Page 45 of Ruthless Beasts

“All my favorites,” I cooed as I closed my eyes for a moment, letting her honeyed scent encompass me.

“Really?”

“Only because you made it.” I forced myself to push back away from her, putting some space between us so that I didn’t do something stupid like kiss her. “We brought some donuts, but what you made sounds so much better.”

Her eyes lit up at the mention of donuts and she abandoned what she was doing to find the bubble gum pink box of confection. She lifted the lid. “There are so many.”

“Mercer thought you were hungry,” Ace joked, and I glared.

“There’s this lady named May. She used to give me free donuts as a kid when she saw me in her area.” Walking along the streets, alone, barefoot, starving. Though I didn’t think Bellamy needed to know that. “So I like to go back and visit her from time to time, see how she’s doing, make sure she’s taken care of. She heard you were staying with us and insisted we take these. I’m sure some of the guards will be happy to dig into these. Put some aside after breakfast and the rest, we’ll hand out.”

Ace thrusted the pure sugar concoction toward her. “Mama May also sent this for you. It’s hot chocolate.”

Her eyes sparkled as she repeated, “Mama May. Well, tell her thank you.”

She took hold of the drink and took a sip, coming up with white marshmallow fluff sticking to her lip. It was the cutest damn thing I’d seen. Ace reached up, his thumb pulling at her lip, wiping it free of the sticky substance and damn it, I was fucking jealous. I wish it was my fingers so close to her mouth that the slight move could have her pulling my thumb between those pillowy lips and sucking it.

Fuck. What the hell was I thinking? This was Adam’s wife.

At the thought of him, he appeared, clearing his throat as Ace pulled away from her. “I see everyone has gotten an early start today.”

He knew damn well we didn’t go to sleep last night. In fact, I doubt he did either. But Bellamy should have been sleepingstill. Right on cue with my thoughts, she offered, “I slept a lot yesterday evening, and I wanted to surprise you all.”

She slept a lot. Her body probably needed it after the panic attack she had. And I had no problem lying on the massive bed next to her, feeling every inch of the foot and a half between us, watching her the whole time she watched movies. Not like she realized I was doing so. She was so engrossed as she buried herself deep into the blanket, with my dog lapping up the attention she gave with her hand idly petting Lady’s thick fur.

“Still, you need rest.” His tone was hard, more of a demand than a statement, but she didn’t waver for it.

“If you’re wondering, I’m not sorry.”

“Excuse me?” He blinked a few times.

“I know I should feel bad, right? I should care that I agreed to you murdering my father, right? I mean, that’s what normal people do, right? We care? Don’t we? But I felt nothing about it. I haven’t, I guess, for a long time, but that video… it … only sealed how I feel, you know, maybe gave me permission to feel it. So, do what you have to do. I’m okay with it.”

If only she knew it was done. We don’t waste time.

Adam nodded once. “We aren’t normal people, Belle. We don’t feel what others expect of us.”

“I- I think I know that. I guess, I don’t know, maybe it’s just hard to accept.” She fidgeted with the cup in her hand before she looked up, suddenly cheery. “I made breakfast, and the boys brought donuts.”

Boys. I snorted at the thought. We had been men for some damn time now and yet, twice, I’d been called a boy this morning. Are these women trying to injure us? Death by ego and confidence slaughter is not the way I’d like to go. Let me take a bullet, push a blade in the heart, poison me so my throat closes and I choke on my last breath. Give me the manliest death, Lord,if you're listening, just so I could prove to this girl that I am far from the boy she thinks I am.

“Oh?” Adam faked interest. “Breakfast.”

“It’s not much. I mean, I wanted to make more, but they came home and I, well, I thought they wouldn’t be up for a little longer but?—“

He cut off the cute little rambling she was doing. “It’s perfect, Belle. Thank you.”

She gestured to me. “He helped.”

“I brought donuts, babe. That isn’t helping. That’s me thinking it was my turn to cook and not realizing we had a gorgeous barefoot and pregnant girl in our kitchen, slaving away over our food.”

Her cheeks reddened to the prettiest shade of pink. I enjoyed the sight until Ace ruined the moment, whispering a little too loud, “Is barefoot and pregnant your new fetish?”

I pushed past him, shoulder checking him. “Asshole. Hey Bellamy, why don’t you take a seat at the table? We’ll bring the food.”

She looked between us, her plump little lip caught between her teeth before she released it. “If you’re sure…”

“I think three big men can handle carrying breakfast to the table,” Ace assured her. “Go, it will only be a minute.”

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