Ian felt immediately guilty. “Did I take too much?”
“No.” Jesse smiled and kissed his nose. “But I don’t want to take any chances.” Sliding out from under Ian, he sat up and reached for Ian’s hand. “Join me for a shower?”
Ian was about to answer, then he remembered what was in there. He wrinkled his nose. “Only if you move that bag of clothes first.”
Jesse laughed, breaking some of the tension that suddenly surrounded them. “Of course. I’ll find somewhere else to stash them.”
“You could always wash them. Just a thought,” Ian added at Jesse’s raised eyebrow.
“I’ve had other things on my mind.” His smile didn’t falter though. “As soon as this mess is over, it’ll be the first thing I do.”
Ian grinned. “The first?”
Jesse’s smile turned wicked as he let his gaze run the length of Ian’s body. “Maybe the second.” Ian laughed this time, and when Jesse tugged him to his feet, he went willingly.
“RIGHT,” JESSE SAID as he pulled on his jacket and patted his pockets. “I have my phone, charger, wallet, and car keys. And you’re certain Cate is working tonight?”
“Yeah, only till eleven though.” Ian fidgeted as he paced in front of the windows, then stopped and looked at Jesse. “What if someone sees you leave?”
“It’s not unusual for me to leave the coven at night.”
“I guess not,” Ian conceded. His nerves were starting to get the better of him.
Jesse walked over to him and put his hands on Ian’s shoulders. “Try not to worry while I’m gone.”
Ian barked out a laugh. “Seriously?”
“Fine, try not to drive Lys mad with your worrying then.”
They both glanced over at where Lys sat perched on the edge of the bed, watching them. She grinned. “It would be much appreciated.”
“What about Peter? Is he still holed up with Raph?” Ian would be happy if he stayed that way for the next few hours.
“Unfortunately not.” Lys grimaced. “I ran into him—literally—on my way out of the kitchen. He was particularly handsy.” She mock-shuddered.
“What if he comes up here while you’re gone?” Ian didn’t mean to imply that they were helpless without Jesse, but Lys’s raised eyebrow told him that was how it sounded. “I mean, what do we tell him?”
“Tell him I’ve gone out.Whereis none of his business.”
“But—”
“I can handle Peter.” Lys bared her fangs and gave Ian a look so terrifying he shrank back towards the window, only relaxing when she smiled with human-looking teeth. “And you can help if he brings those two idiots with him.” She shrugged. “We can always just not open the door. He won’t cause a scene out in the hall where others can hear him.”
“Okay.” Slightly mollified, Ian sat down in Jesse’s armchair. “Good luck,” he whispered, voice catching on the words.
Jesse strode across the room and knelt before him, taking Ian’s face in his hands. “I’ll see you soon.” The kiss he gave him was over too fast, and Ian had to fight the urge to hang on to him.
And then Jesse was gone, Lys locking the door behind him.
She turned to face Ian.
“Now we wait.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The bar was busy when Jesse got there, not Friday-night busy, but enough that he could move through the throng of people and not stand out. Lurking at the edge of the dance floor, he watched Cate as she worked the bar, smiling and laughing as she mixed drinks and popped the caps off bottles.
She looked happy.
