Page 163 of Beasts of Mine

That, unfortunately, was true.

After washing up and changing, I returned wearing a loose shirt and sleep shorts. Luca had changed too, trading his heavier field clothes for a softer shirt and lightweight pants, and his hair had come loose from the tie at his neck. It rested against his shoulders now, slightly wavy from the humidity.

He didn’t ask which sleeping space I wanted.

He simply waited. I looked at the other platforms, then at the one where I had already arranged half my belongings without admitting I was arranging anything.

“This one.” I told Luca, gesturing toward the obvious choice.

“Okay.” Luca answered, and nothing in his voice suggested it had ever been his decision to make. We lay down with enough space between us that I could have rolled twice before reaching him.

That lasted maybe five minutes.

Luca’s purr started so softly I felt it before I consciously heard it. I was lying on my side facing him, my head resting against the pillow while his blanket covered both of us from the waist down. Malek’s shirt remained tucked close behind my back, and Tavian’s ridiculous little seed and shell sat safely on the low shelf after I decided keeping loose objects in bed was probably a terrible idea.

The room was dark except for one dim battery lantern near the doorway. Insects hummed outside the shutters, water dripped somewhere deeper in the temple, and the old stone held onto the cooler night air.

Luca’s purr was almost nothing like the others. Tavian’s was loud enough that pretending not to notice it was impossible, while Malek’s carried a deeper vibration I could feel through most of his chest. Luca’s was softer, a low, steady sound traveling through the mattress between us.

My muscles relaxed before I meant them to, and without consciously deciding to, I moved closer. Luca noticed but said nothing, which made it easier to close another few inches until my forehead rested near his chest. Only then did one arm settle loosely around my waist, his hand resting against my back without pulling me any closer than I had already chosen to be.

“You’re very smug for someone who isn’t saying anything.” I murmured to Luca, my cheek close enough to his chest that his purr vibrated against my skin.

“I haven’t done anything.” Luca answered quietly as he traced his fingers once along my back.

“You’re purring.” I reminded Luca as I tipped my chin enough to see him in the dim light.

“I can stop.” Luca offered immediately, his hand pausing at my side as the humor faded enough for me to know he meant it.

“No.” I caught Luca’s wrist before he could move and kept his palm against me. “Don’t.”

His purr strengthened slightly beneath my cheek, and I closed my eyes again as the cooler room, his warmth, and the steady vibration began making me sleepy.

“Dangerous.” I muttered to Luca as I tucked myself closer against his chest.

“What is?” Luca asked, resuming the slow movement of his fingers along my side.

“That.” I answered Luca as I shifted my cheek against him. “You could probably convince an Omega to agree to almost anything if you just stood there purring.”

“I’d rather she agree because she wants to.” Luca answered without hesitation, his voice losing every trace of teasing. I opened my eyes and found him staring toward the ceiling.

“You always do that.” I told Luca quietly, studying the side of his face in the dim lantern light.

“What?” Luca asked as he turned his head toward me, his fingers slowing against my waist.

“Check with me first.” I answered Luca. “Even when you probably already know the answer.”

“It should be your choice.” Luca replied, keeping his hold loose around me.

“I know.” I told Luca as I watched him for another second. “I’m just saying I noticed.” The only sounds for a little while were the night outside the shutters and the occasional drip of water somewhere deeper in the temple. Luca’s purr remained beneath my cheek, softer now, and I could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

“I don’t want us deciding this for you.” Luca finally admitted, his fingers curling slightly against my side.

“Deciding what?” I asked Luca as I lifted my head enough to see him properly.

“Any of it.” Luca answered after briefly looking toward the open shutters. “You like the forest. You like being here with us. I know that. But that doesn’t automatically mean you want to keep coming back after your work ends.”

“I haven’t decided what happens after that yet.” I told Luca, because anything else would have been pretending I knew more than I did.