Page 69 of Soulmates
“His aura’s pretty shredded. It’s going to take a while.”
“Okay, wait.” I close my eyes again, not sure I’m ready for any more surprises. “You can see auras?”
He squirms a bit at that. “Yeah.”
“Handy trick. You sure you’re just a garden-variety human?”
“Yes.” He says it quickly, and while he meets my eyes, it’s only for a moment.Okay.Still keeping secrets. One of the reasons I’d been attracted to Connor in the first place was that I couldn’t influence his thinking the way I could a normal human. Until now, I’d never asked the question.
Until now, he’d never had cause to lie.
Damn it.Time to lighten the mood. I don’t have the energy for more drama. “Why the hell did you shoot me in the parking garage?”
“Come on, Traj, I didn’t use silver bullets.”
“Seriously?” I tip my head back, letting the overstuffed hotel pillow cradle it. “You’re so full of shit.”
He grins. I don’t, but my anger fades.
“The pack was making noise about searching your place and I was pretty sure Jacques gave them your address. I wanted you to clear out before they showed up.”
“And a bullet was the most efficient way of doing that?”
“More or less.” After a long stare into his drink, he gives me a warmer smile. “Now, I don’t want to get in the way of…” He waves in my general direction, including David in the gesture.
I don’t know how to respond. Maybe this is his backhanded way of scoping my level of interest. Am I interested? David’s weight is warm and heavy in my arms. I don’t want to have to choose, and in a moment of uncharacteristic clarity, I imagine what it would be like if I didn’t have to.
“Come over here. Maybe if he has one of us on either side of him, it’d help.”
The glass of bourbon hits the coffee table with a sharp clink, and with a string of muttered curses, Connor shifts closer to our bed. He tosses a pillow over for his knee, followed by the bag of ice. It takes him a minute to navigate the narrow space between the beds and to settle himself on David’s other side, but at last he makes it. Tentatively, he rests one hand on the pillow next to my head and the other on David’s arm, making an arc around both of us.
“That beard, though…” I don’t realize I’ve said the words until Connor starts to laugh. The Connor I knew was clean-shaven. “This will take some getting used to.”
Dawn is coming, and the three of us are going to have to find our way forward. For now, I follow the rhythm of their breathing and let myself drift off to sleep.
The strangeness doesn’t truly settle over me until I wake. The room is brighter than any vampire room, though heavy drapes keep out direct sunlight. Both David and Connor have shifted in their sleep. They’re also both awake.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.”
David’s voice is weak but chipper, and I want to hold him down and kiss him till he squeaks. But Connor’s right there, his auburn curls flat on one side. His heavy-lidded gaze a reminder of so many things I’d packed away, refused to think about. The combination of David’s warmth and Connor’s presence turns my dick into an iron bar.
On cue, David squirms, rubbing his ass on the hardness. “Well, hey there, Vamp Man, is that an armadillo in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”
“A little of both, I guess.” I nuzzle his ear as I speak, but my gaze is locked on Connor.
I’m still watching him when David wiggles again. When I glance down, our lips meet, and the kiss I’ve been denying us comes together in the sweet press of lips and tongues and swallowed sighs.
Even more surprising, when I finally break the kiss, Connor has moved closer. He’s got a hand on David’s shoulder, and his look of concentration turns my mouth dry.
“His aura is still…” Connor’s voice trails away.
David blinks once, slow, and when I meet his gaze again, he’s somber. “I feel like the top layer of my skin’s been rubbed off.”
I cuddle him closer. “This help?”
He burrows in, and I do something that might be more selfish than anything else. I reach out for Connor. “You too.”
Connor rolls up on his side, shifting the pillows around to support his knee. He and I are both shirtless. David is naked.
