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If he wants to buy me gifts and pay for me to live a life of luxury? Well, fate matched me with him, so she clearly thinks I deserve it.
“What’s that smile for?” Atticus asks.
“Just thinking of all the things I’m going to buy with all this money I now have,” I say, winking again.
He grins, not bothered in the least. Maybe he doubts me, or maybe he just has too much money to care. Mal lets out a booming laugh.
“Come on,” I say, and Atty raises an eyebrow. “I need to go shower. Can you show me where I’m staying?”
“Shower quickly!” Orson shouts, his loud voice echoing through the house. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“There’s a hot tub,” Micah shouts, coming down the stairs. I turn my head and see he’s wearing a pair of light blue cotton shorts that look amazing against his seashell skin tone. He’s clearly just showered, based on the wet hair he’s sporting, but the issue I have with his attire is the lack of socks, t-shirt, and, oh, yeah, the wet hair.
It’s winter. Sure, we run hot, but it’s still fucking freezing.
Although, that chest of his needs my tongue tracing those abs more than it needs a shirt.
“What?” Micah asks, looking at me with a look I can’t decipher. Atticus is shaking, as if he’s struggling to hold in laughter, and Malachi has turned away from us completely.
“Nothing,” I say, sure I’ve gone beet red. “Let’s go have food!”
Atticus smirks, and places me on the floor as I rush through to the kitchen just as they all burst out laughing.
I know I was spying on Micah’s chest a little obviously, but surely it’s not that funny.
“Wash up, little cub,” Orson murmurs, giving me a big grin, and I walk to the sink to do as he says. “And maybe once I’ve fed you, I’ll shed my shirt so you can let your tongue wander around my chest.”
Laughter fills the cabin louder than my mortified groan does.
I fucking love my life.
12
MALACHI
“Are you getting tired?” I ask, pulling away from Nora slightly so she’s no longer plastered to my side and I can look down at her. She shakes her head before yawning loudly. Her eyes watering as she sheepishly grins at me. “It seems your body is betraying you, little warrior.”
It’s nearly ten o’clock, which is pretty late for the group of us, so I’m not surprised she’s getting a bit tired. We’ve been out here since about seven, but only migrated into the hot tub in the last forty minutes or so.
It’s dark here, but since we’re way out of the city, you can see the sky so clearly, and it’s full of stars. It’s beautiful, you know, if you care about that shit. The wind has died down, and with the three heaters and fire pit we’ve got on, there’s barely a chill. It’s a nice night, and we’re taking advantage of it.
Our hot tub fits twelve, and since it’s one created by shifters for shifters, it actually accounts for our larger size. It means the seats are wider, but they’re also lower, which is why Nora’s on my lap. She’s barely able to keep her head afloat otherwise.
On each corner of the hot tub, there are small table kind of areas where we’re balancing our drinks, and they’re on the outside of the tub so Micah can still have the jets going.
I’ve never met someone more obsessed with a hot tub than my brother.
Speaking of, he and Griffin are currently playing a game of cards, and Voss is betting on it. He’s been banned from playing since he’s counting their cards, but he’s still invested.
Atticus, Orson, and I have been talking about a few pride issues, through the rounds of drinks we’ve had, and Nora’s kind of flitted between both groups, offering opinions and just sharing her affections with us all.
Speaking of my tiny mate, she sighs, after doing another yawn, and I tuck a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear. She’s got her hair tied up in some kind of messy bun thing that leaves little wisps framing her face. She’s got a natural beauty, what with those prominent cheekbones and poppy-coloured, heart-shaped lips. She’s adorable as fuck, and she doesn’t realise it.
She always seems to smell like cherries—either super strongly when she’s recently showered, or it’s a faded tinge to her if it’s been a while—and tonight is no exception. The sweet but tart smell tingles my nose, and every time she brushes against me, it intermingles with my own.
Having her cuddled up with me for most of the night has done wonders for my ego. She’s tiny, fitting right into my side, and I love it. Even though I do hope she gains a little bit of weight with some healthy eating habits. Both she and her wolf will need that with the bigger energy use.
“I’m just having a good time,” she says under her breath, rubbing at her eyes with an adorable pout on her face, and I can’t help but smile. There’s nothing that makes me happier to hear.
