Page 43 of When Kings Fall

She turned into it, sending a thrill through me as she nuzzled against me for a moment.

Holding her hands between us, I asked, “Is everything okay back at the house?”

“All good, yeah. Just as you left it.”

“Lev is hacking away?”

She chuckled. “He is. Colt’s looking over his shoulder and asking dozens of questions.”

“He’s restless then.”

“Yeah. Once Levi sets the processes up that he needs to—a program he’s writing—we’ll get out of the house for a bit, play in the snow or something.”

“Play in the snow… adorable.”

She started at my words.

I wasn’t surprised. It had jolted me too.

I wasn’t normally capable of uttering such a word.

I wasn’t the touchy-feely type.

At least, I hadn’t been for years.

It looked like that was starting to change.

Because of her.

Because of our foursome solidifying, and creating a new dynamic with her at the center affecting each of us.

We were affecting her too.

She was becoming a lot less closed off and diplomatically defensive.

She was showing us her harder, darker edge. First with the knife, then her vicious reaction to me pissing her off and crossing that line with the kidnapping.

And after that adjustment period and what had gone down in the hot springs, she’d been bouncing about the house seeming a lot lighter and more open and free.

Earlier this morning, she’d even come out of the shower and sauntered into the living room beautifully naked and dripping wet and beckoned the three of us to ravage her.

Of course, we absolutely had.

She’d needed to take another shower after we’d dirtied her up.

“You heard me,” I said, with a grin, as she stared at me with a mixture of surprise and wonder. Awestruck, basically.

“Well, I like it,” she said, stroking my hands with her fuzzy white gloved ones. “Oh, you’re freezing! Why didn’t you wear gloves out here too? It’s nowhere near the heated patio to keep you warm.”

I wiggled my eyebrows. “You’re starting to do a good job with the heat.”

“Mason, I’m serious.”

I was serious.

About how her slight touch and closeness was warming me.

And not just physically.

---