Orla gave me a wry smile. “You don’t have to be so quiet. He won’t wake up.”
As she said the words, Nash shifted closer, pressing his face against my thigh. It was kind of cute, but it wrenched home what had brought me here in the first place. How he’d neededmeto calm him the fuck down when Orla had been right fuckin’ there.
I need them both. I’d lost count of the times he’d said that in his tortured sleep. Could only deal with it because he didn’t seem torturednow.
Orla sat on the edge of the bed, reminding me that I’d asked her a question. “It started after his uncle died. Got smashed off his bike by a drunk driver. It doesn’t happen often these days, but it always comes back if he’s burned out.”
Made sense. I drained half my tea and set the mug aside, scooting over as much as I could without jostling Nash. “Come here.”
Orla slipped under my arm like this was fuckin’ normal.
I buried my face in her hair like I did in my dreams. The ones where Nash was right here with us.
Fuck. Was I even awake right now? Add in the fact that the last time I’d seen Orla I’d had my tongue in her mouth and my hands roaming her curves, and I was going with anotherno.
“This is nice.” Orla traced a wicked finger over the caged bird inked on my chest. “Does it mean something?”
“Probably.”
Orla hummed, the vibration warming my ribcage. “You don’t want to talk about it?”
“Not right now, queenie.”
“Never is fine, too. You don’t owe anyone your soul,Lockie.”
I laughed, but it was drowned out by an unholy growl from my empty belly.
Orla slid her hand to my bare stomach. “Hungry?”
“What do you think?
“Lots of things.” Orla raked her nails over my abs. “Want me to tell you about them?”
Her touch had more purpose than she likely knew.
I caught her hand. “Careful. Unless you want me to poke his eye out.”
It was a warning, not a joke, but it lightened the mood. Orla’s filthy grin stretched a mile wide, and she kissed my cheek before unfurling herself from my arms. “I’m going to finish up the bathroom, then go with Rubi to get the breakfast on.”
I opened my mouth to protest.
Orla tapped a finger to her lips and opened the window blind just a little. “I’ll be with Rubi the whole time and you can watch me from right there.”
“Rubi isn’t your bodyguard.”
“No, he’s worse. Blood of my blood, remember?”
“All I remember fromGame of Thronesis Pedro Pascal kissing boys.”
“Jealous?”
“Right now?” I cast a pointed glance at Nash still sleeping beside me. Last night, his state of mind had trumped the fact that he’d beennakedthe entire time. That if it hadn’t been dark and I’d been so inclined, I could’ve acquainted myself,visually, with every inch of him. This morning, even with Orla no longer in my arms, it was almost all I could think about.
Almost. “Can you grab my phone from my room? So you can text me if you want to go anywhere else?”
“I’m not going anywhere else. Decoy is opening the sales desk today.”
“Get it anyway.”
