Chapter 25
Declan
Ihopped over to the dresser, using it to balance. Sonny was sprawled over the bed, naked and smiling the satisfied smile he wore when he was sexually sated, and don’t think I wasn’t thrilled to finally know what that looked like on him.
“You want me to find your crutch?”
“Nah, I’m just grabbing my clothes and then I’ll put my prosthetic on.”
We were going to my parents’ house, and I had a strange feeling inside the pit of my stomach at the fact we were going to leave this safe cocoon of Erik’s cottage.
Grabbing the neat pile of clean clothes which Erik had thoughtfully put through the wash and dried and folded, I hopped back a step and hit the bed, sitting down with a bump.
This place really wasn’t that big. It had been useful, though, that it was so small because yesterday I’d left my crutch in the other room when Erik had carried me into the bedroom and, I flushed at the memory, it had felt so good to be manhandled in his arms like that, as though I weighed nothing.
Settling myself securely, I reached for my clothes but Sonny appeared behind me and wound his arms around me, pressing kisses to my cheek. I smiled.
“What are these for?”
“For being amazing, and also being sexy.”
“In that case, keep going.”
He laughed and smothered me in kisses, down my cheek and along my jaw and down my neck to my collarbone.
The floorboard by the door creaked and I looked up at Erik, who was dressed in smart trousers and a polo shirt. He looked good, with his compact body and the swell of his muscles against his shirt. I smiled and held out my hand, asking him over.
He walked up to me and stood between my legs. If I hadn’t just come, I’d be getting hard at the fact he was there.
“Sonny’s offering kisses for anyone sexy,” I said.
Sonny lifted his head and reached straight for Erik, tugging him down and planting a kiss on his lips, sliding his tongue into Erik’s mouth. They kissed for a few moments and then Erik pulled back.
“We should get going.”
Sonny smacked one last, loud kiss on my cheek and said, “I’ll grab a shower.”
He shot out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, where I heard the shower turn on and Sonny’s voice rise up to sing snatches of seemingly random Christmas songs.
Erik said, “Would you like me to help with your prosthetic or to wait outside?”
I had managed to lose my shyness about my prosthetic around Erik. He treated it like it was so… normal. It was difficult to feel embarrassed about something when he was acting like it was very mundane.
“Can you help me, please?”
He nodded and fetched the liners.
By the time Sonny emerged from the bathroom, his skin still damp from steam and his blonde hair dark, I was dressed and ready to go.
Sonny started pulling on his clothes and I stood, touching the wall for balance until I had found my centre of gravity.
I felt the familiar touch of Erik’s warm hand on my side, the slight pressure as he encouraged me to ease over to the side.
I followed his lead, adjusting my stance, the way I had dozens of times now.
“There,” he said. “Perfect posture. How does it feel?”
“It feels weird, to be honest. I should have worn it the past few days because I feel like I’m not used to it now.”
Erik nodded. “We’ll take it slow.”
“Is there still snow outside?”
“Yes, but I’ve cleared a path to the car. It might be slippery, though. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”
I took his hand. “I trust you.”
He squeezed my fingers and then stepped back, dropping my hand and taking a deep breath.
I frowned. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No!” He shook his head. “My, um, tentacles have got used to coming out around you both and I’m struggling to control them. I don’t want to freak your family out by suddenly half-shifting in front of them.”
I wanted to reassure Erik that it wouldn’t freak anyone out but, actually, it probably would.
They would be shocked to see someone sitting across the dinner table with tentacles.
On reflection, I didn’t know why I wasn’t more freaked out.
Maybe because I’d seen that octopus in the water, holding Sonny to the surface.
Maybe because I knew Erik so well. Maybe because Sonny loved them so much.
Either way, they just… didn’t bother me. I wasn’t as hot for them as Sonny was, but I liked them. They felt good against my skin and I loved Erik. They were part of Erik, ergo I loved them. That was all there was to it for me.
I’d taken too long to reply. Erik glanced down, suddenly unsure again, and Sonny appeared beside me, fully dressed in the clothes he’d been wearing for our date.
“You can get your tentacles out tonight, in Declan’s bedroom. Are we going? I said I’d text Lilian when we were setting out.”
Just as I was about to comply, I paused. “How have you been texting my mum?”
“I used your phone. You said I could. Besides, you didn’t say it and I knew she’d worry about us being on the roads in this weather, so I wanted to reassure her.”
Sonny walked out of the bedroom, making that floorboard squeak, and the tense feeling seeped into my gut, so familiar. I’d thought I’d lost that feeling, but no. It was back. The feeling I was about to be watched all day.
Erik moved forward and took my hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
He raised an eyebrow.
I breathed out. “Fine, no I’m not okay. I-I feel—”
He looked at me, and his expression of concern made my words dry up faster. I hated worrying people and I didn’t want Erik to feel sorry for me.
“It’s nothing.”
Erik frowned. “It’s not nothing if it’s how you feel.”
“I-I just don’t want to go back to my parents’ house forever. Being watched and treated like I can’t do anything. I-I know my mum means well, and she’s just worried about me like Sonny says, but it feels… suffocating.”
Erik ran his hands up my arms and over my shoulders. “I’ll be there with you. You can walk without crutches now and your posture is…” he gave me a once-over to check, “perfect. There’s no need for her to worry, and she’ll come to see that.”
Sonny poked his head back through the door.
“You okay?”
I let out a shaky breath, as though I were trying to laugh. “Yeah, I’m fine. We’re just coming.”
Following him to the front door, I peered out through the little window. The world outside was white, with a grey streak of path going directly to Erik’s car. He’d parked it as close as he could.
I took my time getting to the car and made it safely inside without needing assistance, though I appreciated Erik being nearby. Now I knew he was strong enough to throw me over his shoulder and carry me round, I was pretty sure he could prop me up if I slipped.
Settling in the front seat because that had more room than the back, and it was easier for me to manoeuvre my leg, I smiled as Sonny asked, “Can you put the radio on? They must be playing Christmas songs, right?”
I turned it on and Erik eased the car round the lake towards the road, back towards the village.