Page 38 of Bonded By Christmas
Lacey
Ihave no job, or I won’t once I call the clinic, but a more pressing issue has presented itself.
I have no clothes, either.
Wilder even stripped me out of my bra and panties last night, meaning I have no choice but to wear Grim’s T-shirt down for breakfast. I love that it smells like him, and it falls mid-thigh. It’s just weird to walk around someone else’s house in no bra,especiallywhen that someone else is my stepbrother.
Callum is already in the kitchen when Grim and I make it downstairs. He’s sitting on top of the kitchen island, and he smiles, dropping his phone on the counter next to where he sits. “Morning, Lace.”
“Good morning.” My head swivels, and I check around for Wilder, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
“Don’t you look cozy in Grim’s shirt?” Callum chuckles, sliding off the counter until his feet hit the tile. “The floors are gorgeous, but they’re also chilly. Have a seat at the table. I just so happen to have a little something for you.”
“I’ll just bet you do,” Grim grumbles.
“You’re crankier than should be possible the day after bonding,” Callum says with a snort. “Collins made breakfast. You could make us plates.”
Seeing them bicker is surreal.
My mind can’t seem to comprehend that they know each other.
I mean, I get that they do.
It’s still weird.
“You look much less frantic this morning. I’m glad to see you’re doing better.” Cal wraps his arm around my shoulders, guiding me over to the breakfast nook that sits in the bay window overlooking the back porch and yard. “Have a seat right here for me.” He pulls out one of the chairs, twists it until it’s facing the kitchen rather than the other side of the table, and gives me a gentle shove into it. “Don’t move.” He strides over to the island, grabbing a wrapped gift box from one of the barstools.
The wavy, long blond hair on the top of his head falls over his face as he shakes the box and smirks.
Damn.
He’s always sexy, but those hoops in his lip and nose just do it for me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was a rock star, with the black tattoos decorating every inch of his neck and down his clavicles. They disappear into the top of his T-shirt, and I force myself not to let my line of sight drift any lower.
What is it with the men in this house? Don’t they own any bottoms outside of sweatpants? I’ve seen all three of them in jeans and, in Wilder’s case, dress pants. They must be trying to make me weak.
And dammit…
It’s working.
“A little something for you, my lady.” Callum squats in front of my chair and places the box in my lap. Its wrapping paper and bow are part of the package, so all I have to do is lift the lid.
“What’s this for?”
“You had a rough day yesterday. That means you deserve a little something to perk you up.” He chuckles. “It can also be a gift to celebrate the fact you and Grim bonded. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, pulling off the lid and flipping back the tissue paper.
I’m greeted by a pair of reindeer slippers. They’re brown with a red nose, and they’re super fuzzy.
“When you stand up in them, their antlers perk up.” Callum reaches over, holding them up and shaking them.
“They’re so cute, and I always run cold. Thank you, Cal.”
“May I help you into them?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Yeah, absolutely,” I agree, checking on Grim. He’s near the stove, and although his back is to me, I believe he’s making plates of breakfast like Callum recommended.
By the time I focus back on Callum, he’s taking the slippers from the box. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a knife, and cuts the cord keeping them together. Once that’s done, he cuts the tag off and clicks the knife closed before shoving it back into his sweats.
