“I had a lot of fun,” I assure him, smiling widely.
The tentative grin on his face broadens, morphing into something that I would almost describe as mischievous. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I nod resolutely.
I did have fun. Way more than I expected, if I’m being completely honest. Being with Reid and Emery… It was like the rest of the world faded away, including the events of the last few days. I wasn’t worried about Christian or Ashton or the witches or the Hunters or the shifters. Everything felt inherentlyrightin a way I’ve only felt a handful of times before.
“So how long have you guys been planning this?” I ask, resuming the swinging of our hands as we continue walking.
A sparkle materializes in his green eyes. “What ‘this’ are you referring to? Getting you alone?”
“I meant the date, you dork.” I playfully slap my shoulder against his.
“Since we heard you were returning on the weekend,” Emery confesses, the light of the moon reflecting off his hair and making the strands appear an almost burnished shade of gold.
He really is a beautiful man. Both the twins are, though they’re as different from each other as night and day, as cliché as that sounds. I’ve seen beautiful men before, but usually, it’s a toxic type of beauty that seeps into your system, poisoning you.
But not my twins.
Never them.
I become acutely aware of his hand in mine, the delicious friction of his calluses brushing against my skin. My instincts rev at full throttle, and they all scream at me to take him. Make him mine.
My heartbeat speeds up, tripping hastily over itself, and I work to keep my expression calm. The last thing I want to do is lose my damn mind while walking home in the middle of the night.
“I wonder what we should do for our next date,” Emery muses, using his free hand to tap at his chin. “The zoo, maybe? Scuba diving?”
“There aren’t any oceans to scuba dive in,” I retort with a snort.
“We can scuba dive in a pond,” he insists. “See little goldfish.”
I shake my head ruefully. “Oh my god, you’re ridiculous.”
“What’s wrong with cute, little goldfish?” He gapes at me. “There goes your birthday present.”
I arch an eyebrow. “A goldfish? That’s your birthday present idea?”
“We’ll name him Bubbles,” he deadpans.
“Well, it’s a little too late for that. My birthday was weeks ago. Months ago? Fuck, time doesn’t make sense anymore.”
I think back to my time in the covenstead. It felt as if I was there for just over a month, but technically, it has only been a week. Freaking witches.
“And?” Em turns to stare at me incredulously. “As your mate, it’s my job to overwhelm you with presents, even if I am a little behind.” Abruptly, he snaps his lips together, his cheeks turning a bright red. “I mean, your friend. Obviously. Because, um…”
“You can say the M-word,” I tell him, keeping my voice purposefully light. “It’s not going to scare me away.”
“You say that now…” Emery licks his lips and glances away, keeping his gaze straight ahead. “I keep thinking you’ll just…disappear, you know? Or you’ll decide this is too much for you and you’ll want nothing to do with any of us.”
“That’s never going to happen,” I assure him.
Indecision paints lines across his face. “Even with Ashton?”
At that, I hesitate, thinking of the surly, angry shifter who has done nothing but push me away since we met.
“Ashton is…complicated,” I settle on at last. It’s the only thing I can think to say that isn’t an outright insult. “Speaking of him, you guys are truly not worried? Does he often disappear like this?”
Emery shrugs and shakes his head simultaneously. “I mean, it’s a little strange, but it wouldn’t be the first time Ashton has done something like this. You may not know this, but he has a tiny bit of a hero complex. He likes to save people, no matter the consequences.”
