The Raven Four Books 1-3 - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,130

only tells me the where and when.” He fiddles with a leather band on his wrist. “Show Raven to her room, and then meet Zay and me in the meeting room,” he tells Hunter.

“I thought you didn’t want me showing her around?” Hunter challenges with an arch of his brow.

Jax stares him down hard. “Just make sure to keep your hands to yourself.”

Hunter gives him a salute then rolls his eyes, but his expression softens as he turns to me. “Come on, little raven; let me show you where you’re going to be resting those pretty little eyes of yours.”

Le sigh. There he goes with that pretty stuff again. But I’m too exhausted right now to argue. These guys are so exhausting. Gorgeous but exhausting.

Sighing, I get up and move across the room toward Hunter.

“And Raven?” Jax calls out. “The discussion about the rhyme isn’t over. It’s just postponed.”

I give him a snarky thumbs-up then exit the room with Hunter.

“He’s so freakin’ bossy,” I mutter.

“You’re just realizing that?” he asks, lightly nudging his shoulder into mine with a smile on his face.

I stare at him for a beat. Who are you really, beautiful guy who’s kissed me twice and has the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen?

“No, but I am realizing how annoying it is.” I sigh. “I just don’t want to be bossed around.”

“As much as I’d love to tell you that Jax will eventually chill out, it won’t happen,” he says. “It will get easier to deal with, though.”

“Really?” I question with doubt.

He wavers then smiles. “Yeah, okay, maybe not easier to deal with, but you’ll get better at dealing with it.”

I’m unsure if I’m buying into what he’s saying, but I let the subject drop as we come to a stop in front of a shut door.

“So, this is the room you’ll be staying in,” he informs me as he wraps his fingers around the doorknob. “And conveniently, it’s right across from mine.” He winks.

“Yeah, how convenient,” I say with an eye roll, trying to ignore the fluttering of my heart. But it’s hard to ignore, especially with how clearly I can remember the feel of his lips. “And I still don’t get why I need a room to stay in. This lockdown isn’t going to take that long, is it?”

“It’s hard to say for sure.” He twists the knob and pushes the door open. “But why does that even matter? You’re staying with us now. Remember?” He flashes me a grin.

Instead of remarking on his comment, I step over the threshold and into a room with black and purple walls, ebony hardwood floors and furniture, and a massive chandelier dangling from a silver ceiling. The velvet comforter on the bed is also silver, and so are the curtains. Black and white paintings cover the walls of landscapes, cities, and oceans. The room is gorgeous, to say the least, and huge. Like bigger than the entire bottom floor of my aunt and uncle’s house.

“Well?” he asks after a minute ticks by where I merely wander around, taking everything in.

I stop in front of the bed and turn to face him. “Well what?”

He bites back a smile as he pushes away from the doorway and crosses the room toward me. “Do you like the room?”

I give a shrug. “It’s okay.”

“It’s okay,” he repeats musingly. “There you go lying again.” He playfully tugs on a strand of my hair before tucking it behind my ear. “I think you might like it. You’ve got this awed look in your eyes.”

I blink, trying to erase whatever look is in my eyes. “It’s a nice room, but … whose room is it? Like an extra bedroom or something?”

“Actually, it used to be Jax’s sister’s room,” he explains, sitting down on the foot of the bed. “She used to stay with us sometimes.”

“Used to?” I ask, stepping toward him. “Why not anymore?”

The change in Hunter’s expression lets me know the answer before he says it. I know that expression. It’s the same one I saw on my own face the first time I looked at myself in the mirror after my parents died.

“She died a couple of years ago,” he says, picking at a loose thread sticking up on the comforter.

“Oh.” My chest tightens in a familiar way. “I’m sorry.” I may not trust him at all at the moment, but I can tell he’s not lying right now.

He shrugs dismissively then reaches out and takes my hand. “You don’t need to be