She’s still in the shower.
With Dorian.
That fact lands in my chest every time I think of it. A weight. Not crushing. Not painful. Just… present.
I tell myself I’m fine with it.
I am.
Mostly.
Mostly, I’m just nervous that she’ll say she wants to get back together with him. Where the hell does that leave us?
Nope. Can’t think about that right now.
The house feels different this morning. Not tense like it was before her heat broke. Not brittle, waiting for the next crack.
It feels full. Saturated. Like it soaked up five days of need and sound and scent and came out the other side permanently altered.
Like we did.
I move through the kitchen on autopilot, bare feet against cool tile, drawers opening and closing with familiar ease. I catch my reflection in the microwave door and don’t look away.
I haven’t bothered with a shirt yet. No point. Bite marks are still dark against my chest, scratches crossing my shoulders and ribs like proof of something feral and holy at the same time.
Yeah.
Worth it.
Footsteps sound in the hallway.
Jude pads in like he’s still half-wrapped in steam, hair damp and curling at the ends, glasses perched low on his nose. He’s carrying an armful of fabric like it’s an offering to the domestic gods.
“Everything’s in the washer,” he says. “Sheets. Towels. Clothes. I might have committed war crimes against the lint trap.”
I snort, cracking another egg. “Appreciate it.”
He drops the bundle onto a chair and stretches, arms lifting over his head. His shirt rides up just enough for me to catch sight of the bruise along his ribs. Deep. Finger-shaped.
One she put there.
Pride curls low in my gut before I can stop it.
I slide a mug across the counter toward him. Fresh coffee, still steaming. “Drink.”
He lights up immediately. “You’re a hero.”
I take a sip from my own mug, watching him over the rim. “Also, these sweats you grabbed for me?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. But you need to start going to the gym.”
He blinks at me. “What?”
“Little light on the squats,” I add, deadpan.
He laughs, head tipping back. The sound is like pressure releasing. “I have a better build than you.”
