Chapter 18 Reno
RENO
As we were on the way home, Cal texted that Jackson was awake, so we stopped to pick up four cheese pizzas. We could always order more if they needed them. Healing a severed neck had to take a lot of energy.
I’d left Simon in the car while I ran in to get the food.
He was tired. I felt bad making him leave the house when he was recovering, but I could tell through the bond that he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself tonight.
I’d have to make sure we got more social time now that the rogue vampires were dead.
Maybe I should bring back the District picnics before the weather got too cold.
We hadn’t had one since I’d been acting DM.
When I got back into the car, Simon was fast asleep. I felt a surge of affection, and he smiled, even though he was passed out. Fuck, how long would it take me to fall in love with him?
I couldn’t believe I’d known him less than a week. We’d barely had sex, and I’d been so stressed out about bonding at the time, I hadn’t paid proper attention to Simon. He deserved all the attention.
I was making plans for waking up early tomorrow and talking Simon into morning sex when I turned onto my street. My groan woke Simon up.
“Wha’s the matter?” He rubbed his face with both hands.
“Sorry to wake you, but we’re almost home. My aunt is here.” It was pretty late for her to visit, so I suspected she and her buddies had been out to dinner. Oh, shit. “Um, I told her we were bonded, so she’ll probably want to hug you.”
He froze, his fingers pressed into his cheekbones. “She will?”
“Guaranteed. Do you want me to head her off?” I pulled into the driveway next to Tia’s car.
He shook his head, smiling. “No, I don’t mind.”
I made a mental note to hug Simon daily going forward.
We got out of the car, and I grabbed the pizzas from the back seat. Cal had the door open before we even made it to the front porch.
He took the pizzas with a grin. “Y’all need to go see what’s happening in the guest bathroom. I already took some pictures, but you need to witness it for yourself before it’s over.”
I exchanged a bewildered glance with Simon, then I gestured for him to lead the way. Nicky waved from the kitchen table. Soledad was washing dishes, and she pointed us toward the guest bathroom. “Hurry. I’ll meet your young man after.”
Okay then. We were missing Jackson, Tia, and Rosita. Simon lengthened his stride, and I hurried to keep up. The bathroom door was closed, but we could hear splashing along with Tia and Rosita fussing. Simon knocked softly and opened the door a crack. With a laugh he pushed it wider.
Jackson, their panther form barely fitting in the tub, gave us pathetic puppy dog eyes from under a mass of shampoo suds. Tia and Rosita were splattered with water and soap.
“Welcome!” Tia beamed at us. “Simon, I’m so happy you’re feeling better. I will give you a hug when I’m dry. We’re almost ready to rinse.”
I introduced Simon to Rosita, and after greeting her he edged into the room and leaned against the counter to stay out of the way. “Jackson, I’m sorry it never occurred to me that you’d need to bathe. I suppose I assumed you would just change form.”
I wasn’t sure where the dirt would go in that scenario, but Jackson nodded violently enough to dislodge some of the shampoo.
Tia wasn’t buying it. “They were lying on that floor for over twenty-four hours, and they had dried... stuff in their fur. Of course they needed a bath.” Rosita took the showerhead sprayer out of its holder and flipped the handle to turn it on.
Jackson hunched over and squeezed their eyes shut while they were rinsed.
I rubbed my mouth to hide my grin. “Did Jackson get anything to eat?”
“Si, we brought enchiladas.”
“Great. Jackson, glad to have you back with us. Simon and I picked up some pizzas if you’re still hungry after this, or we’ll put them in the fridge for later.” They seemed a little happier at that news.
The bathroom was too small for Simon and me to help dry Jackson, so we left Tia and Rosita to it. I stopped him in the hall before we got to the living room. “Do you need to sleep? Tia and her friends won’t be upset. They can interrogate you the next time they drop by.”
He smiled and kissed my cheek. “I’m fine for a little while at least.”
“Okay. But if you feel like you need to lie down, just go. And one more thing.” I went up on my toes and gave him a long, lingering kiss. “Can you delay your yoga until later in the morning tomorrow?”
He scrunched his eyebrows together, then he lifted them and a slow, seductive smile took over his face. “Are you suggesting I’m too tired to make love to you tonight?” He stepped closer to me, putting his lips next to my ear. “I can assure you, that will never happen.”
