Kindred Spirit: Book Five of the Bound Spirit Series

Chapter 9

Donovan

It’s Wednesday and my turn to stay the night with Nolan. All of us collectively decided that he shouldn’t sleep alone just in case something happened.

As I toe off my boots at the door to his suite of rooms, I hate the déjà vu sensation that hits me. Images of the night I found his suicide note flash across my mind, and there’s a hitch in my chest—a beat of fear—when I call out his name and wait for an answer.

“Up here,” he calls from somewhere upstairs, sounding out of breath.

My first thought is that he’s vomiting up blood again, that he’s gotten worse and now can’t keep any of it down. I take the stairs two at a time, fighting to stay calm. It’s easy to keep a cool head when I’m going out to fight demons. I’ve long since accepted that it’s unlikely I’ll see my thirtieth birthday, let alone my two hundred and fiftieth, but this—Nolan wasting away before my eyes while hoping for a cure—is something that eats me up inside.

When I reach the top of the stairs, I’m relieved to find Nolan hasn’t gotten worse. He’s out of breath because he’s in bed with a half naked Callie straddling his lap, busy licking her skin clean of the blood dripping down her neck. Her head is tilted back, her eyes are closed, and her sexy mouth is open in a silent moan—the picture of desire.

I’m hard watching the two of them entangled together, dirty fantasies sweeping across my mind of everything we could get up to. There’s a frenzy in the way he tastes her while his hands roam her body with an unrestrained need that isn’t his normal smooth, sexual torment. Not waiting for an invitation, I approach them, a wicked smile taking over my face. With one hand resting on the back of Nolan’s neck, his skin surprisingly warm for once, and the other cupping Callie’s head, her long, wavy hair tangling around my fingers, I drop a probing kiss onto her parted lips. She gasps into my mouth, a hum of pleasure vibrating from her throat. She tastes of cool spearmint and her natural sweetness, and I enjoy the play of our tongues as we explore each other. She’s bold in her approach, going from stroking to sucking on my tongue, and then moaning in a way that makes my body hot and my pants feel too tight.

“Fuck,” Nolan pants, pulling back to watch us kiss while his hands stroke Callie through her lacy bra that is the same golden color as her skin.

She squirms between us, grinding her hips against Nolan, and her fingers dig into his bare shoulders. He groans under the increased stimulation, and while his hands continue to tease her through the thin fabric, he leans forward and starts kissing the swell of her breasts. My hand fists her hair, holding her head in place as I meet her beat for beat in this all-consuming dance, and I release my own groans of excitement and pleasure. It surprises me how much she can get me going with a single kiss, and my entire body throbs with the need for her touch. When she’s desperate for air, she withdraws, licking her swollen lips and blinking like the whole world is out of focus.

“Hi,” I purr with an amused smile, releasing her hair so it can drift down her soft, nearly bare back. My fingers snag on the clasp of her bra strap, resisting the urge to unhook it.

“Wow,” she says in a breathy whisper, and then, noticing my smile growing, her cheeks stain with a rosy blush. “Um, I mean, hi.”

“Is that how we’re greeting people these days?” Nolan murmurs with a rusty laugh, his hands drifting down to Callie’s hips.

“I see it more as an invitation,” I reply before leaning down and kissing Nolan.

My hand squeezes the back of his neck, holding him in place, while I’m as thorough with him as I was with Callie. Ever since that night when I kissed him for the first time without a drop of vampire venom in my veins, a barrier has dropped between us. Now, we make out when we fool around. He groans as my tongue slides along his, and then he presses the kiss deeper, making it more frenzied like he’s on a silent timer and desperate to consume me before it runs out. His need triggers something in me, a fire that burns all rational thoughts from my head. All I want to do is claim him, fuck him beyond reason, and have the taste of Callie on my tongue as I do it. I want her to be a part of us. Just feeling her wide eyes on us as we kiss makes everything ten times hotter.

