novelnext Chapter 291: Front Lawn BBQ
Chapter 291: Front Lawn BBQ
Exile leaned against the rusted vehicle and crossed his arms. "I could tell her."
All three males turned to look at him.
"Absolutely not," Victor said.
"Why? She likes me."
"She likes everyone, and that’s the problem."
Damien’s tongue flickered. "I’ll tell her. She won’t be mad."
"She’s always mad at you after you say something about removing tongues."
"That was directed at the woman, not at her."
"Doesn’t matter. She heard about it last time and made you apologise."
Damien’s expression went blank in a way that suggested he was reliving a deeply traumatic memory. "I said sorry."
"You said, ’I regret that you were present to hear that.’ That’s not an apology."
"It’s the best she’s getting."
This was a ridiculous, dysfunctional, stupidly devoted pack of idiots who would massacre an army before breakfast and then argue about who had to explain it to a five-foot-nothing fox woman with disappointed ears.
From somewhere above the second floor, the window with the blue curtains a soft golden light flickered. A figure moved behind the glass. Small. Blonde. Fox ears perked forward in curiosity rather than alarm.
She’d heard the boom.
She was looking.
Every male in the courtyard went still at the same moment, caught in that gravitational pull like planets unable to escape orbit.
Victor straightened his coat. Voss smoothed his hair. Damien angled his body so the worst of the scorch marks on his sleeve weren’t visible.
Exile just smiled.
That woman had no idea. No idea at all what she did to them simply by existing. By being kind in a world that punished kindness. By caring about people who had long since stopped deserving it.
The window opened, a blonde head poked out, fox ears swivelling, and a clear, mildly exasperated call drifted down to the courtyard:
"Why does the front yard smell like a lightning strike, and why is Victor making his guilty face?"
Voss turned to Victor. "Told you."
Victor’s guilty face intensified.
Exile pushed off the vehicle and headed for the side entrance, still grinning. He’d find a good vantage point inside. Somewhere, he could watch the fallout. Somewhere close enough to hear Felicity lecture three of the most dangerous males alive about proportional response.
It was, without question, going to be the most entertaining part of his week.
Meanwhile, upstairs in Felicity’s bedroom, Dimitri’s heart hammered against his ribs as he carefully laid her down on the plush mattress. His hands trembled slightly as he withdrew them from beneath her petite frame.
He pulled back as she might shatter. Stood there at the edge of the bed, silver hair falling over one shoulder, red gaze burning with an intensity that made her skin prickle from collarbone to navel.
My wife. My love. My world. The thoughts crashed through his mind like a tidal wave, overwhelming him with their intensity. She was on me. I touched her. She doesn’t realise it yet that she’s mine, but it’s okay.
Felicity watched him, her fox ears twitching with curiosity. That thundering heartbeat, she could practically hear it from where she sat. Strong, steady, and impossibly fast. Like a drum calling her to dance.
His hunger was wrapped in restraint.
Wow, his heart was beating so fast, she thought, her own pulse quickening in response. Yeah, I think... I might go for it.
Their eyes met across the small space between them, a magnetic pull drawing them closer. Without a word, they both reached out, hands extending toward each other across the rumpled bedspread.
When their fingers touched, Felicity gasped. A jolt of electricity shot up her arm, making her jerk back instinctively. But Dimitri was faster. His hand closed around her retreating one, pulling her gently but firmly toward him until she tumbled against his chest.
"Oh!" The exclamation escaped her lips as she collided with solid muscle. His scent enveloped her, that deep, manly aura of strength and wildness that made her head spin. He smelled like cedar smoke and night air, with undertones of something primal that made her toes curl.
Dimitri’s arm wrapped around her, his hand splaying across the curve of her lower back, holding her flush against him. She could feel every ridge of muscle, every rapid beat of his heart through his shirt. His silver hair fell forward, brushing against her cheek, and when she looked up, those crimson eyes held her captive.
He’s about the same level as Victor, she realised with a sudden, breathless awareness. Red eyes and silver hair. Hell, that’s my kryptonite.
Her mind raced, connecting dots she hadn’t allowed herself to consider before. The way the others had stepped back when Dimitri approached. How Victor had nodded slightly before turning to deal with the crowd outside. Voss’s knowing glance. Damien’s rare, almost approving grunt.
They had let him take her.
Not stepped aside. Not looked away. *Approved.*
"I’ve wanted this for so long," Dimitri murmured, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through her chest. "Wanted you."
Felicity’s breath caught in her throat. "Why didn’t you say something?"
His fingers traced the line of her spine, making her shiver. "I was waiting for the right moment, when you were ready."
"And you think I’m ready now?" She arched an eyebrow, even as her body melted further into his embrace.
Dimitri’s lips curved into a smile that was both tender and predatory. "Your heart is racing just as fast as mine. Your scent has changed, and I know you’ve been watching me for weeks."
Heat flooded Felicity’s cheeks. "That obvious, huh?"
"Only to someone who’s been watching you just as closely." His thumb brushed her cheekbone, the touch feather-light.
His forehead touched hers. The contact was so simple, so achingly gentle, that her chest cracked open. Her fingers found the front of his shirt, bunching the fabric, pulling him down until his weight settled over her, careful, braced on one arm, holding himself above her like she was something he’d waited lifetimes to touch and couldn’t quite believe was real.
"If I kiss you," he said against her lips, the words a brush of heat, "I’m not going to be able to stop there."
"Bold of you to assume I want you to stop."
Dimitri’s laugh was startled. Genuine. It transformed his entire face, softened those sharp, predatory lines into something boyish and stunned, and Felicity felt it hit her square in the chest like a physical blow.
Oh no.
Oh, she was gone.