Page 66 of Wonder
I rubbed my mouth to hide my grin. “Did Jackson get anything to eat?”
“Si, we brought enchiladas.”
“Great. Jackson, glad to have you back with us. Simon and I picked up some pizzas if you’re still hungry after this, or we’ll put them in the fridge for later.” They seemed a little happier at that news.
The bathroom was too small for Simon and me to help dry Jackson, so we left Tia and Rosita to it. I stopped him in the hall before we got to the living room. “Do you need to sleep? Tia and her friends won’t be upset. They can interrogate you the next time they drop by.”
He smiled and kissed my cheek. “I’m fine for a little while at least.”
“Okay. But if you feel like you need to lie down, just go. And one more thing.” I went up on my toes and gave him a long, lingering kiss. “Can you delay your yoga until later in the morning tomorrow?”
He scrunched his eyebrows together, then he lifted them and a slow, seductive smile took over his face. “Are you suggesting I’m too tired to make love to you tonight?” He stepped closer to me, putting his lips next to my ear. “I can assure you, that will never happen.”
I shivered, feeling my arousal and his boomerang through our bond. “Fuck.” I slid my hands up to his chest and pressed until he stepped back again. “Why don’t we play it by ear.” I was mostly sure, his boasting aside, that he’d be asleep as soon as he got into bed. “You can get away with avoiding Tia and her friends tonight, but I can’t.”
He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. “If we have to wait until tomorrow, we’ll need to set an early alarm. Do you know how many people will try to talk to us in the morning?”
“I’m not cutting your sleep short. We’ll just remind them you’re still recovering from your injury. It’ll be fine.” Or whoever interrupted us would regret it.
He grumbled under his breath as he took my hand and let me lead him to the kitchen. Cal had put the pizzas on the kitchen counter, and he, Nicky, and Soledad were sitting at the table having hot chocolate. I tugged Simon over. “Soledad, this is my mate, Simon.”
She stood up. “Simon, you are the answer to our prayers. Come here.” She opened her arms, and he bent over to give her a tentative hug.
Hoping he wouldn’t ask the obvious question, I dodged around them to make glasses of ice water for me and Simon.
He broke the hug and stepped back. “Thank you. Um, why am I the answer to your prayers?”
Shit, he asked.
She threw me a contemptuous look, but I pretended to be absorbed in filling the glasses with ice. “Because Esperanza despaired of that one ever finding his mate. She worried he would grow old and die all alone, his final days steeped in bitterness and regret.”
At the far end of the table, Nicky and Cal weren’t bothering to hide their laughter. I groaned. Soledad loved her telenovelas. Though, to be fair, so did Tia and Rosita.
I set Simon’s glass down on the table a little harder than I should’ve. “Soledad, thank you so much for bringing dinner over.”
She shrugged to brush this away as she sat down again. “It was no trouble. Your Tia and Rosita shared in the work. We were so happy to be here when Jackson woke up.”
Nicky sobered. “Me too. Their magic seemed to have recovered hours ago, so I was getting worried at how long they were unconscious.” He wrapped his arms around himself. “I thought they were dead when it happened.”
Shit, with all Nicky had been through, he did not need to lose any of us, especially right now.
Cal patted Nicky’s back. “Don’t forget they’d healed that rabbit shifter the day before. They may not have fully bounced back when, uh, they were injured, so it took longer for them to feel well enough to wake up.”
He nodded. “I’m glad we won’t have to worry about being in danger anymore, right?” I seconded that feeling with a vengeance.
“Right. No more vampires.” Cal winked at Simon. “Except Simon of course.”
I got a whiff of discomfort through our bond from Simon at this statement, but he didn’t say anything.
Jackson came bounding out from the hallway at that moment, their fur glossy under the runes and a rhinestone tiara on their head. I had no idea where that had come from.
We all exclaimed over how nice they looked. Tia and Rosita followed them out more slowly, and I got up to take the wet towels from them. “Y’all seem a little worse for wear.” Their clothes were damp, their hair was frizzy, and they exuded weariness.
Tiatskedand pointed at Jackson, who had hopped onto one of the chairs at the table. “That one made it much harder than it had to be.” I headed for the laundry room as she switched herfocus to her new target. “Simon, come here and give me a hug.” She made cooing noises. “Welcome to the family,mijo.”
“Thank you.”
When I returned, Tia was still hugging Simon. He had his eyes closed, and even though he was hunched over enough that it had to be uncomfortable, he didn’t look like he wanted the hug to end anytime soon.
