Page 46 of Property of Azrael

“I shouldn’t have pushed you,” he berates himself.

I cup my hands around his face. “Don’t think for a second that I didn’t want this just as much as you did, Az. I’m okay,” I declare. “I just overdid it a bit with my hangover.”

Truthfully, my other hangovers were the result of poor decisions bad decisions in high school. Parties where we snuck out, stole our parents’ booze, and drank in a friend’s cornfield. It had been years since I had more than a glass or two. If anyone is to blame, it’s me and my poor choices. I’m a lightweight.

“How about we get cleaned up…again, then I’ll go down and get you something to eat while you stay up here and rest?”

I step closer to him, tilting his head down and planting a kiss on his lips. “I promise to not be so delicate next time.”

“Hallie, even if you break apart in my hands, I’ll put you back together again, one tiny piece at a time.”

AZRAEL

After hours on the road,we’re finally in Tampico. We’d gotten a later start because of Hallie, but she needed to be well enough to make the trip. Even with the delay at the border crossing, we still made it to our rental with just enough daylight to get our shit inside.

“Wow,” Hallie croons when we pull into the driveway.

Van finds the panel for the garage and punches in the code the owner had given us over the phone with our late check-in. The garage door opens, and we all ride in with ample room for our bikes. We grab our gear and head inside.

The inner garage door opens up into a mudroom, and the lights automatically turn on when it detects us entering.

“Fuck me.” Fox whistles when the interior of the house comes into full view. A large, open living space covers the entire first floor. A large, updated kitchen sits along the closest wall, with a large banquet style table and chairs next to a large entertaining space.

Van immediately heads to the fridge, and pops open the doors. “We won’t go hungry.” He steps back, showing off the contents inside. Every shelf is full of fresh fruits, veggies, and various meats, as I had requested. There were a few local places I liked around here, but with sanitation conditions as they are, I had planned for us to eat here at the house as much as possible. Even in a town that catered to tourists, I didn’t want to take any chances.

Van spots a second, smaller refrigerator. “Fuck, we hit the motherlode.” In it is shelf after shelf full of ice-cold beer. A few steps to the left is a fully stocked bar.

“Now, this is what I call a vacation!” Van cheers, cracking open a beer and chugging it down. Tossing the empty can into the bin, he rubs his stomach. “Who’s making dinner?”

We all turn to look at O, because he’s the best cook out of all of us.

He starts for the kitchen. “On it.”

I bump Hallie’s shoulder. “Let’s take our stuff upstairs.”

The rental house is enormous enough that each of us have our own rooms. Hallie and I take the master on the main floor, while the rest of them had their pick of the others on the second and third levels.

Hallie’s eyes go wide when she opens the door to our room.

“Like it?” I ask, shifting around her to drop my bag on one dresser.

“It’s bigger than my entire apartment.” She crosses over to her side of the bed and falls back onto the mattress, her arms thrown out wide. “This might be the softest bed I’ve ever sat on.”

“That’ll be fun later,” I tease her. “It’ll be like fucking in a hammock.” I consider that. “Can’t say I’ve done it.”

Crossing the room, I step between her legs, hanging off the side of the bed. “At least the height works.” I grind against her, and she bites her lip. “But that’ll have to wait. I need to get you fed and in bed. You’re still nursing that hangover, and with what I have planned for you tomorrow, you’ll need your strength.”

“Is that so?” she challenges. Leaning forward, with my elbows on either side of her head, I kiss her. She reciprocates, pressing back into me, her arms wrapping around my neck. “You sure I can’t tempt you into a nightcap?”

“You could tempt the devil right off his throne, baby girl.” She laughs. “But I don’t want a repeat of this morning.”

Seeing her unsteady on her feet like that scared the fuck out of me. One second, she was riding my cock so perfectly against that wall. Then the next, she was swaying on her feet, seconds from passing out. Until she’s recovered fully from her hangover, sex is off the table.

“Come on.” Smiling, I kiss the tip of her nose before returning to my feet. “Let’s see what O’s making us for dinner.” Tugging her off the bed, we walk into the kitchen. Settling her at the island, I grab a beer from the fridge. She eyes it, but I shake my head and hand her a bottle of water instead. She’d had her fill of drinking with Eden and Fox. I cornered the asshole as we were getting ready to leave to find out just what exactly had happened last night, and let’s just say, I was less than pleased. A bottle of Jack Daniels had somehow gotten into the mix. No wonder she’s feeling rough today. I’d feel the same goddamn way with that shit sloshing around in my belly.

“What’s on the menu?” she asks.

“Steaks. How do you like yours?”

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