Brooks came over and enveloped me from behind. He scented me too. Maybe they’d find their clothes in the nest. Until then? I wasn’t saying shit.
Taking a bite to mask my smile, I decided right then and there that I was going to steal their clothes and put them in the nest until they figured it out.
“It’s a good idea,” Logan said. “Even if I’m a little jealous.”
“I was going to ask you if you were okay with it. You’re the only one I haven’t… at least nothere.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, since Brooks still had me wrapped up. “You don’t need permission to be with any of us. Jealousy is normal, but it’s our problem to deal with, not yours.”
“Keep saying well-adjusted shit like that, and I just might fall in love with you.”
“I hope you fall in love with us no matter what,” he said.
I hoped that too, but I didn’t dare say it out loud.
Theo poked his head around Logan. “You did your training?”
“Before I used the gym.”
That smile felt like stepping into pure sunshine. “Thank you for being obedient.”
A shiver zipped up my spine. I did it right. I made him happy. There wasn’t an interrogation or follow-up questions to make sure I’d done it. Just a thank you.
Theo’s almond scent overtook everything as Brooks passed me into his arms. He tucked me beneath his chin and held me. “I love the way you melt for my praise,” he whispered. “I just need to know something.”
“Kay.” My voice was muffled by his shirt.
He leaned down so I was the only one who could hear him. “I love that you melt so much. Is it because you haven’t had anyone give you praise?” I stiffened, and he kept whispering. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It just makes me sad, that’s all. Can you tell me if it’s true?”
I swallowed. My skin felt hot and tight, and admitting any part of the truth I’d been hiding forever felt dangerous. And yet, I couldn’t lie to him. “It’s true. I mean, Dad would, when he was around.”
Translation: he wasn’t around often enough for it to matter.
Theo kissed the top of my head. “Thank you for telling me. Are you going to go play with Aiden?”
I looked straight up at him, even though I was plastered against his chest. “Yeah.”
“Have fun.”
Narrowing my eyes, I tilted my head. “You say that like I’m walking into danger.”
Logan laughed. “The man’s a pleasure sadist. You are walking into danger.”
“Only the good kind of danger,” Aiden clarified.
I peeked at him around Theo. “Do you have your computers here?”
“Some of them. The really big ones are still at the warehouse and will stay there. But I have enough.”
A cough drew my eyes to Bastian. I realized he was covering a laugh. “Enoughmight be a slight understatement.”
Aiden just shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there. I have to grab something.”
I grabbed the handheld safe out of my bedside table. If he had his computers, then maybe he could have them work on this while he fucked the shit out of me.
His room already had dark blue walls. I remembered from my first tour of the apartment. A big bed now occupied the space, along with a couch and a chair. There were still boxes spilling out of the closet, and?—