Page 20 of Suspicions on the Stage
His skin heats against mine and I chuckle softly, then gather my wits enough to push myself off of him so I don’t crush the poor man. Slade makes a disgruntled sound, scooting into me and plastering his body to mine. His face buries in my neck and I hum softly with satisfaction. I may have imprinted my delicate mate and somehow, that’s a lot less scary than the concept seemed until just now.
“We need to clean up soon.”
He nods, his nose brushing against my skin as he murmurs, “Mmmhmm.”
The languid response makes me smile more and I reach down to tip his chin up. “No, really. I don’t know how long we’ve been back here, but the flight isn’tthatlong, darling. I need to clean you up and we should get dressed. Then we can rejoin the others—I think I smell food and you should definitely eat, too.”
His gaze is almost starry-eyed as he nods. “Okay, Morgana.”
Prying myself loose, I roll off of the bed, not letting his pout draw me back. I’m determined to do my job correctly, so I force myself to head for the small bathroom and set up the shower with warm water. When I’m satisfied that everything is ready, I walk back to the bed, holding my hand out to him. “Come on, baby. Time for the aftercare.”
Smiling sleepily, Slade scoots over to the edge of the bed and I help him up, leading him to the smaller-than-we-need bathroom.
Once we’re done, I’ll get him fed and relaxed while we strategize our return home.
Sladeand I exit the bedroom a half hour later, and when we step into the main cabin, Lucas gives me a knowing smirk. Liam is still working at the table, but he smiles softly, nodding at the siren as we pass. Kaspar is quiet—for once—but when we sit on the couch, making room for Lucas to resume his former position, Iggy’s eyes raise to mine. They’re burning with a mix ofemotions that I recognize—desire, jealousy, and frustration. I meet his gaze, not letting his personal bullshit affect me as he stares.
He’s very interested in what just happened and he has no idea how to address it without looking ridiculous.
I’m okay with that, because I think in his confusion about his feelings for my gentle siren, Iggy unintentionally hurt him. Slade cares deeply for the man, maybe even loves him, and because the mage can’t figure out his shit, it sat for far longer than it should have. Now, when our family is coming together, he’s finally realized how damn stupid that was. I’m happy for them to come together if they want to; that’s not an issue at all. Hell, I’ll be excited to eventually find my footing with Ignatius.
But no way in hell am I letting him do shit with either of us until he knows what he wants for certain. The fierce protectiveness I feel for my newest mate is only rivaled by that of my emotions for Lucas and Liam, both of whom have clearly accepted Slade into the fold. Ignatius Briarton has no option but to find his ass with both hands and get off it—otherwise, neither of my men will let him into our warm cocoon.
I’m oddly pleased by the notion, despite not needing anyone to defend me.
“I texted Chan-Chan,” Lucas says as I run my fingers through his blond locks. “She said the SUV will be waiting for us at the airport. Also, she’s stocked the fridge and worked with the crew I hired to clean up the downstairs a bit. No one touched any of the weird shit, so we’ll have to deal with that next weekend. But the house is slowly getting where we need it.”
Looking down at him fondly, I smile. “Good job, baby. Did you check in with your Coach?”
“Yep. I’ll be back at practice tomorrow, just like everyone else will be back to work or class. No idea if he’s pissed about me leaving or not, though. Hard to tell with older folks and email, you know.”
The plane goes silent for a moment as Kaspar, Liam, and I glare at him in unison. The polar bear laughs and shrugs unrepentantly, which gets a growl from the dragon. That gets Iggy to look up from his laptop with a small smirk and even Slade grins a little.
“I’m not saying you’rewrong, cub, but perhaps being kinder to your ‘elders’ is a plan, mm?” Liam winks at the bear, who flushes adorably. “We look as young as the professor here and that will never change, unlike you shifters who age eventually.”
Kaspar snorts, his expression evil. “That means we’ll look young long after you start getting grey hairs, children.”
For fuck’s sake…
“Enough, guys,” I say with a head shake. “You both know that Slade and Lucas will have changes now that they’ve mated with us. I never really paid attention to that shit when others I knew went through it because Magnus and I were both… you know. And people I dated before him weren’t serious enough to consider it. I guess Zuzanne will have to do another tutoring session with me.”
“Channing will arrange it, if you ask,” Iggy murmurs. “She’s really coming into her own now that she’s working for you and the loudmouth lawyer. I’m proud of her.”
My eyes dance. “If that’s all she’s doing with them.”
Slade looks up at me in surprise. “You think she’s… Really? Channing is so tight laced and… “
I shrug. “I’m not sure; it’s just a feeling I have. Eli and Jackson seem particularly close to her, so maybe it’s just them? But that group felt very tight-knit, and I don’t know if they’d accept someone partially inserted into their vibe.”
Iggy looks absolutely scandalized by the thought of their friend in the middle of that group of men and I have to bite my lip so I don’t burst into laughter. Men are insanely predictable when they assign women roles in their minds. Never mind that he’s aching to join Slade and me, or even a larger group of my mates with zero second thoughts. I’m a sexual being in his head, while Channing has been slotted into an asexual bestie spot that is making him balk at the image of her having a five-some with a bunch of morally grey mercenaries and lawyers.
It’s hysterical watching him try to do the mental gymnastics that will keep her in that two dimensional avatar he’d built over the years.
“Iggy, Channing is a grown woman,” I say softly. Slade and Lucas both chuckle, and I know they understand where I’m headed. “She might not beyourfantasy, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t in other dudes’ spank banks. She’s pretty, smart, attractive, and though a wee bit anxious, very loyal. Whywouldn’tthey find her intriguing?”
“Well, she’s… “The professor sputters a bit and this time, Liam and Kaspar join the amusement. “She’sChanning, for one thing!”
“Goddess save me from men who don’t understand that we’re not here to fulfill whatever roles they have us in their little plays,” I grumble as I roll my eyes to the ceiling of the plane. “Even the smart ones trip over this shit all the time; it’s annoying as hell.”
