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“What’s wrong with the hot tub?” Micah asks, looking around at the bubbles with an expression I can’t decipher.
“Well, do you not think that it’s a little weird that a group of dudes are sitting around in a hot tub, talking about their feelings, wearing very fucking little?”
I smirk as Micah eagerly shakes his head. He’s actually excited about the group therapy session, and the hot tub is his favourite part about this place. I’d like to say it’s because his tiger loves it, but I know it’s more than that.
“No,” Micah says. “It’s a good place to be. It’s warm, it’s a nice night, and it’s comfortable.”
“Oh, brother,” I say, shaking my head as we all laugh. “You’re so innocent.”
“What?” Micah asks, affronted. “It’s not like we’re going to have an orgy.”
Not without Nora here, anyway.
“Micah, have you even had sex?” Voss asks, raising an eyebrow.
My brother glares at the curly redhead and nods his head before frowning.
“What do you classify as sex?” Micah asks, and I groan, face-palming myself as if Micah’s question is a family embarrassment.
The back door opens once more, and we all turn to see Orson emerging from the house. Thank fuck he’s here.
A statement I never usually make.
But saving us from getting into Micah’s pathetic sex life? I owe him a beer or three. I know it’s not going to be dropped. He’s cute, he really is—well, if you’re Nora and you enjoy that kind of vibe—but I can’t cope.
My poor little warrior. She’s going to have a shit first time with him.
Speaking of my favourite member of this pride, I’m a little disappointed she isn’t here with Orson. I know the whole point of them leaving was to get her settled in bed, but that doesn’t change the fact that I miss her.
Orson tugs off his t-shirt and strides back over to where we’re sitting.
“She good?” I ask.
“She’s good,” he replies, climbing back into the hot tub, sitting next to Atticus again. “She’s going to chill and read for a little bit. I grabbed one of her sleeping tablets from your bag, Atticus, and it’s on her side table to take if she wants it.”
“Good,” Micah says, a wistful look on his face.
“What is she reading?” Fin asks, nudging Voss with his leg. The fox just rolls his eyes, and ignores the request from the griffin.
I watch as Micah passes Fin the bottle of water he was requesting, and Voss knocks it out of his hands before Fin can even take a sip.
Fucking hell, and I’m meant to be the infantile one here?
“No idea,” Atticus says with a smirk on his face. He’s going classy tonight with a glass of red wine and a cigar, and I know it’s because he feels at peace here. Nora’s not at risk of being harmed, not in this fortress, so he can sit back and just enjoy the time with us and connect with nature in a way his lion doesn’t often get. “I asked her about it when we first got here, but she’s a bit embarrassed, so I didn’t press her.”
“That means it’s smut,” Voss says with a smirk. “I guarantee it, there will be sex in her book. Maybe you should grab a copy, Micah. Learn some tricks.”
Orson frowns, as do I, but Micah just smiles. Maybe he was pretending earlier?
“So what’s this meeting for?” Micah asks, looking at Atticus. Our leader doesn’t reply though.
“Well, obviously, Nora has had a rough few days, but we’ve also had a rough few days,” I say, surprising everyone by taking the lead on this.
“We have,” Orson says.
“And, so, I think it will be good just to sit and touch base a little bit.”
We all nod, feeling the same way, but fall into an awkward kind of silence when nobody speaks up. Nobody feels like we can talk about it, really, and I definitely don’t want to fucking go first.
