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He wakes with a start and looks around as if trying to figure out where he is. He relaxes when he sees me and quietly gets to his feet. He follows me out of the room, turns out the light, and closes the door softly behind him.
I’m starving. I’ve not had anything to eat except a few bites of chili since Oliver and I were attacked, so I head for the kitchen. Charlie follows me, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Are you just getting home?” he asks, after looking at the time on the microwave.
“Yeah. Most of us live on a swing shift. About a noon-to-four thing. Oliver is a little earlier because of school, and Parker is a little later, being completely nocturnal. It’s not bad, but it takes some getting used to. What about you?”
Charlie sits at the table and watches me rummage through the fridge. “I’m on a normal human schedule, but I’ll probably adjust it to be more in line with the rest of you. My office hours are a little later anyway to accommodate for people coming to me after work. It’ll be fine. I just need a week or two to adjust.”
I find some chicken and roast potatoes in the fridge and hold it up curiously. “Rook cooked,” Charlie said. “I admit I’m not much in the kitchen beyond the basics.”
I smile and put a plate in the microwave. “Me either. Thankfully, Rook and Terrance both enjoy cooking. I lived on cereal, box mac ‘n’ cheese, and frozen foods before I met them.”
When I sit down at the table with my dinner, I ask Charlie, “Did Oliver wake up again?”
Charlie shakes his head. “No, but Enzo said that’s normal. The magic wrecked his body pretty good. It needs time to heal. Even with Enzo speeding up that process, he’s still going to be tired for a good week. Enzo worked on him for a while before passing out beside him again. The poor man is going to run himself ragged.”
“Yeah, we’ll have to encourage him to take it easy now that Oliver’s out of trouble. I don’t like seeing Oliver so weak, but I don’t want Enzo to get that way, either.”
“He’s a good man,” Charlie says, his eyes drifting out of focus as he loses himself in his thoughts.
I couldn’t agree more. “They all are. Even Illren, to an extent. He’s got his own moral code, but he’s extremely loyal and protective. You certainly found your way into a great clan.”
Charlie pulls himself back to the here and now and smiles brightly. “I never dreamed I’d be so lucky.”
I match his smile. “Me either.”
He yawns again and covers it with his fist. “Well.” He scoots back from the table. “I’m going to go to bed.” He gets to his feet and kisses the top of my head. “See you in the morning…er…the afternoon, I guess.”
I smile again. “Good night, Charlie.”
Once he’s gone to bed and I’m left to my own devices, I decide a nice, long hot bath is in order. After the last horrible couple of days, I really need to relax. I go so far as to light a couple of scented candles and turn on some quiet classical music. Then I put my hair up, slip into the enormous spa tub, turn on the jets, close my eyes, and let out a blissful groan.
Only seconds pass before a throat clears in the doorway of the bathroom. “Care for some company?” Parker murmurs in a thick voice. The heat in his gaze warms me from the inside out.
A shock of desire shoots through me, and I surprise us both when I nod. “You’re sure?” Parker asks, but he’s already stepped in the room and shut the door behind him.
“I’m sure.” I sit up a little. “Join me.”
Parker takes his time getting undressed. He’s being cautious, as if unsure this is what I really want. But the vampire can’t help his graceful, seductive nature, and the way he watches me as he bares himself for me turns me into a big ball of need long before he’s ready to enter the tub. He stands there for a moment, just letting me look, and really, he is a sight to see. Tall and lean but with more bulk than Oliver, every beautiful inch of him is perfection. My body tingles and my mouth waters at the thought of getting to touch him.
“Scoot forward,” Parker says softly, brushing his fingertips across my bare shoulder. I shiver violently at the brief touch.
I scoot forward and he slips into the water behind me, stretching his legs out on either side of mine. Before I can get nervous about being naked in the bath with him, he grips my shoulders and digs his thumbs into my tight muscles. I can’t stop the moan that escapes my lips as he kneads the tension out of my shoulders and neck.
“You’re tense,” he says, his voice soft as if he doesn’t want to disrupt the peaceful mood.
“It’s been a long few days.”
“Yes, it has. How are you doing?”
He works out a tender knot in my shoulder, and my head falls forward until my chin meets my chest. “I’ll be better when Oliver’s back on his feet, but this is definitely helping.”
It’s not just the massage. I’ve found that one-on-one time with each of my men is precious. I don’t get enough of it. Especially not with Parker. “This may sound strange, but I miss you. We don’t get enough time together.”
“I’m here now.” Parker’s hands drop from my shoulders to my back, and I let out another moan. The sound has Parker ducking forward to kiss my neck. I lean my head to the side to give him better access. He trails hot kisses from my bare shoulder to my ear and whispers, “I love you, Nora.”
I turn my head, and he takes my lips. His hands drop from my shoulders and roam over my body, touching me in ways that have me arching my back. “I love you, too,” I gasp out.
We speak no more words while Parker shows me just how much he loves me until I cry out his name as I come apart in his arms. “I need you, Parker. I need all of you.”
