.”
She sighs, leaning on him while Jenny quietly follows them towards the door. “You look tired,” Catherine murmurs, patting his arm. “I hope you’re not pushing yourself too hard for those vultures. Remember, Hollywood pays a million dollars for a smile, but a penny for your soul…”
Their voices drift away, and I let out a breath as Tristan joins me, his hands sliding around my waist. “Soulmates, huh?”
I laugh and rest my head on his shoulder. “I already knew you were a unicorn.”
He hums as he backs me towards the kitchen, propping me against the marble island while he gets a bottle of wine from thefridge. He grabs three glasses but leaves the third on the counter as he saunters towards me with the bottle in hand. “I don’t know if I’mthatspecial, but the way I feel about you definitely is.”
Those wings are now fluttering against my ribcage, and I lean against him as he pours our drinks. “Ditto.”
“The truth is,” he purrs, handing me a glass and clinking them together, “I want to taste you more than this very expensive bottle of wine.”
I take a sip and moan, because the wine is delicious. He smiles at my reaction, and I can’t resist tracing the curve of his lips with my finger. “Why can’t you have both at the same time?”
“Now who’s full of helpful observations?” He places his drink on the counter and presses his wine-chilled mouth to mine. As always, I melt under the touch of his lips, and he groans as he pulls away. “I think this is doing the opposite of quenching my thirst.”
I smirk at the hungry look in his eyes. “Maybe you should have some more wine.”
“Maybe.” He plants his hands on my hips, backing me towards the walk-in pantry. “But I think I’d prefer to get drunk on your delicious slick.”
I groan, equal parts shocked and aroused. “Who knew such a pretty mouth could be so naughty?”
Heat and amusement dance in his hazel eyes. “You like my dirty talk, sweetheart? Then you better brace yourself, because I can get kind of chatty when I’m really turned on.”
I groan and he smirks, kissing me so deeply I stumble against a shelf of canned goods. As he redirects me towards a small counter, I grip the edge and glance at the door. “Shouldn’t we wait for Ellis?” He chuckles, low and suggestive, and I roll my eyes. “I mean, to check that he’s okay.”
He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes tinged with sadness. “He’ll probably stay with her a while. It’s rare for Catherine to be lucid for so long.”
I grimace in sympathy. “It’s so hard. She’s got such a light about her.”
“Yeah.” He rests our foreheads together for a moment, then presses his hand to his heart. “I can feel his pain through our bond, but there’s excitement there, too.” I look at him curiously and he nods at the door. “My guess is he’ll come looking for us, sooner rather than later.”
I bite my lip, thinking of everything Ellis has been through. Right now, he’s dealing with a loss I can’t even fathom, and I wonder what it would take to ease even a little bit of that hurt.
Smiling into Tristan’s eyes, I turn him until he’s leaning against the counter and slowly lower myself to my knees. “Then maybe we should give him something to smile about.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN – ELLIS
Pleasure courses through my bond with Tristan, and I follow that glowing thread like a drowning man tugging on a lifeline. I pause in the kitchen, taking in the open bottle of wine on the bench, but my nose leads me towards the walk-in pantry. It’s the size of a small bedroom, and is so meticulously organized, it might as well have been stocked by an End of Days prepper. But the last thing on my mind is Ot’s storage techniques as I edge the door open and feel my breath catch in my throat.
Because Lily is…
On. Her. Knees.
Tristan is sprawled against a bread board, one hand gripping the edge while the other is buried in Lily’s golden curls. Her bandana – with laughing frogs in rain boots on it – has been tossed to the floor, and her glorious hair is spilling down her back. It seems to absorb every inch of light in the pantry, each wild curl gleaming as she lavishes attention on my mate’s cock…
I groan, kicking the door closed behind me as I gape at the intoxicating sight.
My first thought is that I clearly don’t give Tristan’s perfect dick the attention it deserves.
Because the filthy praise falling from his lips? I’m surprised the row of champagne bottles behind him haven’t popped their corks in excitement.
“Fuck,” I gurgle, feeling my skin throb with need. “I know this is a private moment, but please let me stay and watch.”
Tristan smirks in my direction, his hazel eyes hazy with the pleasure flooding our bond. “This is Lily’s scene,” he smirks, gnawing on his pink bottom lip. “She wanted to give us both something to smile about.”
Lily hums in agreement, and the husky sound sends a shudder through me like I’ve been hit by lightning. Not to mention what it does to Tristan, given his cock is buried in her throat. Biting back a whimper at the pleasure smeared across his face, I stagger deeper into the pantry, hooking out a wooden stool tucked under a bench. It’s not the most comfortable perch in the house, but I need to get off my feet before I end up on my knees as well.
