Why had Onyx gotten so upset? Why had he gone from hot to cold in a single breath?
Plagued by these questions, I had tossed and turned all night before giving up on sleep and rolling out of bed. Lake had, fortunately, woken when I’d gotten up and stepped out into the hall after me, guiding me to the kitchen. He’d stayed with me as I paced and gathered what I needed for snickerdoodle cookies.
And oatmeal raisin.
Also, a batch of cranberry scones because you could never have too many choices when it came to sweets. The more, the merrier. The scones had been baked to perfection and currently sat on the counter cooling.
“Does this have anything to do with that kiss you told us about last night?” Rowan had gone over to sit beside Lake at the table, watching him whittle.
The spoonful of cookie dough plopped into the floor. “What? No, of course not. Not at all.”
“Lying doesn’t suit you, little treasure. You’re too bad at it.”
Lake nodded his agreement, again without looking up. His tail slowly wagged, brushing the back of his chair. “Must have been some kiss.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I mumbled. “A kiss I doubt will ever happen again.”
Honest communication was the most important thing in making relationships like ours work, so I’d wasted no time in telling them about the kiss once we were all together yesterday. Much to my relief, none of them had been bothered by it.
“Give him time,” Rowan said. “Gods know I didn’t make it easy for you either. Before meeting you, I was well-versed in fucking but had never kissed anyone. Saw no point in it. Then you came along and sent my mind reeling. You made me want things I never had before. Romance. Commitment.”
“Bread.”
He laughed, showing a peek of his fang-like tooth. “What can I say? No other bread tastes like yours.”
Once the batch of snickerdoodle cookies was in the oven, I cleaned up the dough I’d dropped on the floor before going over to the sink and washing my hands. Through the window, I only saw darkness. Hopefully, the sun would rise soon.
Was Lord Onyx awake yet? Would he come down to the kitchen for his morning cup of tea? Or would he try to avoid me?
Lake set aside his whittling tool and half-finished piece before coming over and wrapping his arms around me.
“I’m okay,” I said, comforted by his scent. Peaches and spring water. “Just in my head.”
“You need more coffee.” He kissed my hair before grabbing the container of beans I’d ground earlier. It had been the fuel I needed to prepare and bake the scones before starting on the cookies. “It will make you smile.”
My heart warmed. “Not as much as you do.”
A blush darkened his pale cheeks.
“Coffee.” Lake nuzzled my forehead. “Now.”
“You bossing me around, Mr. Wolf?” I asked. He was too damn cute, especially with how his fluffy tail kept wagging.
“Only trying to keep you happy,” he responded. “Otherwise, Rowan will call you a sad toad.”
I choked on a laugh. A similar sound came from the feisty redhead sitting at the table. One leg was curled in his chair, and he’d kicked the other up on the wall beside him. I swear, the boy couldn’t sit normally to save his life.
Once the coffee was brewed, I refilled my mug and poured another for Rowan. Lake was sipping tea.
Steps neared the kitchen before Briar appeared in the doorway. He looked hot as fuck in a cream-colored tunic that had a wide neck, exposing the sexy collar bone I loved to nibble. He also had a major case of bed head.
“Hey, you.” I padded over and greeted him. “Why are you up so early?”
“Because I woke to find you gone.” Briar glided his knuckles along my jaw. “Did you sleep at all last night?”
“A little,” I said. Light dozing counted, right?
He sighed. “Not enough judging by the circles under your eyes. I’ll brew you a tonic to help you sleep tonight.”