I shivered, feeling my arousal and his boomerang through our bond.
“Fuck.” I slid my hands up to his chest and pressed until he stepped back again.
“Why don’t we play it by ear.” I was mostly sure, his boasting aside, that he’d be asleep as soon as he got into bed.
“You can get away with avoiding Tia and her friends tonight, but I can’t. ”
He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. “If we have to wait until tomorrow, we’ll need to set an early alarm. Do you know how many people will try to talk to us in the morning?”
“I’m not cutting your sleep short. We’ll just remind them you’re still recovering from your injury. It’ll be fine.” Or whoever interrupted us would regret it.
He grumbled under his breath as he took my hand and let me lead him to the kitchen. Cal had put the pizzas on the kitchen counter, and he, Nicky, and Soledad were sitting at the table having hot chocolate. I tugged Simon over. “Soledad, this is my mate, Simon.”
She stood up. “Simon, you are the answer to our prayers. Come here.” She opened her arms, and he bent over to give her a tentative hug.
Hoping he wouldn’t ask the obvious question, I dodged around them to make glasses of ice water for me and Simon.
He broke the hug and stepped back. “Thank you. Um, why am I the answer to your prayers?”
Shit, he asked.
She threw me a contemptuous look, but I pretended to be absorbed in filling the glasses with ice. “Because Esperanza despaired of that one ever finding his mate. She worried he would grow old and die all alone, his final days steeped in bitterness and regret.”
At the far end of the table, Nicky and Cal weren’t bothering to hide their laughter. I groaned. Soledad loved her telenovelas. Though, to be fair, so did Tia and Rosita.
I set Simon’s glass down on the table a little harder than I should’ve. “Soledad, thank you so much for bringing dinner over.”
She shrugged to brush this away as she sat down again. “It was no trouble. Your Tia and Rosita shared in the work. We were so happy to be here when Jackson woke up.”
Nicky sobered. “Me too. Their magic seemed to have recovered hours ago, so I was getting worried at how long they were unconscious.” He wrapped his arms around himself. “I thought they were dead when it happened.”
Shit, with all Nicky had been through, he did not need to lose any of us, especially right now.
Cal patted Nicky’s back. “Don’t forget they’d healed that rabbit shifter the day before. They may not have fully bounced back when, uh, they were injured, so it took longer for them to feel well enough to wake up.”
He nodded. “I’m glad we won’t have to worry about being in danger anymore, right?” I seconded that feeling with a vengeance.
“Right. No more vampires.” Cal winked at Simon. “Except Simon of course.”
I got a whiff of discomfort through our bond from Simon at this statement, but he didn’t say anything.
Jackson came bounding out from the hallway at that moment, their fur glossy under the runes and a rhinestone tiara on their head. I had no idea where that had come from.
We all exclaimed over how nice they looked. Tia and Rosita followed them out more slowly, and I got up to take the wet towels from them. “Y’all seem a little worse for wear.” Their clothes were damp, their hair was frizzy, and they exuded weariness.
Tia tsked and pointed at Jackson, who had hopped onto one of the chairs at the table.
“That one made it much harder than it had to be.” I headed for the laundry room as she switched her focus to her new target.
“Simon, come here and give me a hug.” She made cooing noises. “Welcome to the family, mijo.”
“Thank you.”
When I returned, Tia was still hugging Simon. He had his eyes closed, and even though he was hunched over enough that it had to be uncomfortable, he didn’t look like he wanted the hug to end anytime soon.
Rosita winked at me, then she cleared her throat. “Let the young man go, Esperanza. I’m sure he’d rather have his mate in his arms.”
Tia did release him, but Simon kissed her on both cheeks before stepping away.
“Everyone, sit. Who would like some hot chocolate?” Soledad got up to bustle around the kitchen. When Simon sat down next to me, I took his hand in mine.
Tia turned to him. “Young Nicky here told us you like to knit. We’re more partial to crochet, but I’d love to see what you’re working on sometime.”
His eyebrows went up, and all I got was confusion through the bond. He glanced at me, then shrugged. “I—sure? It’s just a blanket. I spend a lot of time in my minivan, so I need the warmth.”
I squeezed his hand. “You used to spend a lot of time in your minivan. And, by the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I moved all of your storage bins from your minivan into the house.”
His eyes went wide to match his eyebrows. “You did?”