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I reached for a strand of black hair with pink tips. “I like that. Did the kids help?”
“They love dying my hair.”
“I bet they do. They’re just like you.”
She blushed and chortled. “Tenacious little things.”
“Spirited. Sweet. Friendly.”
“You think I’m friendly?” Another chortle surfaced as she turned to face me. “The parents at school might think otherwise.”
I squeezed her hand lightly. “Their opinion doesn’t matter.”
“Slater, it doesn’t matter if their opinion doesn’t matter because when they get together, their opinion can become a decision.”
Correct—and unfortunately so. Because when people got to thinking hard together, they got to deciding things of their own accord. And sometimes, that wasn’t always the best thing. Frostcrown had dissipated more by nature than by decision, and that was, I believed still, the best decision that could have been made.
But if this pack tried to turn on Virginia and her kids, then she’d have an even bigger problem than Bentley on her hands. “The alphas won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’m not even permitted to be your mate. What makes you think they’ll do anything to protect me?”
“Bentley is locked up and waiting to be tried for his crimes,” I snapped. “Elias held a sleepover for your kids so things would be normal for you. Are you that self-absorbed that you can’t see what people are doing to make you feel better?”
She gaped at me like I’d just called her a load of insults. And with Virginia, that might as well have been the case seeing as she was more stubborn than any donkey shifter I’d ever met. But the way she thoughtfully sat back and redirected her gaze to the tea made me think something in her had shifted over the years.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to be harsh,” I reasoned. “Just riles me up that you don’t trust us when we’re doing everything we can for you.”
“I’m sorry. I just—” She hiccupped and covered her mouth.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say those were tears coming up. The way she turned away made me reach for her more. And our dance renewed, me reaching for her while she pushed me away, electric zaps terrifying my heart about old news, old memories that had no business coming up at a time like this.
But they were there. And they were real. How could I ignore the past when she was sitting right in front of me with her heart on her sleeve?
Virginia hiccupped again, chuckled, and then waved me off, taking some space so she could wipe her face. “I’m a mess.”
“You’ve always been a mess.”
“Gee, thanks.”
I winked. “It’s a normal part of existing with you, Ginny. Your messiness doesn’t scare me. Not in the least.”
When she focused on me, the whole world seemed to disappear, years of hatred and resentment melting in a singular moment. Not necessarily gone, but not existing either. It was just us again, just the two of us hiding away from our families and their disappointed gazes.
My mind went back to my phone, to my lies in text form to my mother and my requests for Gertie to cover my ass. Christ, what was I getting myself into with Virginia again? I couldn’t quit while I was ahead. But I couldn’t think either.
Nothing made sense. Yet the way things needed to make sense wasn’t important. The whole thing made my confusion that much worse.
Virginia leaned over. I sensed her proximity the same way I sensed her suffering—the visceral feeling of her desire sneaking in with everything else with such palpability that it made it difficult for me to breathe. I let her draw close…closer…
Her kiss was divine. Her softness imbued me with strength. Sea salt and berries thrilled my senses as I deepened the kiss, daring to slide my tongue into her mouth to see how she would react.
And boy, did she melt.
Soft hands circled the back of my neck. Pliant lips parted further. Sighs filled the air. Every response transported us back to the beginning when our bodies had initially met. She was sweet then, even sweeter than she was now, hardly hardened by anything in her life. At the time, she’d wanted to escape her family. We’d done so many distracting things together.
Her hand slid between us and rested on my chest. I released her lips, staying close while giving her space, trying to control the way my body reacted with her around. Uncontrollable longing swept through me in waves, washing hot and cold over my chest and my legs. The breeze felt comforting yet odd.
She caressed my cheek. “Let me put the kids to bed, okay?”
