“Neither do I,” I admit quietly, stroking a strand of her blonde hair away from her face. Aksel grunts his agreement, his hand resting possessively on her hip.
“Good,” Anna murmurs, snuggling closer to both of us. “Because I have a feeling there will be plenty more opportunities for you two to try and outdo each other.”
Her words hang in the air like a promise, or perhaps a challenge.
“I lasted longer,” Aksel can’t help but add.
“Well, I let you join us,” I taunt.
“Speaking of,” Aksel’s voice cuts through the post-orgasmic haze, bringing me back to reality. “What were you two doing before I joined you?”
Anna’s words from earlier come back to me and I share them with Aksel. “Anna and I are worried about the venom and wev.”
“We should check out what that stalker mentioned about the place selling drugs in town,” he says, his mismatched eyes serious and focused. “I think it’s time we scope out the area and find it.”
“Is that safe?” Anna asks.
“Safer than going to the fights,” I point out.
Aksel presses a kiss to her forehead. “We will be fine. This needs to be handled so we can move forward.”
I agree.
Ten
Anna
My heart clenches at the thought of those dangerous drugs circulating among demons and humans alike; it’s a threat we cannot ignore. I nod in agreement with Aksel, feeling the weight of our responsibility settle on my shoulders. “You’re right. We need to put an end to this before it gets worse.”
“Agreed,” Griffyn chimes in, his tone equally grave. Our playful banter from earlier feels like a distant memory, overshadowed by the urgency of our mission.
Reluctantly, we untangle ourselves from the warm embrace of each other’s arms and get up to prepare for the day. The guys immediately begin bickering over who gets to shower with me – their competitive streaks clearly not limited to the bedroom.
“Fine,” I say, rolling my eyes and putting an end to their squabble. “Both of you can join me. But remember, it’s just a shower. We have work to do.”
Griffyn smirks, while Aksel raises an eyebrow but doesn’t object. The three of us crowd into the small shower, the steamywater cascading down our bodies as we jostle for space. With the cramped quarters, I get to feel both guys up.
We finish up our shower in comfortable silence, each lost in our thoughts. As we step out of the bathroom, wrapped in towels and dripping onto the floor, I can’t help but feel a strange sense of calm.
We dress and meet up with everyone to go.
Blaze has a to-go cup of coffee in his hand. He moves towards me and offers it. “It’s exactly how you like it.”
Now, I have to know if that’s true.
I grab the cup and take a sip. The sip is perfect and unique in a way I know immediately.
Rushing into the kitchen I see my old coffee maker from my apartment on the counter. The apartment that Blaze is paying for.
“You… you got my coffee maker?” I ask.
Blaze nods, face carefully blank.
“Thank you,” I say honestly. That coffee maker means a lot to me.
“I know it’s important,” is all he says.
I know that this is his way of trying to make things up to me and I can’t help but feel like this attempt actually worked.
