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“What in God’s name is on your face?”
“Moira.”
He cocked a brow. “That’s... not what I expected to hear.”
“It’s a face mask, Blackthorne. Have you never heard of self-care? Probably not since you seem to think the only thing Sunday needs is dick.”
Noah blinked at her, taken aback by the waspish reply. “I don’t think you’re doing it right if your ‘self-care’ has left you in a worse mood than the one you started with. Try it again. Maybe you’ll actually learn how to smile.”
“Did he just tell me to smile?” Moira asked, her tiny hand balling into a fist.
I grabbed a towel and began wiping off the gelatinous muck. I didn’t stop until it was all gone, and I had to admit, my skin felt amazing.
“Better?” I asked.
Noah grinned. “There you are.”
“What’s going on?”
Moira, Ash, and Callie were deep in conversation as Noah closed the distance between us.
“I know this is your time with the girls, but I was hoping once you’d finished up I could take you somewhere.”
“Of course, let me just tell Mo—”
“It’s okay, babycakes,” she called out, cutting me off and proving that once again, she was an eavesdropping multi-tasker. “Unlikesome people,I can be understanding and accommodating. Have fun, lovebirds.”
Noah shook his head. “Sometimes I think she despises me more now than she did before we were mated.”
“Not possible. She only sasses the people she loves.”
“So what did she do to me before?”
“Terrorized? Traumatized? Take your pick.”
“All of the above. Come on, let’s go.” He took my hand and led me up a series of stairs to a room I hadn’t seen yet.
“What is this?”
“My observatory.”
“Yours?”
He nodded, his lips spread in a proud smile. “My father built it for me when I was five. I’ve always had an affinity for the stars. He taught me about the constellations, the planets, the universe. Anytime I needed to be alone, this was where I’d hide.”
“You don’t seem like the hiding kind.”
“Before I learned to control it, the noise of all those voices ringing in my head was too much to bear. I needed someplace I could be alone with my own thoughts.”
The way he stared up at the domed ceiling made me want to touch him and tell him just how special he was to me, how special him sharing this was. “I love it here. You’re right. It’s perfectly still. Peaceful.”
He turned that amber gaze to me, his expression open and filled with adoration.
“Now it’s you who makes me feel that way. I don’t need this place like I used to.”
I wrapped my arms around him and leaned in to steal a kiss. “You make me feel that way too.”
Being alone with him like this made me realize how essential private time with my men was. I’d connected with Alek recently, but not the rest of them. I needed to rectify that—soon. These stolen moments were essential to helping us feel connected and whole.
