Page 56 of My Undead Love Life

“Clear,” we said.

Mad pulled his boxers on with obvious relief.

None of them looked directly at me as we prepared for bed. Their movements were awkward and unusually stiff, and each man seemed determined to pretend nothing had happened.

We crawled beneath the blankets, settling into the arrangement that had become familiar over the past month. Mad lay behind me, Luck pressed against my front, and Oxi stretched out close behind him. The bed dipped beneath our combined weight.

The guys kept a respectable distance until the cold began seeping through the blankets.

“This is stupid,” Oxi muttered. “We’re going to freeze because none of you know how to behave.”

“You had the same problem,” Luck whispered.

“Shut up and move closer,” I told them. “I know you weren’t actively trying to get boners, and I’m not concerned about a normal biological response. The three of you are trustworthy, and I’m cold.”

Luck shifted toward me until his chest pressed against mine. Mad moved closer behind me, his warmth settling along my back. Oxi tucked himself against Luck, and the blankets tightened around all four of us.

Another hard shape brushed my thigh, and Luck went rigid. “I am so sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s okay.” My voice came out embarrassingly breathless. “Like I said, I know you can’t help it. It’s not like you’re trying anything.”

“I promise you I’m not. I respect the fuck out of you, Spencer.”

“We all do,” Mad promised, shifting from where he was behind me.

I became aware that Luck wasn’t the only one still having difficulties.

“I know.” My entire body heated, despite the icy air.

We lay together in tense silence, and I was painfully conscious of every point where our bodies touched. Luck’s breath warmed my forehead, and Mad’s hand rested near my waist without quite touching it. Oxi’s leg was tangled with Luck’s beneath the blankets, touching mine.

Exhaustion eventually overcame the tension between us. Luck’s breathing deepened, and Mad’s body relaxed behind mine. The awkwardness softened into something quieter.

I still missed Keith so badly that I could barely breathe when I thought of him. Being held by someone else would never erase him, and I didn’t want it to. But surrounded by their warmth, steady heartbeats, and the proof that I wasn’t alone, I finally let my eyes close.

11

MAD

Spencer moved with a disciplined grace that made the heavy steel katana in her hands look like it belonged there. The blade sliced through the air with a sharp hiss. Sunlight poured through the skylight above the mall, catching the edge and making it flash with every strike. Dust motes drifted lazily through the pale beams until her movements sent them swirling around her.

It was magnificent, and I couldn’t look away.

Her red hair was tied back at the base of her neck, and the white streaks running through it gleamed whenever she stepped into the sunlight. With her hair pulled away from her face, I could see the softness of her features more clearly.

She was so beautiful.

She stepped forward and drew the blade in another smooth motion, moving it through a clean arc before turning on the ball of her foot. Another strike followed, faster this time. The momentum carried seamlessly into her next movement.

She never hesitated or wasted her strength.

The blade cut, returned, and slid into its sheath with a quiet click.

A second later, she drew it again.

It was difficult to believe she hadn’t grown up with the weapon in her hands.

I leaned against the wall near the entrance of the jewelry store with my arms folded over my chest, watching her repeat the sequence. I’d only meant to stop and watch her for a moment.