Page 50 of Gorgeous Nightmare (Ariel Kimber 8)

I left her alone outside as I went into the kitchen. I searched through the fridge and the cupboards. There was an absurd amount of meat in the freezer that I had no desire to cook, and not a whole lot else.

Takeout it was.

Using my phone, I found a local place that delivered. I ordered half the menu, paid for everything with my card, and then I went to tell Isobel goodbye.

I had to find a table for my dining room before dinner tonight. Now I finally had a reason to look for one, because family dinner wasn’t meant to be eaten around the small, round table in my kitchen. Our first one needed to be a special occasion, and I wanted them to know it.

Isobel had moved into the living room while I’d been messing around on my phone. She had a pink, soft-looking blanket over her lap, and the remote to the television was in her hand.

I crouched down in front of her and reached for her. I cupped her soft cheek in my hand.

“Your food will be here in half an hour, and it’s already paid for. I’ll text you later with a time for you to come over, and don’t worry about Rain, I’ll let him know what’s going on so you don’t have to deal with him. Just don’t let Finn sleep all day before you send him home, because I need him to cook.”

“Do you think it’ll be okay if I show up early so I can help him? Cooking is something I’ve always wanted to learn, but my mother died before I could ask her to teach me. And, from what I can tell so far, Finn is really good at it.”

She talked about Finn being vulnerable and that we needed to be careful with him, but she failed to mention that she was exactly the same way. Maybe that was how she was able to see it so easily in Finn, because it was a mirror of herself.

“Finn is obsessed with you,” I told her honestly. “We all are. He’s not going to tell you no. Now kiss me so I can get out of here. I’ve got some shit I have to do today, and the longer I stay here with you, the harder it’s going to be for me to walk away from you right now.”

She scowled at me, pretending to be annoyed. “You’re just as bossy as Rain is. You know that, right?”

Fuck it, I would just kiss her without asking from here on out so she didn’t get the chance to insult me.

I slammed my mouth down onto hers and kissed her like I was afraid I wouldn’t ever get the chance to do it again. Her hand gripped the front of my shirt as she kissed me back just as passionately.

Leaving her was hard, but I knew it would be worth it later when we were all together like we were meant to be.

I really wanted to push Rain about the coven thing, but I also knew pushing him might push him too far. That chat was coming sooner rather than later, because it was something I knew deep down that we all wanted.

I knew we’d be different from the majority of the other covens out there. Most people grew up together, and they knew they belonged together. We were all misfits who’d gone through hell and back.

We might not have grown up together, but there was no doubt in my mind that we definitely belonged together.

Now I just had to make sure each one of them knew it.

18

Is It Supposed To Do That?

Finn

Spending a lazy, early afternoon with Isobel might have been one of the very best ways to spend my time. We ate good food, watched her gory zombie show, and chilled out on the couch.

It wasn’t exactly exciting or overstimulating, and there was no forced conversation. It was comfortable. Just two people spending time together who very much enjoyed being in the other’s company.

It made me fall for her all the more because I had never been so comfortable in someone else’s presence before. She made me feel even more comfortable in my own skin. I didn’t know that was possible, but here I was, and she made me feel like I was capable of being a better man for her.

It was nuts, but I fucking loved it.

I suspected she made Rain and Romero feel the same thing, and that they fucking loved it too.

I wasn’t even upset when she told me about Romero demanding I make dinner tonight for everyone. I was almost a little nervous because I didn’t want to mess anything up. I knew how important firsts were for Isobel now and that added a bit of pressure.

Romero, the bossy dick, hadn’t even bothered to ask. I figured I had better get used to it because there was no changing the man, and he was probably always like this.

It was Rain whom I thought I had to worry about. He had his guard up high, and I knew if he could, he’d keep Isobel all to himself. I had watched them sleeping and the way he held her tightly, as if he were afraid of what would happen if he were to loosen his hold, so I knew down to my bones she meant everything to him.

Rain looked at Romero with fondness and a very light amount of possessiveness that I was sure he hid very well from pretty much everyone who wasn’t me. It had absolutely nothing on the possessiveness that lit his eyes when they were on Isobel or when he was talking about her. That was another thing he worked really hard to hide but often failed at.

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