Chapter 49
Josephine
Decker didn’t resurface for the rest of the night.
Thank fuck. Once was enough.
It’s impossible to avoid his presence altogether, of course. Not with the number of promotional posters that feature his likeness all over campus or the footage of him on the local news Jeannie insists on blaring while she works.
Though I hadn’t considered it a possibility before today, seeing his image everywhere made facing him for the first time hurt less than I anticipated.
Oh, the irony. Maybe there’s merit in his whole exposure therapy concept after all.
I’m loading the last of the dinner plates into the dishwasher when Mrs. Lansbury catches me.
“Child,” she murmurs in her melodic accent.
“I told you, dear. I’ll take care of the dishes.
The cooking. Everything. It’s the least I can do…
” She trails off. By the sympathetic looks she’s been giving me since we arrived, it’s safe to assume she’s privy to the heartbreak and damage caused by her beloved employer.
Tightening the bow of the apron around her waist, she steps up to the sink. Softer, she says, “It helps me feel useful. Gives me purpose. The boys are always trying to pitch in, too, but I need to keep busy during times like these.”
Times like these.
I’m tempted to ask her if she means the storm heading up the coast or the tempest that’s torn our group apart.
But I don’t find the courage before Kylian sweeps through the kitchen.
“Jo. Let’s go.”
He’s all business as he marches deeper into the house. Ahead of me, his stride doesn’t falter as he calls back, “Good night, Mrs. Lansbury.”
I have no idea what we’re doing, but I’m more than intrigued to find out what’s got Kylian so hyper-focused.
Catching up to him, I link my arm through his. “Where are we going?” I whisper as he weaves down a hallway to a set of stairs.
“The Den,” he replies.
That’s his only explanation.
When I pause on the landing, still holding tight to his arm, he stops on the second step. Turning, he peers at me through his glasses. Standing like this, he has to look up at me.
“What’s the Den?”
Despite Kylian’s assurance that there would be no more run-ins with Decker, trepidation washes over me. This is his house, so I have no desire to hang out in public spaces.
Kylian tips his head to the side. “I forgot you’ve never been here.” A playful smile paints his face. “The Den is the cabin’s version of the Nest. Except it’s in the basement, so it’s pitch-black when I want it to be. Nice and cool, too. Ideal for sleeping.”
“We’re going to bed?” I glance over my shoulder, then back at him. I don’t know what time it is, but it can’t be that late.
“We’re going to the Den,” Kylian corrects, squeezing my hand. “The private, fully soundproof Den.”
Oh.
“Soundproof, huh?” I tease, lacing my arms around his neck and raking my fingers through the short hairs at his nape.
“Fully soundproofed. Well-appointed bathroom. Mini fridge. I already moved your bags down there.”
That gives me pause.
I pull back a fraction. “Kyl, you don’t sleep well—”
“I’ll be fine,” he insists. “The Den is bigger than the Nest, and so is the bed. I’d feel more at ease if you were with me tonight.
I—” He clears his throat and blinks at me, his lips turned down.
“I need to know you’re okay more than I need good sleep tonight, baby. Come down and let me take care of you.”
My heart patters out of my chest at his confession. Kylian is my rock, my safety, my harbor, and my anchor. He rarely communicates his own needs to me. It doesn’t come naturally to him.
“Okay,” I agree. My heart is still pounding, and as an idea knits itself in my mind, a low, liquid heat develops in my core. “We are going to do more than just sleep, yes?” I angle my lips over his, running my tongue along the seam.
He lets me kiss him for two seconds before nipping at my bottom lip. “It’s a soundproof room with a king-size bed, Jo. While your safety is my top concern, I’m excellent at multitasking, so yes, I plan to be buried deep in your perfect pussy for a large portion of the night.”
Hit with a bolt of lust, I ask, “Can Nicky come, too?” Before he can respond, though, I elaborate. “He’s finally feeling better, and I miss him, but I miss you, too, and—”
He cuts me off with a bruising kiss. Grasping my shoulders, he guides me back as he walks up the two stairs he had descended. Once he’s positioned on the landing, hovering above me, his lips are on mine again and he’s feeding me his tongue.
Sparks dance up my spine as he grips my throat.
I know what that tongue feels like lapping at my cunt. I know exactly how intense tonight will be if he’s already squeezing my neck.
“You want to play with two of your boyfriends tonight, baby?”
Moaning into his mouth, I smooth a hand down his torso. When I reach the crotch of his joggers, he’s already hard and straining. He thrusts into my hand once. Then again.
Suddenly, I wish I hadn’t stopped and asked for an explanation. Now I’m frustrated that we’re not already downstairs.
“Hmm?” he doubles down, pressing his cock into my hand as he awaits my words.
“Yes, Daddy,” I answer on a shaky breath.
He pulls back and smacks my ass. “Text him. Tell him he has three minutes to get down there or I’m starting without him.” He’s halfway down the stairs when he calls over his shoulder. “And you better be spread out on the bed and dripping on my sheets in two.”