He didn’t seem to notice the sudden, electrical silence that had fallen over the room.
Jhin’s eyebrows had practically merged into his hairline, and his mouth had fallen open.
I could feel the giddy glee surfacing within me as I watched Jhin’s face go through all five stages of grief as he looked down at Kit. Although I wasn’t completely sure he made it to acceptance.
Vander gave a casual salute and plopped down onto the couch next to Kit, taking a drag before passing it back.
“Is that Vander’s?” asked Jhin, his voice a little weak. Kit opened one eye.
“Hmm? Oh no, s’mine. One of ‘em anyway. Want some?" He offered the vape to Jhin, who looked a little shell-shocked.
“You’re… not supposed to vape inside,” Jhin finally managed. Kit waved his hand dismissively.
“Emmy doesn’t care," he said, closing his eyes again and waggling the pen towards Jhin. Jhin muttered something about fire codes as I burst into laughter.
Adrian cleared his throat.
“Jhin, we still gotta move the rest of our stuff out of the spare room. Can you give me a hand?”
Jhin didn’t look away from Kit, giving a weak nod before Adrian led him away.
There was a stomping of feet up the stairs before Juniper came through the front door, and started peeling off her sodden shoes.
She was drenched, her dark hair plastered to her head, the cold making her cheeks and nose even more rosy. She slammed a tub of Greek yogurt down on the counter, then stripped off her hoodie. Her shirt underneath was soaked as well, her hardened nipples peeking from under the fabric, and gluing my eyes for a moment. I grinned. There was a lot of very sexy omega energy happening right now.
“Don’t you wear a bra?” I asked her, eyes flicking up to her face. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, glowering at me.
“Not unless I have to," she replied.
“Is there a reason you look like a drowned rat?” drawled Vander from the couch, and Kit burst into a fit of giggles.
Juniper’s face darkened.
“Someoneate the last of my Greek yogurt,” she said, her eyes flicking to Kit. “But it’s been a long day. I’ve decided to address it later.”
“Don’t you own an umbrella, though?” Vander asked.
“Just as it happens, asshole, getting drenched in the rain is nature’s scent suppressant,” she snapped. “But of course you wouldn’t know that, because you don’t have to worry about getting kidnapped every time you set foot outside.”
“I think you look beautiful,” I piped up.
“Hey. Asshole #2. Your mate is right there,” Juniper said, and I glanced at Kit.
He’d leaned back so his head was on the armrest, upside down, gazing at Juniper with moony eyes.
“He’s right, Juni, you could be like, a rain goddess," he said, giving her a crooked smile. “That’s why I laughed, cuz it’s so ridiculous to think you’d ever look like a rat.”
Juniper’s face went pink, and she sniffed.
“Good to know you’re not a complete traitor," she said, putting the yogurt in the fridge. She then walked past us, leaving a trail of wet footprints on the tiles. “I’m going to have a shower.”
Leaving us with a strong mental image of her peeling those clothes off her tight body, she walked around the corner to the mini hallway that led to the bathroom. Kit was staring after her, flopping his arm upside down next to his head.
“A cruel, cruel goddess," he said.
I came over and sat on the love seat next to the couch. He gave me another one of his crooked grins. “Thatwascruel, right? I’m not crazy?” he continued.
“Yeah, a little.”