I can let them do this, let them take care of me for today, and tomorrow I’ll go back to fending for myself. I’ll make all my own meals and I won’t get dependent on them.
“Go take a shower, omega. Get comfortable.”
I glance down at the leggings and sweatshirt I’ve spent the day in. I’m not sure it gets much more comfortable than that, but I do feel gross and so I don’t argue with him.
“Any room?”
Piers nods. “Whatever one you like, though I would recommend taking the suite that has the walk-in closet and the bathroom attached. Then you won’t have to share with the rest of us.”
He says it causally, like it’s just a suggestion, but I’m pretty sure it’s not. That is the room they want me to take. And that’ssolidified when Grieves moves to where our luggage is stacked neatly and grabs my bag.
“I’ll show you.”
The room in question is beautiful, sumptuous, a little old fashioned like the rest of the apartment, but still gorgeously decorated in the Ashbourne tartan periwinkle blue and creams. More charming rather than garish.
Grieves slides my bag onto the bed and glances around, running one hand through his hair, like he might be second guessing putting me in this room. But it doesn’t really matter to me, so long as it has a bed and a door I can close to keep them out, that’s all I need.
He drops his hand and looks at me, assessing. “Do you need anything else?”
I tuck my hands into the arms of my sweatshirt and shake my head. “No, thank you. Just want to wash the travel off my skin.”
He nods slowly, and then approaches me even slower, a predator moving toward prey, giving me ample time to retreat if I need it. I don’t move anywhere. Just stay with my feet planted following his advance until my head is tilted back to meet his gaze.
“I’m worried,” he admits, gruffly, as his thunderstorm scent tickles my nose.
“About what?” I ask not bothering to hide my surprise. Not that he’s worried, but that he’d tell me about it. Grieves isn’t exactly a sharer.
One corner of his mouth twitches. “You. Always about you. I’m worried it was a mistake to bring you here.”
My hand drifts up and latches onto his soft black shirt, stretching the fabric a bit as I tug on it. “It was my choice to come.”
He cups my shoulders, rubbing his hands up and down easing some of the tensions I’ve been carrying since I agreed to follow the Ashbourne pack to another country. “I know. I still think it might be a mistake.” He pauses. “This isn’t what you want, bubbles. And it’s killing me that you’re here.”
“Again, it’s my choice to be here, bruiser. You all-you need time to figure out what you want. Piers needs time.” Grieves opens his mouth to argue with me, but I don’t give him the chance. “I know he says that he wants to be with me no matter what, but he’s never reallybeenwith your pack. He deserves to see what it’s like when he’s a public member, when everyone knows that he’s an Ashbourne. And once that happens… Once he’s seen, he can make the decision.”
I just really hope it’s me he decides he wants. I want them all to want me.
Grieves’ hands slide up to either side of my neck, holding me in place gently with his calloused hands. “I don’t think he’s going to change his mind, bubbles. But I think the rest of us might.”
My heart flutters and lurches, battering against my ribs almost painfully in its hope. It only gets worse as he continues. “I know I already have. I’m with you, no matter what the queen wants, or Forsythe decides. I’ve seen what it’s like to be a fully accepted member of the Ashbourne pack and I can tell you, it’s not worth losing you.”
I shake my head, but he stills the movement with his hands on my face. “Don’t shake your head at me, Florence.” His thumb strokes my lower lip. “You are worth more than everything. You mean more than everything. You’re it, love.”
I’m not sure what he means by ‘it’, but the statement still makes my heart thud painfully in my chest. Or maybe not the statement itself, but the absolute devotion I see in his eyes.Grieves doesn’t speak a lot, but when he does, I know he means the words.
“Grieves,” I breathe, gripping his wrists, holding him to me. I just barely resist the urge to pull him into my body, to wrap him in my arms and burrow into his big warm chest.
He bends and presses the barest of kisses against my mouth, before pulling back. “Take a shower, bubbles. We’ll take care of things out here, yeah?”
Episode 21: Huffs, Puffs and Heavy Petting
Florence
By the time I’ve showered and changed, the air in the apartment smells like tomato-y, cheesy goodness, and my stomach is all but devouring itself.
I wander into the main room to find Piers humming in the kitchen as he pulls a beautifully golden brown lasagna out of the oven. He grins when he sees me. “Perfect timing, little bird. This just needs to cool for a minute or two and then we can eat.”
I return his smile. “Good, I’m starving.”
