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Chapter Forty-Eight
Rebel
We spend the rest of the day settling into the house. One at a time we return to the hotel to pick up some stuff, but in all honesty I’d rather just move everything out at once, drop the pretenses and move into the big house that I got for us all to share.
That might freak Raven - and Phoenix - out too much though, so it’s probably best to wait. Besides, if Cordelia found out about Raven shaking up with five guys with Phoenix under the roof, she’d have a field day with that one! Or a fit. Whichever, it wouldn’t help our chances in court.
So that means it’s baby steps for now, and separate beds for a while at least. Boo.
I don’t agree with Jax’s no romance idea, at all. I’m not great at following instructions, and I’m even worse with direct orders. If I damn well want to kiss Raven, I will. And I want to. So if the opportunity arises, I’m jumping on it.
I walk through to the sitting room and see Phoenix curled up on the sofa with Ace watching a film. I smile and ask if I can join them.
“Yeah!” Phoenix grins.
I take a seat beside them on the sofa and Phoenix snuggles into me, making me warm all over. It feels really nice. I glance over her head at Ace and he’s grinning like a loon at me.
“Good, yeah?” he asks me, and I know he’s not on about the film.
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“Get used to?”
“Yeah I could get used to this pretty quickly,” I agree. The house is comfortable, big enough to hold everyone without us going crazy or trying to kill one another, and it feels like home. Though that’s probably more to do with the people in it, than the bricks and mortar.
We watch the film in silence, with the odd giggle from Phoenix. It’s some sort of animated movie - not my usual choice at all, but I do find myself getting sucked into the storyline. It’s pretty funny, full of these weird little yellow characters that look like fat giant Tic Tacs, that don’t really speak any English. Phoenix thinks it’s great, but from the way she keeps muttering the next lines under the breath, it makes me think this isn’t the first time she’s seen it.
After a while though I notice that Nix has been quiet for a while and has gone really heavy on me.
“Ace?” I call softly.
“Yeah?”
“Is Nix asleep?”
“Yeah.” He chuckles softly. We must have worn her out this afternoon and evening with all the games we played.
My favourite was the mammoth game of hide and seek that we all played. Thorn and Phoenix together were a sneaky double act that proved almost impossible to find. It was only the cookie crumbs that gave them away and we found them both, nearly an hour later, hiding in one of the spare wardrobes stuffing their faces. They thought it was hilarious. We’re going to have to keep an eye on that pair; they’re far too mischievous when they get together.
Although, playing Twister with Raven was a lot of fun too. Too many male body parts up in my face for it to really be arousing, but I did appreciate it when she got up close against me. I may have thrown the match on purpose as an excuse to ‘fall’ down on top of her.
“I’ll take her up to bed...wanna track down Raven to come and tuck her in?” I ask Ace. He agrees to help and disappears off to find her. Carefully, so as not to wake her, I get to my feet and cradle Phoenix in my arms against my chest. She stirs, snuggles into my chest, then settles.
Thankfully, Phoenix’s room, alongside Raven’s and the library, are on the first floor. I’m relieved I don’t have to carry the cute little rugrat up to the top floor. How is something so small, so heavy?
I manage to get her into bed without incident, drawing the curtains and tucking her in. I switch on the nightlight on her bedside table, just in case she wakes in the night, and then I just pause and watch her for a moment. She looks so peaceful in her sleep. So much like Lizzie, though she definitely has Raven’s full pouty lips. That pout is going to be Nix’s ultimate weapon; one tremble of that bottom lip and I’ll be a goner, ready to give in to any of her demands in order to keep her smiling.
“Hey,” Raven calls softly from the doorway, making me jump.
“Hey,” I whisper back. I move out to the hallway to meet her. “Is this okay? She fell asleep on my lap when we were watching a film. I figured I’d bring her up.”
“It’s fine,” she says. She reaches out and lightly places a hand on my forearm. Electricity zings up my arm and the hairs stand on end. I stare down at her hand on my bare skin. Raven gives a soft chuckle.
“What?”
“I didn’t think I’d ever miss anything about that awful flat, but not having to carry Nix up a flight of stairs at bedtime was certainly a bonus!”
“Tell me about it,” I pretend to grumble with a twinkle. “I’m just glad you don’t have your rooms on the fourth floor!”
