“What?” Sam frowns, looking between me and Ozzy.
“We’re heading to Leslie’s house,” Ozzy calls out. “We’ll text ten minutes out, and wait until we get an all-clear from you to make a move.”
“Got it.” Declan nods, and Fuzzy pulls out of the driveway, heading out of the compound.
Helaena watches after them, her hand on her chest.
“Are your dad and Helaenabanging?” Hayden leans forward, grinning.
“What? Of course not, she’s clearly with Fuzzy—”
My pyro laughs. “And we all know how impossible it is to share a woman, right guys?”
West cuts in. “That was a purely platonic, blush-inducing, kiss on the back of the hand.”
“That was pure fucking romance, is what it was.” Hayden chuckles quietly.
Sam’s brows furrow as he watches his dad disappear into the van. “Romance?” He shakes his head. “I don’t knowwhatthat was. Dad hasn’t dated anyone since Mom died.”
“That you know of.” Hayden snorts.
“I amthisclose to shoving you face-first into Jo’s pussy again,” Sam growls, turning on Hayden, and his words send a shiver through me.
“Try telling me something that willdiscourage me, Daddy-O.”
“Would you all shut the fuck up?” Declan snaps. “I don’t need to hear that shit.”
“At leastsomeone'sgetting laid,” Nolan mutters, making my eyes widen in surprise.
Declan covers his face with his hands. “Let’s just fucking go.”
I double-check myself—my knives are strapped to my legs, and I have my handgun holstered on my hip under my sweatshirt. When I double check on the guys, Hayden holds up his trusty lighter and pats the gun at his side, and Sam has his grenade launcher and a shotgun strapped to his back. Kole only needs his bare hands, but he compromised with me by carrying a single knife and a handgun. West is also strapped with a pistol, and can I just say my men look sexy as hell?
Because theydolook sexy as hell.
Illya and Luka, who had watched the whole interaction with mild expressions of bewilderment, merely exchange a look before double checking their own weapons and getting into the car. Kole reaches down, cupping my cheek before pressing a lingering kiss to my lips.
Sighing against his mouth, I pull him closer to me by the back of his neck. He presses his forehead against mine. “I hate that I must leave you.”
“It’s only for a little bit,” I kiss his nose, “after y’all make sure we’re not gonna get any surprise forces gunnin’ us down, you can come be all growly at Xavier with me.”
Kole sighs, running his hands down my arms. “Yes, yes. Just no back-of-the-pizza-van sex without me, yes?”
“Promise,” I grin, pressing one last kiss to his lips while Hayden curses behind me.
The urge to smack his ass as he walks away is strong, but I keep myself in check. The look he gives me before he shuts his door has my stomach fluttering.
Aidan looks up from his phone. “Bowen has just exited with Adela in tow. Vander is not with him.”
I frown. Is Xavier turning over Adela without Vander’s knowledge? Or are we going to have to worry about him showing up and going against us? “I don’t know what to make of that.”
“We can’t worry about it right now.” Declan shakes his head. “We proceed as planned. It’s an hour and a half drive to Thornfield, so let's get a move on.”
Aidan nods. “Agreed. The meeting is at six, and I’m already in the Monroe family security system. That gives us precisely two hours and six minutes to arrive safely at Thornfield.”
We move to get into our vehicles, and Hayden shouts, “Jo and I call reverse-shotgun!”
“I should probably know better than to ask…” Sam sighs as he opens the driver’s side door. “What’s reverse shotgun?”