When we break apart, our breaths are labored, and I can feel the electricity of lust in the air. More than ready to do something about it, I’m disappointed that Callie starts to climb off Nolan after releasing another breathy, “Wow,” and begins to stand up.

Quickly grasping her upper arm to keep her from escaping, I state, “You don’t have to go. We want you to stay.”

“I, uh, do need to go,” she stammers but doesn’t pull away from me. Her hair covers her face as she seems to stare down at her jean-clad thighs. It’s hard for me to get a read on her expression. After a beat, she adds, “Unfortunately.”

“Did the kiss bother you?” I ask, trying to get to the bottom of why she’s so awkward all of a sudden. As Nolan is always quick to point out, it’s one thing to say you’re okay with something and another to actually be okay when you see it.

“What? No!” Callie insists, immediately shifting her gaze to mine. With her round eyes and raised brows, she appears genuinely surprised that I would think otherwise.

I loosen my grip on her arm, instead using my thumb to gently stroke her warm skin. “Then why are you leaving suddenly? Things were just starting to get interesting.”

She huffs a laugh and runs her hand through her long hair. “That’s an understatement,” she mutters before explaining, “I genuinely need to go. I promised Connor I would stay on pack lands tonight. The pack gives him a hard time if I’m not there enough. They think he did something wrong to chase me away.”

I’m normally not one to keep my thoughts to myself—and I have many thoughts on just how badly Connor has fucked up—but my dick is currently in the driver’s seat, and I’d rather try to convince her to stay than talk about him.

Releasing both Callie and Nolan from my grasp, I sit down on the edge of the bed and look at Callie intently. “But why leave now?” My hand shifts to her thigh, my fingers gliding up and down the inside of her leg. Whispering into her ear, I add, “You could stay and play with us first.”

Callie shudders and clamps her thighs tightly, locking my fingers in place. “That’s why I have to go now. If I do anything more with you two, I won’t have it in me to leave.”

“I still don’t see the problem,” I tease, leaning down to kiss her bare shoulder.

Her head tilts to one side, giving me access to her neck. There’s bruising where Nolan bit her. “That’s not how this works,” she murmurs, enjoying what I’m doing while chastising me at the same time. “If this relationship is going to be fair to all of you, I have to keep my word with whomever I promised my time.”

As much as he deserves a few lonely nights to cement just how fundamentally fucked up what he did was, she’s right. If this shit is going to work, she can’t flake on one of us to be with one of the others. I sigh, “Fine,” and sit back, allowing Callie to get up. As she stands to pick her shirt up off the floor, I ask tauntingly, “So did you like watching Nolan and I kiss?”

“She liked it,” Nolan answers for her with an entertained smile on his lips. Resting against the pillows, he continues, “You can see it all over her. How far down does that blush go, my love?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replies, hiding her face by pulling her shirt over her head. However, Nolan is right, and the evidence is all over her. Her nipples are hard in her bra, and the blush has crept from her cheeks all the way down her chest.

“The lady doth protest too much,” he teases, moving his hands to settle on his chest. His eyes are half closed, and there’s a fatigue in his body that wasn’t there a moment ago. I push the observation to the back of my mind.

“Is that right, angel?” I question with a suggestive rumble as I casually rest my hand on Nolan’s hip, right below his birthmark. “Does seeing us together turn you on?”

With her shirt sadly back on, she crosses her arms under her breasts, but her eyes do drift to where my hand is. “It’s, uh, I mean, you are both… attractive… and so, um… well, I like… That is, it’s good to… uh…”

A wide grin spreads across my face with each stumbling word. Normally, I’m not a fan of rambling, but when it’s Callie grappling with her attraction to the two of us together, it’s funny in an endearing way.

Tired of floundering, she covers her eyes with her hands and groans. “Yes, okay?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I assure her, my hand drifting lower on Nolan’s body. He sucks in a breath when my fingers glide only an inch or two above the base of his cock. “Actually, Nolan likes the idea of you watching us.”

She peeks through her fingers and asks, “You do?”

