Page 184 of Power Shift

Instead, there’s a moment of peace where I get to catch my breath.

“You’re perfect,” Jasper breathes out.

“I’m tired.”

“Perfectly tired,” Dash corrects with a wink.

The nest smells like sex, and the sheets are soiled. I should have let someone change them out hours ago, maybe days ago, I’m not sure. Yet here they are.

My first meal since returning home from the clinic was a cold, blackened grilled cheese that Landon hand fed me, and I’m hungry again. Still, I stay collapsed over Jasper’s chest and wait for his knot to deflate before bringing any of that up.

“Can one of you ask Clover how Sadie’s doing?” I whisper, letting my eyes close for just a moment.

“Of course,” Landon says.

Dash presses a kiss to my forehead. “We’ll get you some more electrolytes and something to eat too.”

“A shower might be a good idea,” Ronan adds.

I simply hum, snuggling closer to Jasper. He husks a laugh and flattens a hand to my back.

“How about you just sleep, love? We’ll take care of everything else.”

“I like that.”

I like it a lot.

Ronan keepsthe shower cooler than I’d normally like as he washes my hair. Right now, I would have burst into flames if the water was hot.

Now that I’m hydrated, full of protein bars and a bite of homemade oatmeal, I’m being scrubbed clean, my heat having returned with a vengeance.

I grit my teeth and focus on the room-temperature water instead of the constant press of Ronan’s chest against my back or the gentle pressure of his fingers on my scalp. He’s been hard since we got in the shower yet hasn’t touched me sexually. I can feel each individual black piercing curving up the shaft between my ass cheeks, and it’s torture not presenting for him right here, right now.

The pain is easier to handle than when my heat began. It’s the only sign I have that this will be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

“Are you happy, Petal?”

I frown, twisting to peer up at him. The water runs down my spine now, making me shiver.

“Can’t you feel how happy I am?” With a soapy hand, I take his fingers and press them into my chest, between my ribs. “I can feel everything you are right here. Cautious and optimistic, possessive. And your love for me.”

His expression softens, eyes glowing in awe. “I don’t know how to trust what are your emotions and what are mine. The others are here too. Our bond is stronger than it’s ever been.”

“We’ll figure it out. It can’t be that hard, can it?”

“Feels pretty fucking hard.”

I pull my lip into my mouth and slowly lower my eyes until I’m staring at something else really hard. Ronan huffs a rugged laugh and steps forward, slipping his wet cock between my thighs.

“I’m supposed to be cleaning you, not dirtying you up,” he says.

My heart lurches, every beat quicker than the last. “Good thing we don’t want to worry about running out of hot water then.”

“The others will come looking for us.”

We back up through the water, and I cough in shock when it runs down my face. He drops his head and kisses me, both of us struggling to breathe beneath the heavy pour, but we don’t break apart.

I clutch onto him tighter instead.

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