Hudson snatched it from my hand and shoved it in his jeans pocket. “Let’s do this.”
I climbed out of the car. “Why are you saying it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like it’s a gauntlet.”
He shrugged and strode toward the tree holding up the house. “Because being with you feels like a war.”
I blinked and froze. He spun on his heel and came back to me while swiping a hand down his face. “That came out wrong.”
“I’ll say.”
His hands landed on my hips, and he leaned his forehead against mine. “I want a world where we aren’t trying to pick up the pieces and fight a war with every faction on some level. I want to wake up with you late on a Sunday morning and cook you pancakes in bed before devouring you, over and over.” He walked me backward until I hit the tree.
His fingers curled around my chin, and he tipped my head back so our gazes collided. “I want all of that,” I whispered. “But we didn’t choose this; it chose us. We can’t run, we can’t hide, and even if we could, we aren’t those people.”
“What kind of people are those?”
My fingers wound around his neck, and I clung on to him. “Selfish.”
He huffed a laugh. “I could learn to be when it comes to you. I’m greedy, impulsive, and a little crazy.”
My lips twitched. “Just a little.”
“Am I alone in that? Because we just left a woman with broken fingers that speaks otherwise.”
I narrowed my eyes and yanked on his hair, making him hiss. “Don’t provoke me, Principal.”
“Or what? You’re threatening me with a good time here, little witch.”
I wanted to dance with him like this. Freely, without constraint or a freaking audience. But first...
I let a little of my angelic strength flow and shoved him away from me. He staggered back a step, and his eyes rolled with a green sheen.
“Secrets first.”
He nodded and glanced up at the welcoming house. “You want a lift up?”
I shook my head. “No, I’d rather keep our sanctuary, just that—our sanctuary. We shouldn’t step into it until we’ve shared everything on our minds.”
He folded his arms and raised a brow. Right, okay. I guess I was being the adult and going first. Should I start with the Serpents before moving on to Donn, or the other way around? If I left Donn last, he might forget several people closest to him have a secret group chat, or if I lead with Donn first, then he might not care about it.
Ugh. The mind of a crazy shifter in a mating dance. I had no doubt the dating situation was going to get a more visceral reaction out of him, even if it was the less complicated one.
“Your silence is not reassuring,” Hudson drawled.
I needed to decide this like an adult. Right hand, Donn. Left hand, Serpents. I fisted my hands and held them out in front of me. “Left or right?”
He blinked. “What?”
“Pick one. I have two things I need to tell you, and I can’t decide which one to lead with.”
“Two, huh?”
I wiggled my fists at him. “Right.” He pointed at my left.
“My right or your right?”