He gives me a quick glare, apparently not ready to share his kinky side with Callie, but it’s better that she knows what she’s getting into now —assuming the night the three of us together didn’t give it away—and then reluctantly nods his agreement.

“And you?” she asks, her focus shifting to me. “Do you like me watching… you two… together?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I answer truthfully, “I’m more turned on by the idea of you joining in, but it’s also hot having you watch.”

Her hands drift to her warm cheeks, and she swallows heavily. “I’m not experienced in… I mean, I don’t know what I’d even do. Wouldn’t it be awkward with me just there?”

Nolan gives her a tired smile as he holds his hand out to her. She goes to him like he has magnets on his fingertips, their fingers interlacing when she’s close. He kisses the back of her hand and whispers, “I always enjoy having you close, and you’d do whatever feels right for you.”

“I have a few suggestions,” I comment, a lewd expression taking over my features as my eyes do a slow sweep of her body.

Her head tilts to the side as she frowns, the wheels turning as she tries to figure out what I could possibly be implying. Sometimes, I forget how innocent she is, but she must have explored herself, right? I take her free hand and lead it low on her belly to help her thought process along. She glances at Nolan, taking in his slow, sweeping smile, and then back at her hand on her stomach. It takes her longer than I expect, but when she gets it, I can’t help the chuckle that escapes me because she’s just so floored by the concept.

With wide eyes, she squeaks, “Oh!” and then rambles, “You mean… I would… while you guys…” Her legs once again squeeze together.

“Only if you wanted to,” Nolan supplies gently, kissing the inside of her wrist.

Callie shivers, and I can practically feel the electric current of lust vibrate around her. Unable to help myself, I move her hand to my shoulder, so I can lift her shirt and kiss right above the waistband of her jeans. A soft, “Oh,” falls from her lips as my tongue flicks against her heated skin. It’s insane how much I want this girl. I’m overwhelmed with the desire to strip her and feast on her dripping core while I feel the sting of her hands fisting in my hair.

Excited by her soft moans, I settle into wooing her back into bed with us, kissing and softly nipping her lower belly. Nolan pulls her hand to his cheek and gives her that smoldering look he does so well. She’s unbalanced on her feet, and I’m about to pull her into my lap when she does a full body shake.

“Oh no you don’t,” she murmurs huskily as she reluctantly steps away from us. “I know what you two are up to, and I’m not going to get sucked back into your sexy wiles.”

“You think my wiles are sexy,” Nolan teases, once again resting his hands on his bare chest.

“Our wiles,” I correct, because this was a group effort.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” she grumbles, retrieving her backpack from the floor near the top of the stairs.

“Still always nice to hear,” he comments, looking surprisingly relaxed considering what we were up to. However, the tent he has going on under the blankets gives him away, indicating he’s still very much affected.

“Uh-huh,” she taunts with a shake of her head. “Like your ego needs a bigger boost.” With purpose, she strides up to Nolan, backpack already shifted onto her shoulders, and gives him a quick peck on the lips and another on his forehead. “Rest well, Casanova.”

He sighs. “It’s all I can do.”

“With you two, I know that’s a lie,” she counters, stepping out of reach, and then they have a conversation with their eyes that I don’t fully understand—only it doesn’t appear to be the first time they’ve had it. Her gaze is soft while his seems slightly exasperated and tired, the frenzied intensity from earlier long gone. She nods when it seems she wins whatever the battle of wills was.

“I’ll be fine,” he states like it’s something he’s been told to recite.

“I know you will be,” Callie affirms and then turns toward me. She gives me a hard stamp of a kiss but quickly dances away when I try to hold her in place to steal another chance to taste her. With a pointed finger at me, she demands, “Behave.”

A salacious grin takes over my mouth. “I promise nothing.”

Callie huffs, flaps her hands in the air, and then drops them at her sides. “You’re both impossible. Just try to remember to sleep.” Before I have the opportunity to mention that orgasms are great for sleep and how I would happily show her, she’s down the stairs and out the door.

