"Thank you, Rory," he says quietly.
I pull back but keep him close to me, stroking the back of his neck. He shudders beneath me, heat warming in his eyes and taking away the darkness.
"As long as you need, Mav," I whisper.
"You guys coming?"
I drop my hand quickly and look over my shoulder at Luc who's grinning wildly. I don't look at Mav's smirking face.
"Yeah," I say, stepping away from Mav and out the door.
I don't slow but I catch the first bit of their conversation.
"What was that about?" Luc asks. “Pretty sure Jace called dibs years ago.”
"Come on, Luc. Don't tell me you don't feel it too." I don't catch the rest of what Maverick says.
Mason's smirking when I come in. I sit down between him and Jace who's head of the table. Jace hands me my glass of whiskey from earlier which I instantly sip. Luc’s words swirl around my head.
Maverick and Luc join us and we dig in.
Groans of appreciation instantly fill the air and I smile behind the rim of my glass.
"Where did you learn to make this?" Alec asks.
"Jace's mum taught me a few years back," I tell them, twirling spaghetti around my fork.
"Ah, Helen makes the best food," Mason raves. I nod, grinning.
"My parents are going to freak when I tell them we found you," Happiness glimmers in Jace’s eyes.
A pinch of sadness hits me. Helen and Devon were like parents to me. A second chance at a family after Mum died. I didn't just leave Jace, I also left them.
"Maybe we'll have to go visit," I throw out there.
It's instantly silent and uncomfortable.
"Unless there's something wrong with that," I add quietly when no one says anything.
"No," Luc quickly jumps in. “Maybe once you're healed though. It would be a long drive."
I don't miss the way the guys are all trying to catch his gaze but he focuses on his plate.
"Ok," I murmur. Jace grabs my hand under the table, squeezing gently.
I’m thankful for it. It’s hard not to be clingy.
I never want to let him go.
The table’s quiet for a while. All of us stuck in our own thoughts.
"Has anyone checked to see what work we missed today?" Alec asks the group.
Everyone minus Jace groans.
"Fuck no, man. You only check when they tell you to do shit," Maverick tells Alec through a mouthful of food.
Alec pushes food around his bowl with a neutral expression on his face.
