Page 137 of Tortured Soul
“You know where my room is?”
I nodded, the motion a bit frantic.
“Do you mind meeting me there with a few snacks?” His nose traced the line of my throat, my jaw, my temple, before his lips went back to my ear. “I’m famished.”
Oh. Arc’s low grumble before he headed toward wherever he needed to escape to, spoke volumes about the fact he either heard Dimitri, or saw me clench my thighs in response.
Great, now I’ll have to deal with that.
“Sure,” I whispered back. “I’ll join you in a minute.”
His lips brushed my forehead before he climbed the stairs two at a time, disappearing upstairs to take a well needed shower.
Making my way toward the kitchen where I could hear Arc moving things around, I leaned just slightly to peek inside the room. I had left in a hurry earlier and he must have followed not long after, leaving the plates on the island and the dishes in the sink. It still smelled like he had only finished cooking, and the scent felt strangely domestic. Was it going to be my life if I decided to stay? Me, coming home everydayto a freshly cooked dinner, three of my mates sitting with me at the island so we could talk about our days and get to know each other?Not fighting?
I had that once, when Dimitri moved in with Blake and I for a little while. My heart took a long time to heal after I lost it, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to go through that heartbreak again.
Fate was just a cruel bitch sometimes.
“I’m guessing you won’t be sharing my bed tonight.”
Arc had his back turned to me as he filled the dishwasher. Had I made an unconscious sound or was he as aware of my presence as I was his?
“I—no. Do you mind if I spend the night with Dimitri?”
It took a little while, the silence stretching before he shrugged and turned his face to the side, just enough so I could see his dark eye.
“There’s no binding promise to keep you by my side now,” he said. “You’re free to sleep with whomever you want—” He paused, turning his words around as I arched a brow in amusement. Was he jealous? “Well, maybe notwhomever, but you get the gist.”
I chuckled, taking a few steps inside the kitchen to get closer. “I have plenty enough with the three of you and not the energy or patience to add non-mates to the equation.”
That pulled a slight smile to his face before he focused back on his task. Now standing next to him, I grabbed a clean plate from one of the cupboards and filled it with some leftover duck and vegetables.
“Please, be patient with Carter while we’re away.” Arc’s face was tense in worry, his eyes slightly narrowed and lips pressed in a thin line. “No fighting.”
I rolled my eyes and nudged him with my shoulder.
“Are you worried about your remaining liquor bottles?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Fine, I’ll try. But you should have this talk with him too, I’m not the only one at fault here.”
“I know,” he conceded. “I did. Talk to him, I mean. And promise me you won’t let your energy drain too low either.”
“Aren’t you going to be gone for barely a couple of days?” I asked, crossing my arms and leaning enough to capture his whole attention. “I doubt I’ll need a refill in such a short time, no matter what’s wrong with the barrier here.”
“But what if we takelonger?” Arc turned fully and stepped closer, searching my eyes. “What if we encounter some issues and—”
“Then I’ll swallow my pride and Carter in the process,” I groaned, rolling my eyes.
Arc’s hand came to cup my jaw, the touch soft but firm. “Can’t you be serious for a moment?”
“Oh, I’m dead serious,” I deadpanned. “As you know, he doesn’t need to touch me himself. As long as he’s feeling lust and pleasure, it doesn’t matter if we actually fuck or if his cock is just down my throat, it’s—”
“Lola,” his chest rumbled, the low sound hitting me in places that were stimulated barely over an hour ago but couldn’t seem to get enough. “Don’t—fuck, don’t say things like that.”
A mixture of pain and barely contained restraint gleamed in his mismatched eyes. His other hand slid to my side, grasping my hip.
“Right,” I crooned. “You don’tdostuff like that. At least now, it seems you were pretty active back in the seventies…”
His tongue licked the outside of his teeth in a slow movement before it slid over his bottom lip.