“How does she do that?” I ask, shaking my head. “One minute she’s all hot and bothered, and then the next she seems completely fine.”

Nolan shrugs and then rests his head back against the pillow, the long column of his neck looking particularly lickable. Talking to the ceiling, he guesses, “Super spirit witch control? That, or she’s really good at compartmentalizing. Either way, the venom is still running through her veins, and Connor will be able to smell her arousal. I doubt he’s going to ignore it when he has her all night.”

“Lucky bastard,” I mutter, flexing my hand around Nolan’s hip.

“I don’t know if I should be relieved that she’ll be taken care of after I fed from her, or jealous that I’m not the one doing it,” Nolan muses, his eyes drifting half closed. “Not that I’m really capable at the moment.”

Looking pointedly at his erection, I joke, “You seem more than up for the challenge.”

He gives me a deadpan stare before returning his attention to the ceiling. “Problem is I don’t have the energy to do anything about it.” He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Sometimes I’m so tired, I can’t do much more than cuddle her while I know she’s burning from the bite.”

“I don’t think she minds,” I reply, getting that uncomfortable itch from knowing we’re about to end up in feelings territory when all I want to do is take care of our blue ball issue. “Why were you feeding directly anyway? I thought you were drinking from a cup these days.”

“Apparently, I was still looking pale, so she offered,” he answers, drumming his fingers on his chest. “I can keep her blood down from the cup, but I only really get the hit of energy when feeding directly from her.”

“So that’s what I walked in on?” I tease with a grin. “A burst of energy?”

He nods. “It doesn’t last for long, but for a little while, I feel like my old self.” Sighing, he rolls his head to the side so he can look at me. “You know she turns eighteen in two months.”

“I know,” I say slowly, not sure what this has to do with him being too tired to fool around.

He licks his dry lips. “Every time I’ve ever had sex, it was so I could feed. It never meant anything, not like when I’m with her, and soon she’ll be eighteen. She’ll be eighteen, and there’s a real chance I won’t see my eighteenth birthday.”

I hate the finality in his voice and growl, “You promised.”

“I’m not giving up,” he insists, crossing his arms over his chest. “That’s just a fact. Everyone will do their best to save me, but some things can’t be fixed. This is all beside the point.”

Resisting shaking him by the shoulders, I ask with a tight smile, “What is the fucking point?”

Nolan’s gaze drifts to the bedspread beneath us, seemingly unable to look me in the eyes as he admits, “What if I die before we can be together?”

“Ignoring the fact that you will get better,” I argue, because I don’t like where those thoughts are going, “what the fuck does her being eighteen in two months have to do with anything?”

“The age of consent is eighteen in the state of Oregon,” he mumbles, some much-needed color rising in his cheeks. “I looked it up.”

It takes me a beat to finally put the pieces together, and I laugh at the stupidity of it all. “Are you seriously worried about the age of consent laws after you nearly murdered someone?”

“It’s different,” he mumbles. “I don’t want our first time together to be fucking illegal.”

“We do illegal shit all the time,” I counter, holding my hand up so I can count on my fingers. “Underage drinking, you driving with under eighteen-year-old passengers, oh, and, you know, covering up fucking murder.”

“I’m never living that down, am I?” Nolan grumbles, finally looking up at my face again.

Shaking my head, I run my hand through my hair. “Look, dude, wait to be with her because it’s what’s right for both of you. I understand wanting to be at your best again to make it good for her, but don’t hide behind something dumb like waiting until you’re eighteen. If she’s ready, and you’re ready, fucking do it.” I lean over him, bracing myself on either side of his hips. “Now, does your new law-abiding leaf mean you don’t want me to do something about the tent you’re still pitching?”

“It’s too late for you.” He laughs softly, and then his brows knit together. “I wasn’t kidding about how I can’t do much more than lie here. This fatigue is fucking awful.”

