Page 18 of The Bunny Blues

My jaw nearly hit the floor.

Quin, who had a reputation for being an untouchable tough guy to everyone other than Reese, had his face buried in Ellora’s plush fur.

Was… Was he giving her belly kisses?

“Hey! What’s wrong with you, weirdo!” Reese jumped up, preparing to rescue Ellora from Quin’s uncharacteristic behavior.

“Hold on.” Monroe held out an arm, stopping Reese. “Rabbits are small, but we can be vicious when needed. Ellora is accepting his attention. If she didn’t want to be touched, she would’ve already kicked the crap out of his face.”

We continued to stare at the small black bunny being smothered in cuddles by one of the toughest wolves in the pack.

“Maybe she’s just too scared of upsetting him?” When Quin started cooing, Reese looked about two seconds away from barfing. “I’d kill any guy who kissed my belly like that in my human or wolf form.”

Monroe laughed. “You have a lot to learn about rabbit behavior. Ellora is completely relaxed, not tense. She’s enjoying his attention.”

I studied the beautiful smoke-furred bunny my brother was hogging. Monroe was right; she seemed to be leaning into his touch. When Quin’s cheek brushed against her face, Ellora’s blue eyes fluttered closed as though savoring the contact.

Still, he could have shown a little more restraint. She was going to think we were insane.

Kneeling beside Quin, I extracted Ellora from his hold, despite his complaints. His eyes glittered with threats of the violence he was planning to inflict on me the next time I slept, but I ignored him. We were evenly matched, and I was more than willing to fight him over Ellora.

I sat the bunny on the floor in front of me. Unable to resist, I stroked my finger against her soft cheek before resting my hands in my lap.

“I apologize for my brother’s…” Pausing, I smacked his hand away and ignored his warning growl. “Weirdness. I swear we aren’t absolute freaks.”

“Speak for yourself.” Quin’s voice was low and husky.

Ellora’s ears angled toward him as though she was drawn to the sound.

I sighed. “Ignore him. Would it be okay if I held you? My wolf is begging me to touch you.” Everyone in the room probably heard the strain in my words.

It couldn’t be helped; I needed to touch her, or I thought I might lose control of my wolf.

Ellora hopped forward, resting her tiny front paw on my knee. My heart nearly exploded at her overwhelming cuteness. I gently lifted her from the ground and tucked her into the crook of my arm.

Stroking my fingers down her back, I caught my breath at how soft her dark fur was against my skin. “I feel like I’m petting a cloud.”

Snickers came from somewhere in the room—probably the alpha and betas—but I didn’t care. Nothing mattered to me except the sweet bunny in my arms.

Ellora’s muscles relaxed, causing my wolf to prance around with pride. She trusted us.

Quin shifted positions so he was close enough to run his fingers along the velvet of her ear. “Her fur is the same color as our wolves.”

“I hadn’t realized it, but you’re right.” Her hair was a soft dove gray at the base that darkened as it moved up the hair shaft until it turned a dark black at the tip. It gave her fur a beautiful smoke-like ombre effect… Just like my brother’s and my fur.

“You’re so beautiful, Ellora,” I whispered.

The tiny rabbit in my arms trembled, and I winced, worried I’d overstepped. My concerns faded when she snuggled against my chest.

“Awww,” Quin and I cooed in unison.

Loud gagging came from the doorway, and I jerked to look over my shoulder. Reese was bent over, pretending to vomit.

“Seriously, sis?” Quin grunted.

Reese straightened and walked toward us. “Well, excuse me for having a weak stomach. Today was weird, but the last thing I expected to see was my two bad boy brothers fawning over a bunny—a seriously cute bunny—but still.” She affectionately smacked the back of our heads. “What happened? You two have turned down every woman who worked up the courage to invite you out on a date!”

They weren’t Ellora. I kept the thought to myself, choosing to remain silent.

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