Page 40 of Ready or Knot

He gives a single nod. “In a different department, but yes. Last I heard, she was working on her doctorate so she can pursue tenure.”

My chest tightens as nerves roar to the forefront, making my stomach lurch.

“I don’t suppose she’ll end up deciding to like me.” The joke falls a bit flat, but he offers a small lift of his lips, the smile lines around his eyes showing for a brief moment. I sigh and lean across the table. “Thank you for telling me.”

His lips are soft against mine, and I bask in the taste of him on my tongue.

Fifteen

CARTER

“Can you put this one up there, too?” Faedra asks from where she stands next to the ladder, a moderately sized trailing plant in her hands.

I take it from her without comment, setting it next to the two others already on the shelf above the large bed in her nest room. She hums, tilting her head, and I wait for the correction that’s coming.

“Can you switch the two smaller ones?” While I work on adjusting them, she sighs and looks around, bouncing on the balls of her feet and twisting her hair into a bun at the top of her head. “Did I leave the picture boxes in my room?”

“I put them on the dresser,” I say as I get off the ladder. She crosses the room, picking up one of the boxes and opening the lid. She’s quick to recover it and set it on the bed, though, reaching for the other one instead.

“Were you thinking about hanging some of them in here?” I ask, coming up behind her and feathering a kiss on her shoulder. She hums again, a tune that feels familiar but that I couldn’t name. “Want me to go grab the photo lines you picked out this morning?”

She nods, but as I move away from her, she whines, the sound low in her throat and nearly silent. I pause, and she turns around, pressing her forehead into my sternum. Her body relaxes as I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her into me, pressing my lips to the crown of her head.

Today’s the first day of her starting to fully wean off the suppressors, and the changes have been nearly instantaneous. I pull my phone from the back pocket of my jeans and shoot Jude a quick text. He’s just outside the door, reading through a student’s thesis in preparation for evaluation, but we’ve had the door closed to keep our distractions to a minimum.

Can you grab the photo display hook sets for us? Pretty sure I left them on the dining table.

“You alright, Faedra?” I ask after a minute, tracing small shapes on her hip.

She takes a deep breath, her hands twisting into the waistband of my jeans even as the jasmine aroma of her scent starts to permeate the air around us. I tighten my hold on her, keeping on to my control by the skin of my teeth so I don’t scent in response. The door opens, Jude stepping inside soundlessly, his eyebrow rising as he takes in her scent. His throat moves with a heavy swallow. Before she notices his presence, he sets the hangers on the dresser and closes the door, leaving us alone again.

After another quiet minute, Faedra releases her hold on me, messing with her ear piercings as she pulls out of my arms.

“Thanks,” she whispers, her shoulders tighter than I would like. I don’t push her, though, letting her have this moment to recalibrate while I open the packages and lay out the displays on the bed. She takes the box of photos and sits on the edge, flipping through them and arranging them on the cords without comment, and I step back, leaning against the windows, content to watch her. She bites her lip the entire time her hands move, readjusting and moving photos around until she stands and smiles.

“Can they go above the dresser?”

“Of course,” I say, moving the ladder and getting her opinion on where she wants them.

While I work to get them hung up, she takes a deep breath and asks, “How often do you see Gina?”

Not the question I was expecting.

“We try to get together every couple weeks for brunch, but it depends on her schedule. We haven’t managed recently with Hallie being little still and Ashlynn just returning to work.” I step off the ladder and move it out of the way so that she can see the photos in their entirety. A soft smile makes her eyes brighten.

“You want children?”

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Faedra since she’s been out here with us, it’s that she doesn’t beat around the bush. She never intends for it to be rude or insensitive, but she never backs away from uncomfortable or taboo topics. I offer her the truth in exchange for her bravery.

“Eventually,” I say, tucking my hands into my pockets again, watching as she hops onto the dresser and rearranges a couple of the photos. She glances over her shoulder, a few strands of her hair falling out of the haphazard bun and framing her face. “I wasn’t sure if I did for a long time. But seeing Gina and Ashlynn have Darius and then Hallie has changed my perspective. I’m not in any rush, though.”

Her look turns contemplative, her eyes unfocusing as she taps the wall a couple times.

“You’ve been friends with them a long time?” she asks, and I offer a nod.

The chime of the dryer finishing has me opening the door to the ensuite, stepping inside and grabbing the new linens she picked. They’re a deep navy with gold veining, reminding me of an oddly colored marble. Faedra is quiet as she watches me make the bed, tucking the comforter in at the bottom and fluffing the pillows. When I glance back up at her, she’s locked on my mouth, a deep blush staining her cheeks.

Jasmine fills the room again.

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