“That just means you’re at my mercy for once,” I taunt before kissing him, keeping it light. I pull back when he tries to make it deeper. “And just so you know, Oregon has a Romeo and Juliet clause that means as long as we’re within three years of each other, it’s fine. You worry about the weirdest shit.”

“Well, in that case, why are you still talking?” he purrs while relaxing into the bed, the tension draining from his body as the familiar feline smile takes over his features.

Shaking my head, I mutter, “Asshole,” and then I kiss him again. This time it’s slower and more drawn out, relishing the idea of making him beg for more.

He moans softly, and his hands drift to my stomach, his cold fingers searching for hard muscle and warm flesh underneath my shirt.

“Shit,” I hiss against his lips. “Your hands are fucking freezing.”

“Unfortunately, the warmth I get from feeding from Callie doesn’t last long,” he explains, reaching farther up my chest. “Are you going to help me with that or not?”

“I have an idea or two that might warm you up,” I reply, moving to straddle his hips. Kneeling, I take off my shirt, ball it up, and toss it onto the floor. Prepared for the cold, I grab his hands, place them against my pecs, and slowly lead them down my body until he reaches the hard bulge in my jeans. “I have something hot for you to hold right here.”

“You’re so fucking corny.” Nolan laughs, but there’s heat in his ice-blue eyes. Needing no further prompting from me, he unbuttons my pants and teasingly pulls down the zipper that’s straining to come apart.

Leaning down to brace myself on the headboard, my hips pitched forward and level with Nolan’s face, I growl, “Now, take it out and suck on it.”

He shudders under my direction and licks his lips. Reaching inside my boxer briefs, he tugs me free. I suck in a breath against the harsh contrast of cold fingers encircling my hot cock and groan when I’m met with the feeling of his warm, wet tongue running along my length.

“I thought you were supposed to be helping me with my hard-on,” he comments with amusement, stroking me while the head of my dick rests against his lips. “This is going to make it worse, not better.”

“Oh, we’ll get to you,” I assure him, my gaze transfixed on his mouth and the way he rolls his tongue around me before sucking just the tip. “You’re lubing me up.”

His eyes bulge with surprise, and he pulls away but doesn’t release me. “Dude, I don’t think I have the energy for—”

“Not that,” I interrupt, gripping his chin so he’s looking right into my eyes when I explain, “When I take that ass of yours, you’ll be back to your old self so you can fully enjoy it. Something to look forward to.” My voice drops to a deep rumble, and my hand releases his chin to slide into his hair. “Now, get back to sucking my cock like a good little vampire, and trust me to take care of you.”

I meant it sexually, but there’s a hint of softness to his expression that makes me think he took it differently. He’s not wrong. I will do everything in my power to keep him healthy and safe, but right now, I have a real case of blue balls and want to get this shit rolling.

With a devilish smile, he licks the precum off the head of my cock like it’s a damn ice cream cone. The slight tingling sensation from his saliva has me shivering, and when he finally sucks me fully into his mouth, a long, low groan rumbles from my chest.

“Fuck, that feels good,” I praise, my voice deep and gravelly.

With both hands on the headboard, I slowly feed Nolan my cock, rocking my hips in controlled rhythmic thrusts, never deep enough for him to choke on it. He moans, the vibrations feeling fucking amazing around my dick, and it excites me to watch as I slip in and out between his full lips. Though his strength may not be what it used to be, his skill hasn’t diminished. With rolling strokes of his tongue and the perfect suction, rippling electric currents of pleasure radiate from my groin throughout the rest of my body.

Seemingly desperate for more, he grabs my ass with both hands to pull me deeper into his mouth, but he’s finally at my mercy, and I’m more than ready to tease the shit out of him. Instead of giving him what he wants, I pull back, my cock falling free between us. He looks confused, until I take both his hands from my ass, grab them by the wrists with one hand, and pin them to the headboard above his head. Hot desire burns in his eyes as I take my dick with my other hand and purposely paint his lips with my leaking precum. He quickly licks them clean, and I bend down to give him a searing kiss, enjoying the salty taste on his tongue.

