“Anna!” Nickie called when she saw her, jogging across the pool deck in a way that caused her massive breasts to bob like buoys beneath the robe. They turned out to be quite firm when they pressed into Laina’s chest as the woman embraced her. “I ran into Kyle, and he said I could come over for a soak. The west wing pool is being cleaned.” She eyed Jason. “And you! I thought you were going to call me?”
“I thought you were going back to Chicago.”
“They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” Nickie bit her lip as she pulled him into a hug that lasted ten seconds longer than a hug between strangers should last. Laina drilled Jason with a stare, then realized that Nickie must be the model he’d spent the night with when they’d first arrived in Sable Creek.
“Come, soak with me,” Nickie said. She threaded her fingers into Jason’s and led him to the hot tub. Jason raised an eyebrow at Laina before shedding his jacket and lifting his shirt to expose a torso that was ripped by human standards. Despite all the corded muscle, Laina winced at how much weight he’d lost the last three years and wondered if losing Jessica at the same time as their parents had affected him in more ways than he let on.
Jason reached for his fly, making it obvious he intended to go in sans swimsuit. Laina glanced away until dual splashes signaled he and Nickie were under the bubbling water.
Kicking off her shoes and rolling up her pant legs, Laina settled on the edge opposite Nickie and dipped her feet in.
“Oh, how cute. You two have matching tattoos.” Nickie eyed the phoenix on Jason’s shoulder.
He darted a glance to Laina, who unconsciously rubbed the sleeve of her sweater.
“Oh, I can’t see it now, but I remember the design from when you were being painted. I’ve never seen a brother and sister with the same tattoo before.” Her platinum bob swayed as her glance darted from one to the other.
Jason’s gaze drifted across the pool. He ran a hand through his hair and tugged at his earlobe. Clearly, he didn’t know how to answer the question. Laina rolled her eyes. She supposed she was technically alpha in Silas’s absence.
“Did I say something wrong?” Nickie asked.
The muscles around Laina’s lips tightened. “We got them when our parents died. It’s a painful subject.” It was also a lie. Their pack tattoos had been inscribed into their skin as part of a sacred ceremony following their first shift, well before their parents’ deaths.
“Oh,” she squeaked in an almost cartoonish voice, placing her perfectly manicured fingers over her lips. “I’m such an idiot.”
“You couldn’t have known,” Jason said with a smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Let’s talk about something else,” Laina suggested.
“Yeah. Like, why are you living in the east wing?” Nickie glared at Laina. “Are you sleeping with Kyle Kingsley?”
Laina almost choked on her tongue and started coughing furiously. “Why would you think that?”
“Because the rest of the girls stay in the west wing. You do know you are the first girl ever to stay in Kyle’s private residence. Not just here, but anywhere.”
“I’m training his dog. I have my own room.” Laina scratched her nose, her gaze darting toward the pool.
Nickie leaned back and brushed a hair from her face. “Hmm. I guess I read that one wrong. The day he found that box you left, I thought he was going to blow a gasket. I didn’t see what the big deal was. I had a theory that it was just an excuse to find you.”
Laina stiffened. “Did you say Kyle found the box?” She’d assumed it was someone else, perhaps an ogre or fae who’d been working in the kitchen. Jason made eye contact. She knew what he was thinking. If Kyle could find the box, it meant he wasn’t human.
“No. I think it was Kyle. I didn’t actually see the box—I was in the locker room—but he came into the staging area, yelling about finding it and grilling everyone. He’d printed your picture from the security cameras and demanded any information anyone had about you. I told him you went by Anna. What was in the box anyway?”
“I’m not supposed to talk about it,” Laina said.
“Oh.” Nickie shrugged. She snuggled in next to Jason in the water. Laina quickly felt like a third wheel.
“I better check on Milo.”
“Later.” Jason gave her a little wave, before focusing all his attention on Nickie.
Laina scooped up her shoes and headed inside, leaving them to each other’s company.
* * *
“The housekeeper saidI’d find you in here.” Jason entered the library two hours later, looking slightly disheveled but, thankfully, fully dressed.
“Enjoy yourself, brother?”
