I played with James’s hair at the back of his neck, thumb brushing the mark hidden in his hairline. Some of his tension visibly melted away at my touch.
Sipping their coffee, Shiloh watched us from across the table. They studied the way James leaned into my palm. Their hands tightened around their mug as if they were resisting the urge to join in.
“We’llrespect your space, Shi,” I said. “But I think I speak for both of us when I say that you can initiate contact any time you want to.”
James stiffened, but he was easily assuaged as I brushed our mate mark again.
Shi’s gaze flicked to his. “Are you okay?”
James tossed a banal smile in my direction, and I suddenly realized what that spike of panic had been about: Luke.
Neither of us quite understood the difference between Luke and Shiloh. On the surface, there were plenty—outside of the fact that Luke had nearly killed us. The corners of my mouth quirked into a grin, and I did what I did best: I played it off with a joke. “James isn’t accustomed to sharing—ow!”
He’d elbowed me in the ribs.
But there wasone major difference: Webothwanted Shiloh. When I’d slept with Luke, I was hurt and angry, desperately searching for some way to soothe the raging emotions I felt over my first heartbreak in a long time. That wasn’t the case with Shi. It was true that I’d felt the pull before James, but when I’d admitted to kissing their cheek and he hadn’t so much as flinched, I realized he felt the same way. Shiloh wasn’t a replacement, they were anadditionto our relationship.
“Neither am I,” Shi said, spinning their mug in their hands. “The only thing I am sure of is that I want open communication. This isn’t going to work if we’re hiding things from each other. Got it?”
“Of course,” James agreed, and I nodded.
“Good.” Shi took a deep breath, an awkward silence settling over the table. “What now?”
“Right now,” James said, “you two finish your meal. I need to get dressed, and then the three of us have a bar to run.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Shi asked as James took his cup to the sink.
“Already did when you were in the shower,” he lied, pretty convincingly too. I grimaced, feeling a pang of guilt, but Shi began to eat without any further arguments.
James kissed the top of my head, whispering in my ear that we’d talk about it later and rounded the table, giving Shiloh the same attention before walking out the door, like it was the most natural thing in the world. As he left the room, I shared a grin with Shiloh and realized with excitement that we had the same expression on our faces.
Chapter 11
“Hey, Shi Baby.”
“I don’t like the tone of your voice,” they sing-sang without looking up from their counting. “It sounds like you’re coming to bother me.”
“How do you know that?” That’s exactly what I was doing, but damn it, I loved teasing them—especially when they looked up from the register to smile at me likethat. Even if itwasmatched with an eye roll.
“Did James kick you out of the office again?” they asked.
“What do you mean, ‘again?’” I demanded. They paused to arch a brow at me. “Okay, fair enough.”
“Give me thirty seconds or I’ll lose my place.”
“You already did that stack. Twice.” I pulled myself onto the wooden rail, begrudgingly keeping my distance while they finished.
“I like to be sure.”
“Is that why you’re so nervous around us?”
They glanced at me, returning the cash to the drawer and slamming it shut. Where I expected them to bypass the question entirely, they surprised the hell out of me. “Yeah, it is.” They knocked my legs apart, situating themself in the space betweenthem. My heart stuttered, and a warmth in my chest told me James felt it too. Shi continued, “You saw how I was after my ex left. Can you blame me?”
For a moment, I simply sat there. Shi gazed up at me, their beautiful eyes shining beneath the lights. They blinked, dark lashes brushing freckled cheekbones. God, they were gorgeous. My fingers twitched on the countertop to either side of me, aching to run a finger over their soft skin.
I wasn’t surprised when I caught my vampire standing in the entrance to the hallway, watching us eagerly. I briefly glanced up, long enough to see him nod, then I acted. I lifted my hand, catching one of Shi’s curls around my finger. I could feel James’s interest pique through the bond.
“No, Shiloh,” I said gently, “I don’t blame you. But let me take the opportunity to tell you that your ex is an idiot.”