For a few minutes, I play with him, feeding him my cock while he’s helpless to do more than open his mouth and take it. It feels so good that I have to fight the urge to skull fuck him, instead keeping my pace slow and giving him plenty of time to take deep, labored breaths before I thrust back into him. My heart pounds in my chest as the pleasure of using his hot, wet mouth overtakes me, and my skin feels too tight over my bones.

“You want more of this?” I ask with a knowing smile, pulling back so he can answer.

He swallows heavily, his eyes blown wide with lust. “Yes,” he pants with a desperate edge, his hips bucking into the air. “I want all of it.”

“Take a deep breath and open wide,” I instruct, the tip of my dick millimeters from his mouth.

When he does as he’s told, I thrust deep, not stopping until I’m buried to the hilt. He struggles against my grip on his wrists as he swallows and chokes on my length. I know that he wants to touch me as much as he enjoys tasting me, and I’ll release him soon, but for now, I relish the feeling of his mouth.

“Fuck,” I moan, the curse coming out in a long, heaving breath. The sensation of his throat constricting around my dick leaves me panting, and my muscles tense under the weight of my approaching climax. As hot as it would be to have him drink me down, I don’t want to come in his mouth, so I pull out quickly with a hissing, “Not yet.”

Nolan has that dazed look of someone who is out of their mind horny while he leans forward to chase my dick, and there’s a part of me that gets off on the fact that blowing me turns him on. When I release him and climb off, he snarls, “Where the fuck are you going?”

“As good as you look choking on my cock, I did promise I was going to take care of you,” I reply with a wicked grin, pushing my pants and underwear down until I’m completely naked in front of him.

He rubs his wrists as his gaze roams over my muscular form, a deep hunger shaping his features. Looking pointedly at my spit slick dick, his voice sounds hoarse as he asks, “What do you have in mind?”

“Let me show you,” I respond, stepping out of my clothes and peeling the comforter back so I can have full access to his body. Gripping his sweats and underwear at his hips, I tug them down and off of his body. His dick springs free, slapping against his belly. He gasps and shakes when I stroke him with a firm grip, lubing him with his own precum. “Ready?”

“Goddamn it, yes,” he growls, thrusting his hips into the air.

I laugh wickedly as I climb on top of him, positioning us so his legs are wrapped around my hips and our dicks are trapped between our bodies. Wanting to keep Nolan warm, I pull the comforter over us before I brace myself on one elbow, one hand under his back while the other grips his hip.

“Oh shit,” he whispers when I start thrusting, the slick friction of our bodies creating intense pleasure as our dicks rub together. The motions make it feel like we’re fucking, and it isn’t long before Nolan writhes beneath me, his hands clawing at my back.

“You’re so fucking hot like this,” I rasp into his ear, turned on by the pain of his scratches on my skin.

“Faster,” he begs breathlessly, the grip of his legs around me weakening as he tries to hold on. “I need more, but I can’t… I’m too tired to…”

“I’ve got it,” I promise, returning my mouth to his.

Our kiss is violent, a clashing of tongues and teeth, as I pick up speed. Sweat glistens on our bodies in the low lamp light, and pressed together from chest to groin, our bodies slide easily against each other. My approaching climax builds, ricocheting through my body and leaving me on the precipice of pleasure and pain.

“Yes. Fuck. Just like that,” Nolan moans, tipping his head back as he arches into me. “I’m close.”

“Me too,” I grunt, the words escaping in low, punctuated gasps, and then I suck on his neck, making sure to leave a mark. The earthy scent of arousal and the spicy fragrance of his cologne fill my nose from his overheated skin.

Seconds later, Nolan shouts his release, his whole body tensing underneath me as his cum spurts into a sticky pool on his abdomen. Gasping for breath, I pull back just far enough so I can slip the hand I was gripping Nolan’s hip with between us. Scooping some of his spunk into my palm, I wrap it around my throbbing cock, jerk myself off with frantic motions, and follow him over the edge.

