Page 44 of Wretched Soul
“You should go back to sleep.”
He nuzzles my neck, and when I close my eyes, I hate to admit it, but I could easily keep them closed. I’m boneless, but I won’t give up without a fight. “I can’t let you leave without taking your prize.”
“But I got what I came for, Slayer,” he explains. His arms straighten and he lifts himself higher, peeling his body from mine. “Now go back to sleep like a good girl.”
I give him a lazy smile as I press a hand to his chest. “I’m not a good girl.”
“Don’t I fucking know it,” he growls, pulling away.
Shade climbs off the bed and picks up my bedding. He struggles to find the edges of the comforter and tangled top sheet, but then there’s a waft of air across my naked body and my bedding settles around me. Shade leans over, tucking the comforter on either side of my shoulders, trapping me beneath.
“When will I see you again?” I ask.
“You know I’m not going to tell you that,” he says. And then he sighs. “But I have to be away again this weekend. Please, don’t go to the club, Lily. I can’t be there. Have another night in with Kaitlyn. I’ll provide the popcorn.”
I hope he can see the stern look I give him in the dim light. “Are you going to leave what’s left of my chocolate too? I knew you’d stolen it.”
His lips press against my forehead and he kisses the creases away. “It’s in your refrigerator.”
I tilt my head and capture his mouth with mine. We kiss slowly until he groans again.
“My two favorite tastes,” he says. “Your chocolate and your orgasm.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Goodnight, Slayer.”
I snuggle down into the covers as he straightens up. “Goodnight, Shade.”
My eyelids are drooping as he stands at my bedroom door. He stares at me for the longest time, but it’s only as he’s about to leave that panic swells.
“Promise you’ll never ghost me.”
His hand rests on the doorframe as he looks back over his shoulder. “Lily, I have no plans to give you up.”
My heart clenches, but it still isn’t enough. “But if you do…” I persist. “Don’t just disappear. I know it’s what you’re good at.”
“I won’t leave without saying goodbye. I promise.”
When the door closes, I press my face into my pillow. Shade has no idea how much his words mean to me. I never had the chance to say goodbye to my brother. I don’t want to go through that again with someone I care about. And I do care about Shade. Maybe too much.
Chapter 14
Mace
The worst part of the trip to New York, other than the prospect of meeting Alice, is that Ash and I are traveling alone. Reid could have joined us, but we’ve given our birth mother the impression that this is some kind of family reunion, and we don’t want to spoil the illusion. Hunter, meanwhile, refuses to leave Maddie for the second time in as many weeks, and especially not when Barrett will know we’re away from home.
It's not that I don’t get along with Ash, but the four-year age difference meant we spent most of our childhood fighting or avoiding each other. I was glad when he went off to college, with Hunter following two years later. As the oldest brother left at home, I became the one Reid looked up to, until we started fighting and avoiding each other too.
It was only when Ash set up Griffin Corps that I began to really admire my brother’s determination and sheer genius. I couldn’t wait to join the family business after I finished college, finding my niche with virtual espionage and quickly gaining Ash’s respect. His belief in my abilities was never in doubt, and I don’t like that it is now.
“How’s the bite mark?” he asks as we settle into our hotel suite.
We’re on the top floor of one of the Moncrief’s finest hotels with a view across central park. A heavy autumn mist obscures the low ground, and treetops float on a sea of white cloud. Early morning joggers and dog walkers follow paths that are quickly consumed by the fog. I wouldn’t mind disappearing too, but Ash is staring at me.
I tug up my shirt sleeve to show him. “Healed.”
My brother hands me a coffee. “Is she important?”
“Important to who?” I ask. “Are you asking about my love life because you’re interested in my relationships, or are you just concerned that another of your brothers is straying from your temple of eternal bachelorhood?”
Ash sinks onto a couch and takes a sip of coffee. “I know I gave Hunter a hard time, and I still believe our lives don’t suit marriage or families, but I accept, albeit reluctantly, that we’re not some homogeneous corporate entity,” he says. “You have as much right to choose your own path as I do, and given you’ve just used love and relationships in the same sentence, I can only assume you’re fast approaching a significant fork in the road.”
