stumble. His perfectly styled hair fell across his forehead in disarray.
Everything was silent for one entire minute before I began laughing. Tears poured from my eyes, the incident breaking the tension that had been building during our talk. I knew these tears had been reserved for the sadness that had swamped me, but the dam had broken in another way, and I let the emotion out while Ryder glowered across the room.
“Dammit, Killian. Do you know how long it took me to do my hair this morning?”
“I do. That’s why it’s so funny.” Killian smiled, flashing a brilliant set of white teeth.
“We were all thinking it,” Ryder muttered, returning the pillow none too gently to Killian a moment before he was up and off the bed, chasing Ryder from the room. I heard their footsteps echo down the stairs.
“One of these days he’s going to catch Ryder, and then what will happen?” I remarked as I found my breath and calmed down. My abs hurt from the fit, but my smile was back, and I felt the stress of the last two weeks disappear from my shoulders.
“It serves Ryder right for antagonizing him all the time. I have no doubt they’ll find a way to work it out,” Theo said, pushing his glasses up his nose as his gaze raked over my almost naked form. The only thing that separated us was this fluffy robe. In a bold move, I let it slip from my shoulders, enjoying the way his eyes flashed and his tightly held control slipped as his breathing increased.
“I think you’re my last stop.” I moved closer, running my fingers over his bare chest and tracing the lines of his abdominals.
“You know what they say…” Theo’s hands landed on my hips and he drew me in closer, letting me feel the long line of his body. “You should always save the best for last.”
Six
Nix
I popped up onto my toes and grazed my lips along Theo’s neck, trailing upward until he bent his head and devoured my mouth in a passionate kiss.
“Well then,” I purred when we finally came up for air, “show me what you’ve got, Kraken.”
Theo grinned, his cerulean eyes gleaming behind his glasses. My hands ran over his body as he leaned forward and whispered in my ear, his warm breath tickling along my neck. “Get on the table, Nix.”
When he released me, a shiver raced down my spine. Whether it was purely from the sexy promise in his words or the cooler air that rushed around me in his wake, I wasn’t sure. Maybe a little of both. My nipples were already pebbled and aching by the time I crawled onto the soft surface. Theo gave me instructions to lie on my stomach first, and I settled myself onto the table, waiting for him to join me. There was something erotic about being displayed before him like this, bared for his viewing pleasure, especially while he still remained partially dressed.
I bit my lip and propped myself up on my elbows and forearms, watching while Theo gathered his supplies. No matter what my men did, they never half-assed anything. They had massage oils, hot stones, and heated towels, but though I was looking forward to Theo’s hands on my body, I enjoyed the view of his taut back and the stretch of muscles that shifted with each movement more. How I had gotten so lucky with my mates, I didn’t know, but I thanked whatever fate or force brought us together and designed for us to be true mates. I couldn’t imagine my life without them now.
“What are you thinking about?” Theo inquired with a curious raise of his brow.
“Just how much I can’t wait to be able to officially call you mine,” I replied with a warmth I hoped he could feel. “I know it took me a while to get to a place where I was ready to mate.”
“You grew up human. We all understood you had a different view of marriage. You never grew up with the idea of mating, especially so young.” Theo shrugged like it was no big deal to have waited, but it was. Every time they agreed to wait, they built my trust and deepened our connections. They never once pushed or got upset when I told them I needed more time.
“You gave me the time I needed, and then when Joshua joined us, something shifted.”
“We completed our family.” Theo nodded.
“Right. And now with the war… I just