I need a moment to catch my breath before cleaning up, so I collapse on top of him, both of us twitching and shaking from the aftershocks of our orgasms.

“Christ, I needed that,” Nolan wheezes, his breaths still coming out in choked gasps. “Thanks.”

“I’m always down for fooling around. You know that,” I reply with an exhausted chuckle. “I’m thinking of adding ‘provides amazing orgasms’ as one of my listed skills.”

“Like you haven’t already.” He laughs and then kisses my shoulder. “No, I mean thanks for… I don’t know, not handling me with kid gloves, treating me like an invalid, or looking at me like I’m one breath away from death’s door.”

Settling back on my elbows, I look down at his face. “Who is?”

His gaze shifts past my head as he answers too quickly. “Everyone else.”

“And by everyone, you mean Callie,” I state bluntly, moving my head so he is once again looking at me.

He glares at me as he frowns. “What makes you think I’m talking about Callie? It’s more than just her.”

I roll my eyes and move to sit up, resigning myself to making a mess of the bedsheets from the bodily fluids dripping down my stomach. “Dude, you would just tell everyone else to knock it the fuck off. Callie is the only one you wouldn’t say that to upfront.”

“I have,” he insists, adjusting himself into a more reclined position. “It’s not like she’s doing it on purpose.”

With a sigh, I stand up and head for the bathroom to get a wet towel for us. “Save me from idiots,” I mutter to no one before shouting, “What exactly did you say, and what exactly is she doing or not doing that is annoying you?”

“She doesn’t annoy me,” he denies, quick to defend her. “I just wish I could do more with her, but I can’t because of being fucking sick, and it’s nice that with you, for a little while, I didn’t feel that way.”

After wiping myself down, I bring the towel back to Nolan and start cleaning him off. “Everything you just did with me, you can do with Callie… minus an extra dick.”

“She wouldn’t want…” He cuts his sentence short when I give him a hard look.

“You have to stop fucking doing this, man,” I warn, dropping the towel to the floor once he’s no longer sticky. “Stop assuming what she wants. Look, she said she isn’t ready to touch us, but she was fine with us touching her. I know you have this guilty conscience thing going on with making her all hot and shit from the bite and then not doing anything about it, so fucking do something.” I stand up, grab my underwear, and pull it back on before throwing Nolan his. “Tell her to do whatever she wants to you and see what happens. Ask her to sit on your face and eat her out. Yeah, it won’t be like you imagined, but if you want it badly enough, then adapt to what you can do.”

“She’s inexperienced,” he argues, taking an extra bracing breath before going through the process of putting his boxer briefs back on. “If I say shit like that, it’ll spook her.”

“Nolan, she is dating four guys—five if Kaleb ever pulls his head out of his ass. That takes a lot of guts. She’s also been through hell and is still standing.” Lifting the blankets, I motion him farther over the huge bed so neither of us has to sleep in the wet spot. After flicking off the lights, I climb in after him. “Also, I know for a fact that if you hand control over to her, she fucking loves it and is a lot bolder than you give her credit for.”

Lying on his side, he squints up at me with a raised brow. “How bold?”

“You won’t fucking find out until you ask her, will you?” I taunt, settling back into the pillows and reaching my arm out so Nolan can shuffle up against me. With his head resting on my chest, I drape my arm around his waist. Sighing, I add, “Callie is going to get more comfortable being physical with us each passing day, and she’s going to explore her wants and desires with one of us. Who that is, is her choice, but if you don’t want to be overlooked because you think she sees you as too weak, then you’re going to need to show her that you’re still up to the challenge, so to speak.”

“So stop acting like a sad sack, and she’ll stop treating me like one,” he replies succinctly, his voice already starting to slow with drowsiness.

“Exactly,” I agree, closing my eyes and welcoming the drag of sleep. There’s no better sleep aid than coming.

“You’re right,” he mumbles, his body growing heavy against mine, “but you’re still an asshole.”

With a soft chuckle, I reply, “You wouldn’t want me any other way.”