He kissed the top of her head. “Good girl. Now…” He gently pushed her back and rolled her over. “Let me go deal with your best friend before she breaks down our door. I’ll find out what she’s done with our kid and then we can get ready.”
She smiled up at him. It wasn’t her usual big smile, but it was a start.
Costin snatched a robe from the back of a chair as he headed toward the front door of their suite. His steps felt lighter than they had the night before and, though things weren’t entirely fixed—not by a long shot, he finally felt as though they were moving in the right direction.
He pulled the door open to find a perturbed looking Jen staring back at him.
“You walk too slow,” she said coolly.
“What is this about packing and a flight?” he asked, ignoring her comment.
“Sally is one of my best friends. I would do just about anything for her. Seeing her in a broken heap on her bathroom floor last night was not cool, dimple boy, not cool at all. Now, based on your relaxed face, I can tell there’s been some mending done between the two of you. That’s good. But I still pulled rank on you and made the decision, along with Alina, Lilly, and Jacque to send you and Sally on a little trip. I’ll fill you both in downstairs. Hurry it up.”
He started to respond but Jen pushed him back far enough into the suite that she was able to grab the door and slam it closed in his face.
“Get a move on DB, daylight’s a wasting.” He heard her yell through the closed door, her footsteps getting further and further away.
Costin rubbed his face as his wolf growled. He didn’t like being touched by another female, no matter how brief. Having gone without Sally’s touch for so long, hers was the only one he desired.
With a final grumble he headed back to their room, willing to humor Jen, but he wasn’t about to rush any time he had with his mate. He’d rather endure Jen’s wrath than sacrifice a second with Sally.
Chapter Three
“They say it takes a village to raise a child. And while I agree with that sentiment, I don’t believe that a person meets some magical age where they no longer need the village. I believe that even when a child has grown into an adult, the village is still just as important as it was when they were younger. They still need the support, love, and guidance. They still need to feel that acceptance from people who will stick by them no matter what. So, really, it takes a village to help a person from the moment their eyes open for the first time until their eyes close for the last time.” ~Sally
Sally bit her lip when Costin’s hands slid down her side as he pulled her shirt down. From the moment they’d climbed out of bed, he hadn’t been more than two feet from her. He touched her every chance he got, with a hand on her hip, fingers brushing across the nape of her neck, or his lips grazing her shoulder. He was overwhelming her, but not in a bad way.
When she’d gone into the closet to get dressed, he’d followed her and began helping her undress. She had felt the determination in his mind and knew there was no point in arguing with him. She let him help, and the little touches continued.
When all of her clothes were in place, he pressed a kiss to her lips and smiled down at her. “You’re beautiful,” he said, and, through their bond, she could sense just how much he meant those words.
“Thank you,” she replied, feeling as though her words were an incredibly inadequate response.
“Any time, love,” he murmured against her cheek, his warm breath causing a shiver to run down her spine.
At least she knew the attraction she felt for him wasn’t gone. Costin could still cause her body to flush and her breathing to quicken simply by uttering sensual words or touching her softly. She’d been attracted to him since the moment they’d met, and that attraction had only grown as their relationship progressed. Sometimes it felt so raw and animalistic, which was strange to her.
“That’s my wolf you’re feeling, Sally.” He purred into her mind. “Most of the time I can keep his desires shielded from you. But I’m beginning to think that maybe you need to feel what man and wolf combined feel for our mate.”
The sensual tone in his voice and the bedroom eyes that were boring into hers seemed to push at the dark thoughts that still covered her mind. She wanted to believe every word out of her mate’s mouth. But she was so scared.
She felt his fingers slide through hers, and then he was tugging her forward out of their closet. “We need to make tracks or Jen’s going to be coming in after us.”
She followed, but started to pull her hand back as they walked into the hall. Costin only held it tighter. “Not letting go, remember?” he asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye. “You are mine, Sally. And until you fully believe that again, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
They followed the sound of voices until they entered the kitchen. It was a flurry of movement. Sally thought it looked like synchronized chaos as food was passed around, glasses full of orange juice or milk traded hands, and bodies slid past each other headed for one destination or another. Never once did anyone bump into one another.
Jacque was the first to notice them, and she froze in mid-bite, a piece of bacon hanging limply from her closed lips. Fane noticed her reaction and stopped as well, following his mate’s gaze. Then the whole kitchen paused, and all eyes were on them. Sally fidgeted under their scrutiny. She felt as if they were waiting for her to have another breakdown.
“Morning,” Costin said, breaking the silence. “We would have moved faster, Jen, if you’d mentioned that hogs had descended on the kitchen and were in the process of raiding it.”
“Did I not mention that?” Jen asked as her eyes widened innocently. She shrugged. “Must have slipped my mind.”
Alina stepped forward from the crowded kitchen and motioned them over. “I saved you both a plate. I knew there’d be nothing left if I didn’t.”
“Wait, there’s more bacon?” Fane asked, his head whipping around to the plates his mother was pulling out from behind two cereal boxes.
“Not for you,” Alina said.
Fane looked at his mate, who still had bacon hanging from her mouth.
Jacque narrowed her eyes and spoke around the bacon. “Don’t you even think about it.”
He finally relented with a huff and took the seat next to her. It wasn’t until Fane glanced down to his side did Sally notice that Slate was sitting in a bouncy seat on the floor.
“Don’t let your mate slight you on your bacon, Slate. You make a stand.”
“A stand for bacon?” Jen asked dryly.
“I can’t think of a worthier cause,” Decebel said as he shoved a piece into his mouth.
“Really?” Jen asked with a spark in her eyes. “Because I can think of a few things you like even more than bacon, like—”
“NO!” The room erupted at once, and even Sally joined in on the declaration.
“NO!” Thia yelled from the high chair where she sat and then grinned big when all eyes turned to her.
“Traitor,” Jen grumbled at her daughter though her voice was filled with affection.