Lover Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood #8) - J.R. Ward Page 0,160

his legs, he blew out the candle next to himself and got comfortable.

"Blaylock?"

God, that voice. So low and quiet in the dim light.

"Yes."

"You're turning me into a poor host." There was a slight hitch of breath. "That chaise is no place for you to sleep."

"I'll be fine."

There was a silence. "You won't be cheating on him if you join me in bed. I'm in no condition to take advantage of your virtue, and even if I were, I respect you enough not to put you in an awkward position. Besides, I could use the body heat--I can't seem to get warm enough." Blay wished like hell he had a cigarette. "I wouldn't be cheating on him even if . . . something happened between you and me. There's nothing there. Friends, just friends."

342

Which was the reason this situation with Saxton was so damned weird. Blay was used to being in front of that closed door, the one that kept him out and away from what he wanted. Saxton, however, offered an archway, something he could walk through easily . . . and the room on the other side was gorgeous.

Blay held out for about a minute and a half. Then, feeling as if he were moving in slow motion, he shifted the white fur to the side and stood up.

As he crossed the room, Saxton made space for him, lifting up the sheets and duvet. Blay hesitated.

"I don't bite," Saxton whispered darkly. "Unless you ask." Blay slipped in between all that satin . . . and got an immediate idea why silk bathrobes were the way to go. Smooth, so smooth. Something more naked than naked.

Saxton turned on his side to face Blay, but then moaned . . . in pain.

"Damn it."

As the male eased over onto his back again, Blay found himself following and putting his arm over Saxton's head. When the male leaned upward, Blay made a pillow of his biceps and Saxton took full advantage, nestling in.

The candles extinguished one by one except for the votive in the bathroom.

Saxton shivered and Blay moved closer, only to frown.

"God, you are cold." Drawing the male into his arms, he held Saxton and willed his body heat into the guy.

They lay together for the longest time . . . and Blay found himself stroking that thick, blond, perfect hair. It felt good . . . soft, springy at the ends.

Smelled like spices.

"That feels divine," Saxton murmured.

Blay closed his eyes and breathed deep. "I agree." 343

FIFTY

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Xhex hissed as she lowered her dagger.

Trez's expression gave her a big-ass helping of well, duh. "Rehv called us."

Characteristically, iAm stayed quiet at his brother's side; he just nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, doing an excellent impression of an oak tree that was going nowhere. And as the twin Shadows stared down at her, they were shielding themselves, revealing their bodies and voices only to her.

For a moment, she regretted their discretion. Hard to knee the busybodies in the balls when they were in their ghosting form.

"No hugs?" Trez murmured while he searched her face. "Been a lifetime since we saw you."

Answering him back on a frequency the humans and any lessers wouldn't be able to hear, she muttered, "I'm not a hugger." Except then she cursed and wrapped her arms around the two steakheads anyway. The Shadows were notoriously private with their emotions and harder to infiltrate than humans or even vampires, but she could feel their pain over what she had been through.

As she went to pull back, Trez tightened his hold and shuddered.

"I'm . . . Jesus Christ, Xhex . . . we didn't think we were ever going to see you again--"

She shook her head. "Stop. Please. There's never a good time for that and here is certainly not the place. I love you both, okay, and I'm tight. So let's drop it."

Well, sort of tight. As long as she didn't think about John stuck back at that mansion, no doubt going insane. Thanks to her. Ah, how history repeated itself.

"I'll stop before we get morbid." Trez smiled, his fangs showing bright white against his ebony face. "We're just glad you're all right."

"Stipulated. Or I wouldn't be here."

"Not sure about that," he said under his breath as he and his brother 344

looked through the window. "Wow. Someone had fun in there." A stiff breeze whiffled through, bringing a fresh blast of baby powder from a new direction, and all three of