Page 69 of Jacinth

Her flesh warm beneath my hands; the beat of her heart; the air I stole from her lungs like a thief.

“Skyler?”

I shuddered at the sound of her voice, resolutely ignoring whichever of my brothers muttered a resentful, “Him, she remembers.”

She grinned and turned to the room at large.

“It’s coming back. I think I just needed the connection. You two pussies were treating me with kid gloves.”

I laughed and tears slipped down my cheeks as I pulled her into my side.

“Don’t you dare ever leave me again. I can take anything you can throw at me... just not that.”

As my brothers realized she remembered them, I didn’t get to keep her to myself long, but I didn’t go far. Birdie begged off when it became apparent our displays of affection were only going to get more explicit.

We paused our reunion long enough to order pizza, and there was a moment where we had to come to terms with the idea we were life mates with a woman who had no taste.

“Let me get this straight.... you want barbeque sauce base with chicken, avocado, onion and... pineapple? That’s not a pizza order, that’s an abomination. What is wrong with you, woman?”

“No accounting for taste,” Jace said, with a glare in Niko’s direction.

“I’ll try it,” Orion announced, rather bravely. Kiss ass.

The night wore on with amicable jokes and a lot of touches and sideways glances, and I wondered how we were going to coordinate the end of the night. I, for one, was not going to be able to let her out of my sight.

Turned out, I needn’t have worried. The night came to a close with Niko bowing out, taking himself to bed with a deep kiss for Jace on his way out.

When I glanced quizzically at Orion, his response was a shrug as he followed Niko’s example and made himself scarce. Emotion welled as I realized my brothers were giving me this alone time with Jace.

I stood and held a hand out to the woman I loved, trying to convey all I felt through my eyes, but still giving her the space to opt out if she wasn’t ready.

“Show me to your room.”

She did not have to ask twice.

Trying to suppress my inner puppy, who kind of wanted to run circles and hump her leg—ok, so no one ever accused me of being cool—I led her into my room and shut the door.

I drifted to the bedside table and flicked on the lamp.

Flicked it off.

Flicked it on and put a book over it to dim the light.

I wondered if I should mention that I had only ever watched, never actually taken part in sexual encounters. I knew precisely what I wanted to do with her. What I would do with her.

Now the time had come, I found myself curiously... nervous.

With a centering breath, I turned toward her and froze.

Deep blue eyes shone up at me through dark lashes. She was naked, but for the waterfall of hair that almost brushed the floor where she kneeled.

I remembered this part.

And I wasn’t nervous anymore.

“My mate,” I whispered, trying to convey the adoration I felt.

Her long, elegant fingers reached for the zipper on my jeans and I dropped my head with a groan as those digits encircled my cock the second it sprung free.

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