Page 31 of Sweet Violence
I twisted to look behind me, but he was already pulling out of me, grabbing his jeans and getting dressed.
"You know I'm fully healed right?" I asked, watching him with a new perspective. "I'm fine, Taj."
"Shut the fuck up," he snarled, throwing me a fiery glare as he dragged the zip up and shoved the button through the hole.
He left without another word, his footsteps heavy on the stairs to the bottom floor. I heard the door slam distantly, and let out a heavy breath.
My body pulsed with pleasure, bruised and bitten, but that wasn't anywhere near as bad as the cruel softening of my heart.
"There's no fucking way I started falling for that bastard," I whispered, raking a hand down my face. "No fucking way."
10
Islit an eye open hours later, pale dawn light filtering through the curtains and illuminating the two men doing a piss poor job of sneaking into my room.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep the smirk off my face as X crept barefoot across the carpet, silk pyjama pants slung low on his hips and his pale, tattooed chest bare, the ends of his rumpled lilac hair skimming his shoulders.
"You're shit at sneaking," I told them, my voice raspy with sleep.
"It's the thought that counts," X laughed, lifting the covers and climbing in on my left.
"That's really not how you use that phrase."
I glanced up at Joseph as he rounded the bed to my right, but slowly—hesitantly. His big shoulders were rounded under the tight black t-shirt he wore, his dark hands twisting together in front of him. I was really starting to hate the hesitancy between us. He was supposed to be exuberant and overbearing and clingy.
"Hey, cuddle monster," I said, turning over to watch him. "Cute pyjamas."
His pants were pink flannel and looked fuzzy to the touch. "They reminded me of you," he murmured, only getting into bed when I lifted the duvet.
Not wanting to examine my softness too closely, I shoved all those thoughts to the back of my head and brushed thin black locs off his forehead.
"What's going on?" I asked quietly.
He shook his head, tugging the covers over my shoulder and tentatively settling his arm around my middle. "Nothing."
"She doesn't like it, Joseph," X said with a hint of reproach, snuggling into me from behind and laughing when I hissed at the press of his cold nose to my shoulder. "Just talk to her. She's a good listener, aren't you, little morsel?"
Ehh…
"I can try," I offered. "I normally choke people instead of listening to them.But," I added quickly, blaming my need to comfort him on how sleepy I was, "I don't want to choke you, obviously. You've got mate privileges."
Joseph's brown eyes filled with affection. Huh. Apparently he liked my sleepy, dumbass rambling.
"I'm glad you don't want to stab me, my sweet."
I tugged on his hair, giving him a patient look. "So what's going on? You don't want to touch me?"
"I do!" he rushed out fiercely, brown eyes flashing. "Of courseI want to touch you, sweetness."
"Then do it," I challenged, holding his gaze. Inside me, the usually-purring bond between us paced like a stressed cat, all the fur lifted along its back. "What's holding you back?"
"Nothing," he mumbled, laying his head on my pillow, close enough to kiss me. The chasm felt impossibly big between us, even with his heavy arm around me.
Fine, if he wasn't gonna cuddle me to death, I'd take matters into my own hands.
I wriggled as close to his body as I could get and slid an arm under him, squeezing him with both arms until he grunted. Hugging Joseph was a thousand times better than hugging the others. I appreciated them for other things, that went without saying, but huggingJoseph, all softness and warmth where the others were packed muscle or bony or lithe… Nothing beat this.
He groaned and hauled me against his chest, his big hands grabbing me up against him.
