Chapter Thirty-Five #2
I was surprised to find Remi and Bel at my dad’s condo when we came for dinner, but it was a pleasant surprise. Remi and Tan were brothers, which I supposed kind of made him and Bel my uncles? Or something? I didn’t know. I supposed it was simply easier to say they were family.
Wait.
If Bel was my uncle, and Keryth was Bel’s cousin, what did that make Ker to me? A pseudo-uncle? Ewwww. No. Just… no. Nope.
Remi gave me a big hug—he learned to hug from his dads, who were absolutely the huggiest people I’d ever met—and Bel gave me a quick one.
I knew he hadn’t grown up with a lot of love in his life, so I wasn’t surprised.
Hell, that was exactly how I hugged people unless they came in for a giant hug like Remi or my dad always did.
“It’s good to see you guys,” Remi said, his voice deep with a tiny growl underneath from his wolf side.
“You too,” I said with a grin. “You guys are staying for dinner, right?”
“We weren’t going to, but Tan and Garrick insisted.” Bel sent me a small smile. “We were actually just dropping off some extra gear from the office for you guys to take on your trip, but…” He trailed off with a shrug.
“Gotcha. Well, I’m glad you’re staying.”
“Are you sure?” Remi asked. “We can leave if you want it to be just your dad and Tan.”
I waved him off. “No, stay. Please.”
He gave a nod, so I sent him a smile and walked farther into the condo so I could find my dad and stepdad.
They were both in the kitchen, cooking together, and I watched from the doorway for a few minutes, amused to see Tan bossing my dad around.
Sometimes, Dad forgot to let things go and just be himself and not the king for a while.
Getting him out of that headspace was a talent of Tan’s.
“Hey, guys.”
They both stopped and turned, offering me smiles. “Glad you could make it.” Tan gave me a nod. “You guys can sit down in the living room or at the table for now, if you want? We’ll be finished in about five minutes.”
“Awesome. Just wanted to say hi.” I went to turn around, but my dad’s voice stopped me.
“I’m really glad you’re here.”
I sent him a smile, knocked my knuckles against the kitchen island a couple of times, and headed back to the others.
As soon as I walked into the living room, Roman smiled at me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and pulled me into his side.
He responded to Remi, but I wasn’t paying attention to his words, too surprised by the easy affection.
I’d expected him to be more standoffish in front of family, but I was definitely happy to stand pressed against his side.
“How are your music lessons going, Bel?” I asked when there was a lull in the conversation.
Bel beamed. “They’re really great. I’ve had so many calls lately that I’ve had to turn people away. I feel really bad—”
“But you can’t work every waking minute,” Remi said, shaking his head at Bel, then looking at us. “He’s the worst workaholic I’ve ever met.”
Bel nudged him. “I am not.”
“Uh-huh.” Remi mock-whispered, “He totally is.”
Bel squawked and punched Remi’s shoulder lightly, making the wolf shifter laugh, and I chuckled at the pair.
They goofed off for a few seconds, and Roman leaned in, kissing my temple. I savored the touch, soaking it up like a sponge.
Not only did it feel good in that warm, comfy, affectionate way, all his touching was also making me a little squirmy. The last thing I needed was another inconvenient boner around family. Ew, around my dad. Blech.
But I wasn’t about to tell Rome to stop. I liked it too much.
“Dinner’s ready!” Tan called out. “Come sit at the table.”
We walked into the dining room, and Roman pulled out a chair for me.
“Oh, what a gentleman.”
He snorted and kissed the top of my head before sitting beside me.
Dad came out, carrying a big platter of chicken fettuccine alfredo. He set it in the center of the table, then randomly rubbed the top of my head affectionately as he walked past me to go back into the kitchen.
“Hey! Not cool, Dad.”
He chuckled, and I was so relieved to hear the sound of his laughter, to hear him happy, that my heart warmed. I’d truly missed this. Missed him. So damn much.
When he came back, setting a salad on the table, I grabbed a fork and held it out toward him like a sword. “Don’t even think about it.”
He laughed again, and I grinned at him as he walked past me.
“Here’s everyone’s drinks,” Tan said, carrying a billion glasses out, using his magic to keep them from falling. I only knew he was using his magic because most of them looked like they were floating.
“Thanks,” I said when he passed me some iced tea. I’d love to have a beer, but since we were leaving in the morning, Rome and I decided on no alcohol.
Dad came back out, this time with garlic bread, and said, “Dig in.”
Everyone made their plates, and I decided to go for the salad first. I’d eat a whole plate of that, then a whole plate of alfredo… possibly two. After I finished making my salad, I noticed three pieces of garlic bread sitting on a napkin beside my plate.
I glanced up at Roman. He was laughing at something my dad said, but I had no doubt he’d been the one to put the bread there for me. So sweet. He was always trying to take care of me.
Dinner was a lively affair, and I had a great time, laughing and teasing and joking around with my family.
As it wound down, Dad asked, “Will you two come home after the mission’s over?”
I blinked at him. “Where else would we go?” What was he even talking about?
Dad shrugged. “Are you… staying at the tower?”
Before I could respond, Roman said, “We’re staying here, Gar. Once we’re ready, Oak will move in with me.”
“We haven’t decided that yet.” I said it just to be a pain in the ass, and I had no doubt I was smirking.
Of course, Roman knew that, and he rolled his eyes. “My place is bigger. And we totally decided it the other day.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at him before I faced Dad. “We’re not going anywhere, Dad. We’re staying here… with the rest of our clan.”
My dad sucked in a deep breath and looked like he was blinking back tears. “Your clan…” It almost sounded like a question.
“Yeah, Dad, our clan. My clan.”
