James didn’t say anything else, but we both came to a silent understanding that we weren’t moving—not even when Carlos crashed through the gate and came to inspect the person sleeping on the couch. James shrunk away from him but otherwise stayed right next to Shi. I stared at the TV, which I’d muted so I could count Shi’s every breath.
Leaning against James’s leg, I hadn’t realized I dozed off until Shi snatched my hand back into their hair. Snickering, Ihappily resumed twisting their curls around my finger. I’d do it all damn night if that’s what they wanted.
When James spoke, I nearly jumped out of my skin. “What are we going to do?”
I didn’t have to ask what he was talking about. When we first started dating, Kian’s older brother, Luke, had a crush on me, and it nearly ripped James and me apart. I couldn’t handle James’s jealousy, and he was adamant that he didn’t share.
I, ah, didn’t help matters by sleeping with the guy when James broke things off with me. Not my finest moment. Though, in fairness to my long and sordid past, not my worst either.
I’d always been a flirt, and James had a hard time dealing with that at first. Then Shiloh came along, and at first I thought they were the exception to his earlier claim that he refused to share. Later, I realized the truth. James didn’t have a problem with sharing, he had a problem withLuke. So we were both shocked whenJamesdeveloped feelings for Shiloh alongside me. He gave Shi looks out of the corner of his eye when he thought no one was looking, and I hadn’t forgotten the way his body respondedafter they caught us outside the bar.
Luke had brought nothing but tension and stress, driving a wedge between us from the moment he walked through the door at Liz’s. Shiloh, however, swept into the bar and slotted right into our lives like they belonged there. The three of us could work an entire shift without speaking a single word and it wouldn’t be awkward. I’m assuming. I’d never actually been able to go that long without talking.
Shiloh met every cocky line I threw their way, and had a bond with James that I couldn’t quite explain. It was like the two just… worked together. They clicked almost as quickly as he and I had. Couple that with a deep-seated need to protect them that we both seemed to have, and it made for a lot of very complicated feelings.
But it wasn’t time to address any of those feelings. Right now, the only thing we needed to do was get our Shi Baby through to morning. Once we helped them with their family drama, we could take a look at how they fit into our relationship.
Damn it. I’d never wished more than in that moment that vampiresweretelepathic. I gazed down at the sleeping person next to me. “Why don’t we talk about that another time?”
The way James sagged in relief didn’t go unnoticed. “I’m okay with that.”
Chapter 3
Somehow,I woke upunderneathShiloh. James must have moved me when I fell asleep. Shi laid on my chest, arm tight around my waist and legs entwined through mine. They were so still that at first I wasn’t entirely sure they were breathing. I held my own breath, flattening a hand across their back and only relaxing once they moved beneath my palm. Since they were sleeping soundly, I didn’t dare bother them.
Movement from the edge of the room caught my eye, and I glanced over to see James emerging from the hallway. His hair was damp, and even from across the room, the scent of his soap sent my body into overdrive.
“You need me to move them?” he asked me.
Possessively, my grip tightened around them. “I’m good for now. Let them sleep.” I stifled a yawn. “I didn’t mean to doze off. I’m sorry.”
The last thing I remembered was James and I fighting off laughter over what was happening on the TV. I wasn’t even sure what we were watching, but we somehow found the silent foolishness hilarious.
“Don’t apologize.” James bent down to kiss me on the forehead, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Humans need their sleep after all,” he added with a teasing lilt to his voice.
“Supernatural bastard,” I muttered. James thumbed across the mark on my neck, which tingled beneath his touch. “Why didn’t it work?”
James shook his head. “I’m not sure it didn’t. The venom’s there—I can see it in your veins. But you should definitely be showing symptoms by now, much less feelingsomething.”
Grimacing, I wiggled beneath the person sleeping on me. “The only thing I feel is Shi’s elbow digging into my bladder.”
I squirmed, waking Shiloh up. They stirred, and although I hoped they’d settle again, their pretty camo eyes fluttered open, then widened when Shi realized they were lying on top of me. “Shit, I’m so sorry!”
They launched upright, swaying on the spot. I was slower to sit up, holding onto them until they steadied. “Easy,” I said soothingly. “You got pretty sick last night.”
“Ugh, not again.” They glanced around the room, taking in their surroundings. “How did I get here?”
“You demanded that Michael bring you here,” James answered. I wanted to make a joke about how they clung to James like a koala, but even I knew when to refrain.
“Mybrother,Michael?” Groaning, they dropped their head into their hands. “How much did I have to drink?”
“We don’t know,” I told them. “You were wasted when you got here.”
Silence, and they glanced between the two of us. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” James said before I could open my mouth. “We’re only glad you felt comfortable enough to come to us.”
And with that, my vampire turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
