Page 198 of Altius
Rubbing his forearm, I shifted forward until Alijah slipped free, and I discovered the full extent of the mess they’d made of me.
“Wait, let me.” Cheeks darkened with a blush, Alijah scooped me up—carefully, but not easily—and carried me to the bathroom. Joaquin met us at the door, where he accepted me from Alijah and proceeded into the shower.
Somehow, despite lots of teasing and flirty kisses, the three of us managed to get clean.
“Spend the night?” Alijah asked hopefully, wearing the fluffy robe he’d filched during my heat.
Deciding that turnabout was only fair play, I discreetly tucked his dirtied jeans and Joaquin’s black flannel shirt inside my coat as I gathered my clothes.
The sky had grown dark, and I hadn’t checked my phone in hours. I needed to go home and make sure Rory and his buddies weren’t making off with more of Beaufeather’s inventory than they were packing.
Furthermore, Cal was supposed to come over after visiting his grandfather. I also had to track down Wyatt. We needed to talk about our living arrangements moving forward.
“Rain check,” I said, dropping my clothes and hidden contraband onto the bed.
Sprawled out across the mattress, wearing nothing but a towel around his lean hips, Joaquin filled Alijah in on Kelsey’s relocation plans while I got dressed.
“I can take over lunch duty,” Alijah volunteered a little too eagerly.
“We’ll talk about it more when the time comes,” I said, perching on the edge of the mattress to pull on my boots.
Scanning the room to ensure I hadn’t missed my hat—or any other easy items to steal—I spotted a framed photo of a striking, confident woman on the dresser.
She was standing in three-quarter profile, wearing a winter coat, arms crossed, her intense gaze fixed somewhere in the distance, with a faint smile playing in one corner of her mouth.Intelligent, capable, and a touch enigmatic. She projected all the traits I aspired to possess.
But the woman…was me.
I wouldn’t have recognized myself if not for the black frames of my glasses or the Captain Tusker logo on the coat.
Was that really how Alijah saw me?
Joaquin followed my gaze. “Don’t look so surprised, doc. There’s a lot more where that came from. He’s been sneaking pictures of you for months.”
“Hey!” Alijah picked up the leather bolster and whacked his mate with it. “At least I only printed one photo, unlike you and your restless fingers.”
Alijah crossed to the drafting table in the corner, placed in the exact same spot where Jacobi’s primary easel used to be, because it got the best light. He pulled open a drawer and retrieved a collection of sketches.
After sifting through a few options, he held one up. It was an overly flattering rendition of my likeness, wearing a Grecian gown, with long flowing hair, holding a shield and sword.
“They’re all like this,” Alijah said. “Dozens of sketches of you as a goddess of victory.”
“Because you are one.” Joaquin let out a monstrous yawn.
Eyeing the thick stack of drawing paper, I asked, “But why are there so many?”
“Has to be perfect,” Joaquin said, clasping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. “Just like Alijah’s fern leaf. I don’t settle for second-best, whether it be artwork, mates, or tattoos.”
Alijah let out a wistful sigh, looking at the sketch with new appreciation. “Oh, a tattoo. I love that idea. Should we both get one?”
Warning bells went off in my head. I needed to leave. Pronto. Before they started talking about mating bite locations.
I grabbed my coat, pressing it tight against my chest, so that their clothes wouldn’t fall out, and booked it toward the door, only pausing to pick up my bag.
“Thanks for the amazing distraction.”
Joaquin offered a lazy two-fingered salute in parting. “Anytime.”
“Keep us posted about the move,” Alijah called after me. “We’d love to help!”
