The only problem with this setup was me. Playing house with Meri was much nicer than I'd expected. She did her fair share of the chores - and then some. I actually had to make her stop more often than remind her we'd missed something. And that girl loved cooking!
Spices were a new thing to her, but rather than teach her, Omden and Drozel had shown her their collection, then told her to try what she wanted and to judge by the smell. Yeah, I could do a bit better. So, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners all became a chance for us to discuss what was commonly done, what could be done, and to experiment with anything she wanted to try.
And most of it was good. There had been the goat leg that neither of us could tolerate, but I'd used that as an excuse to take her to Rymar's cafe for a meal. Seeing her wide eyes and excited smiles? The girl was fucking beautiful under all her meek manners and gentle nature.
She was also learning how to be independent. The first day the guys were gone, I'd taken her to the market with me to pick up things for the day's meals. The second day, she'd asked if she could learn the money. Today? She'd done it on her own, picking the things she liked and flipping through the colored bills to find enough to pay the total.
She'd also asked me if it was okay to go on her own now, since she knew the way. Naturally, I'd shown her where the men kept their money, and told her to use that. I knew they'd want her to. Fuck, the truth was, I'd seen how Drozel looked at her. Ommy had to. Drozel tried to say he was protective and just helping, but that big lug of a man had a soft spot for pretty things - like Omden and me.
So, over dishes that night, I decided to test the waters. Ayla had been opposed to any talk about relationships with anyone. I could only guess Meri was worse, since her husband had tortured her for so long! But if people were starting to notice her and get close to her, then some of us needed to know how far would be too far for her to tolerate.
Yes, that someone included me.
"So," I said as I passed her a plate to rinse, "you've never mentioned if your husband turned you off all relationships."
"Me?" she asked, sounding surprised.
"No, the other woman in here," I teased. "Yes, you, Meri! I'm curious who you think is cute, who you can't stand, and all those things. Gossiping about it has always been one of my favorite things. Considering you're now living with a pair of amazingmen..." I let that dangle, hoping she'd give me something to work with.
She glanced away with a little giggle. "Drozel used to scare me. I mean, back before I had the baby. He's so big!"
"Was Gideon a big man?"
She made a face. "Not like that. Tobias is, but not in the same way. He's tall, but not muscular like Dragons are."
"So, are muscles a good thing or a bad one?"
She shrugged. "I think they look nice, but it's hard to remember they won't be used against me, you know? In the compound, we have to pick between young men and old. The young ones are handsome, but so very strong. We know they can kill us if they lose their tempers - and you know how men are. But the old ones were... old."
"Yeah, I'm not into old," I agreed. "I think a decade more than me is about as much as I could tolerate. More as I get older, though. When I was your age, it was closer to a few years."
"How old are you, Lessa?" she asked.
"Twenty-eight."
"I'll be twenty-one in a few more months," she said. "Just after the new year."
"Child," I teased, winking to make sure she didn't take it wrong.
And her laugh? Wow. I didn't often get to hear a completely honest laugh from her, but every single time one slipped out, it took my breath away. This woman was amazing - and young. And naive. I had to remind myself of both those things, because to Meri, they were important ones.
"But do you like the muscles on the men up here?" I pressed. "Like maybe Drozel's?"
She smiled and her cheeks flushed slightly. "Is it stupid that I like his limbs?"
"Limbs?" I asked incredulously. "That is not the way I'd say it."
"Well, his forearms and his thighs. I mean, calves too, and his hands are amazing. Then there's his tail!" Then she winced, a little grunt coming out with it. "Oh, but I shouldn't say that about Omden's partner. Or... yours?"
"I'm not sure Drozel and I are at the partner stage," I admitted.
"But would you be?"
"Wouldyoube?" I countered.
And she paused, forgetting to even rinse the glass she now held. "But he's with Omden."
"And you just askedmeabout him," I reminded her. "Meri, they have an agreement that works for both of them. Drozel entertains himself with whoever catches his eye and tells his best friend - Omden - about it. Ommy gets to laugh and cuddle while they talk about it, and sometimes that turns into more, and sometimes it doesn't."
