Page 19 of Heartless
Seated on worn leather couches and armchairs around a coffee table, all three Sons of Odin turned to face the door, mouths pulling into grins at the sight of the two of us together.
"So this has finally happened, huh?" T-Bone gestured between us. “Thought I saw sparks flying between you two on our little Blakeworth getaway."
"Don't you three have jobs or something?" I teased, rubbing my hand over T-Bone's shaved head.
"Hey, it's hard work being on official business from the governor," Dyno piped up. "We require lots of R&R."
"Uh-huh. Hi, Grudge!" I leaned over the back of the couch to hug the silent man around his neck. He hummed a greeting in return and smiled up at me, squeezing affectionately around my arms.
"How are you, brother?" Shadow eased into the seat next to him, accepting the empty glass and pour of whiskey the other man offered.
"Having a drink with us, Mari?" T-Bone lifted the whiskey bottle up to me.
"Later, maybe. I wanted to see Tessa and the baby for a bit."
Dyno cleared his throat. "You might want to, uh," he curled his hand into a fist and made a knocking motion as he clicked his tongue, "knock before you go in there."
T-Bone snorted, trying to hide a laugh behind his drink, his face going red. My eyes narrowed. What had they seen that they weren’t supposed to?
"I delivered her baby, Dy," I laughed it off with a wave of my hand. "There's nothing I haven't seen."
Dyno slouched into the couch cushions, hiding a grin behind his whiskey tumbler. "Suit yourself."
I ignored him, turning to run a hand along the back of Shadow's shoulders before heading to the room upstairs. "I shouldn't be long, but come find me if you need me."
"Take your time." He tilted his head up for a kiss and I happily planted a long, slow one on him in front of our audience.
T-Bone immediately started with the wolf howls, and Dyno was quick to join in with barks, howls, and aggressive hip thrusts.
"Just kidding, man. Don't kick my ass." T-Bone smirked as Shadow and I separated. I didn’t hear Shadow’s reply, but the two jokers burst into peals of laughter that filled up the bar, Dyno nearly sliding off the couch to the floor.
Giggling at their antics, I made my way to the stairs tucked off in the corner of the bar. Freyja ran ahead of me and jumped up the rickety steps to wait for me on the landing. Despite what I told Dyno, I did knock when I reached Tessa's door. Even while sharing a single room with three other people, I still knew the need for privacy. A room to myself was starting to sound downright heavenly.
"Who is it?" Tessa called from the other side, sounding nervous.
"Santa Claus," I snickered. "It's me, Mari."
"Oh! Uh, just hang on a second."
I waited patiently by the door, trying not to eavesdrop as I heard multiple footsteps on the other side. Voices murmured through the wood, not just Tessa's, but another woman's. My mind remained curiously blank until the door pulled open slowly, and it was Andrea, Dallas's widow, on the other side.
"Oh, hey." My voice carried a tone of surprise before I could control it. "Uh, I could come back later?"
"No, no, it's okay." Andrea blushed, palming her neck nervously. "I was just stopping by, and on my way out."
"Okay." I watched her hurriedly gather up her things, large bags full of several changes of clothes and toiletries, as though she had stayed over much longer than she let on. Like she had spent the night, or several nights by the looks of it. "You don't have to leave—"
"No, it's okay! I should get the kids anyway." She hurried out the door, sending a flustered smile over her shoulder at Tessa, sitting up in the unmade bed. "See ya, Tess."
"Bye, Drea." Tessa looked like she wanted to hide under the covers and never come out.
“Hey.” I approached the end of the bed cautiously. “Everything okay?”
She raised her hands and flopped them back down over the comforter. “It’s exactly what it looks like. You can just come out and say it, Mari.”
“Say what?”
“You know.” She looked at me with her chin tucked low. “That Drea and I are two women sharing a room. And a bed.”
