Page 88 of The Merciless

“I feel so loved.”

Ray pressed her lips together when she felt Angel muffle his laugh against her waist. His shoulders shook further when Vera just turned away from her cousin and looked at Luke,

“I was worried.”

“Wow.”

Rayhadto look away when she heard a faint wheeze leave Angel’s lips. She could tell the others were trying their best not to break as Luke’s grin widened,

“I know.”

Vera’s eyes flashed, a growl leaving her throat as she took a step forward and mimickedstranglinghim from a distance. Luke didn’t even lean back. Just angled his face upwards to give her higher access.

Ray put her face in her hands, breathless with attempts to keep herself from bursting out laughing as Angel shook against her waist.

“Jesus,” she whispered just as she heard Angel’s murmur against her skin,

“Fuck.”

Ray peeked through her fingers to see Vera take a step back and turn away from Luke without another word and grinned when she saw the boy get off his seat and stretch his hands above his head before following her calmly. Vera shook her head again and snapped over her shoulder,

“Don’t fucking follow me.”

“Okay.”

And continued to follow her out the door.

“Luke, I swear to fucking G–”

Luke only nodded solemnly before placing a hand on her lower back and leading her out calmly,

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He murmured as if he were talking to a child and led both of them out of the penthouse. The door shut behind them with a soft click, leaving them awake and enthralled. A curtain of silence fell upon them. Ray breathed out, biting her lower lip to keep herself from saying anything when a sound broke through the atmosphere.

The strangled sound echoed through the room as Angel tried and failed miserably in muffling his laughter against her skin. And with that one sound, the entire room broke.

Ray grinned widely and looked to her side to watch Angel roll to his back and laugh out loud, his body shaking as he placed a hand against his forehead. Other laughs and hoots followed him soon enough, lighting up the room like never before.

“I have never–” Christina wheezed, her voice erupting another round of breathless laughter as she got up and winced, “Never,seen Luke so satisfied.”

“Ah,” Jack said and covered his eyes with his hand, “This is crazy.”

Ray bit her lip just as Angel moved to sit up beside her, leaning against the sofa as his shoulders shook in muted laughter. She was about to continue when another series of knocks followed their laughter. Her head tilted as Jack barked out a laugh,

“Back already?”

This time it was Irene who twisted on her back to get up and look through the peephole. Ray watched as her tense shoulders loosened and she opened the door wide. Ray wasn’t ready for the surprise, but it came running into her and Angel’s arms like a whirlwind.

A gasp left her throat as Ira ran through the doors and pounced in Ray’s and Angel’s arms. She buried her head against Ray’s shoulder, one of her hands twisted around Angel’s body beside her as she squished all three of them together. Angel shot Ray a glance above her head, his hands hovering away from Ira’s body hesitantly. Ray’s brows furrowed, a wave of panic washing over her as the previous atmosphere washed away,

“Ira?”

The young girl only sniffed loudly against her shoulder.

Ray matched Angel’s calm glance this time, and both moved forward to engulf the girl in their arms.

Grief seemed to knock all breath out of her lungs at the reminder of the timid body. Of the young eyes. But it was slightly better with Angel’s hand reaching behind Ray’s shoulder to rest on the back of her head calmly. Like he knew. Ray heard Ira’s sob again and her heart, it just,brokeas Ira shoved her face further against her.

“She’s been insufferable.” Micah’s voice was emotionless, but Ray could swear she heard a tint of relief in his tone.

---