He got up, walked to me, bent over, and hugged me. After a long moment, he whispered, “Thank you for that.”
I patted his back. “Thank you for bringing me home and for… for showing me what a real family is.”
He sniffled, and I sniffled back, making us both let out watery laughs.
“I love you, kid.”
“Love you too.”
After one more squeeze, he released me, sniffled again, and cleared his throat. “Do you guys want to go up to the roof? We have that fire pit we can roast marshmallows around.”
“I love roasted marshmallows,” Roman said, reaching under the table to grab my hand. “Let’s do it.”
Dad sent him a grateful smile, and we all cleared the table and headed up the staircase to the roof. I didn’t miss Tan giving Dad a big hug, rubbing his back, and whispering to him. I loved Tan, not only for himself but for how he cared for my dad.
There were a bunch of lounge chairs and two-seaters around the fire pit, so Rome and I chose to sit together and share a blanket. The fire pit already had wood in it, and after I glanced around for a few seconds, I shrugged, opened my mouth, and called on my fire.
Both Remi and Bel jumped when a large flame whooshed out of my mouth and straight into the fire pit. Roman laughed at them, and I cut the fire off once the logs caught, and I grinned.
“A little warning next time,” Remi said with amusement.
I shrugged. “Eh, I’ll think about it.”
That made Bel snort.
My dads came up, both of them loaded down with marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, and long sticks, and my stomach growled.
“How the hell can you possibly be hungry already?” Roman asked, laughing under his breath.
I gestured at the offerings. “It’s s’mores.”
“You just ate like three plates full of food.”
I shrugged with a grin, and he leaned in to kiss my cheek with smiling lips.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Roman. When he spoke, he moved his hands around, and all I could imagine were the muscles of his arms flexing. His broad shoulders, the curve of his neck, and his chest that I wanted to bury my face into.
I wanted to lick him.
No, I needed to lick him.
But… my dad was right there, so I did my best to hide my feelings.
Seriously though… wow. My viramore was hot as all hell.
Roman shot me a smirk and a wink my dad couldn’t see, so I knew I’d been caught staring.
I didn’t care.
Because I needed him.
We hung out with my dads, Remi, and Bel late into the night. As soon as I yawned three times in a row, my dad said, “You guys need to go get some sleep. You’re leaving early in the morning.”
I wasn’t about to argue. I was totally ready to climb into bed and snuggle up with my viramore.
Dad’s hug was just as brutal now as it was earlier.
“Dad, you’re not sending me off to war or something. Geez.”
He snorted. “Nope, but I’m still sending you into enemy territory and close to some horrible people that hurt others for a living.”
“We’ll be okay.”
He nodded and finally let me go before he turned to Roman. All night, they’d been friendly and had laughed together, but right now, my dad looked so serious.
“Rome, I… I really am sorry. I should never have—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Dad grimaced, then walked forward and pulled his best friend into a tight hug. Roman hugged him back without hesitation, and a sense of profound relief and happiness flowed through me.
For a moment, I thought they were my own emotions, but then I realized they weren’t. I could feel my own, but these were sort of on top of the others. Like an extra layer coming from an outside force.
Coming from Roman.
From our bond. Through our bond.
“Woah,” I breathed out as I sorted through them, making sure I could tell where my emotions ended and his started.
The two of them whispered a few words and laughed as they separated, and then Roman grabbed my hand, gave it a squeeze, and pulled me toward the roof’s exit.
As we headed down the stairs, I said, “I felt you—your emotions, I mean.”
He grinned. “Yeah?”
“Mhm.”
When we reached the bottom of the staircase, he leaned over and kissed my temple. It made me smile and ache for a kiss somewhere else. My mouth, my neck, my… everywhere.
We were able to take the private elevator all the way from the roof access to Roman’s floor. It was a lot less annoying to get to than it was getting to my dad’s condo, luckily.
With Dad being the king, I appreciated that the secret door in his office and that staircase helped keep him safe.
He’d actually installed a secret trap door in my condo that led right to the private elevator, and he’d wanted to put in even more passageways and things, but I’d stopped him.
I had enough security around my home already.
We took the elevator down to Roman’s floor, stepped into the small foyer-like area that had only one door, and he used his magic gem key to open it.
We stepped inside, and I took a deep breath, relieved to be somewhere comfortable where I could just… be. I didn’t have to be on, so to speak. I could relax. I could take off my makeup, put on the baggiest clothes I owned, and chill out on the couch while I watched a show or movie.
I was relieved to be home.
I blinked when I realized what I was thinking.
This wasn’t my home. This was Roman’s home.
Sure, I was comfortable here, even though I hadn’t actually spent a lot of time here, but I hadn’t realized just how comfortable I was until now.
That was… strange.
“You okay?”
I glanced at Rome. Well.
I supposed I was comfortable because this was Roman’s home, and he was… he was mine.
“I… yeah, I’m fine.”
He scowled, obviously picking up on my emotions, but he let it go, surprisingly.
“Do you want to change into something more comfortable?”
“What?” I asked, cocking my hip. “You don’t think this is comfy?”
He snorted as he looked me over. “Your shirt is flowy and pretty, but definitely not a comfortable fabric to sleep in. Your jeans are so tight they’re practically glued on. I’m half convinced you’re gonna need my help to pull them off. Might even need to get some oil or butter or something.”
I couldn’t help but snort at that, giving him a push. “You’re an ass, you know that?”
“Oh, you’ve told me countless times.”
I rolled my eyes, trying and failing to bite back a smile. “Whatever.”
“Go change, babydoll. Then we can watch the Real World of Gauhala.”
“Ooooohhh, yes! I can’t wait to see who Timora goes on a date with.”
“Uh-huh.”
I smacked his chest lightly, copping a feel for a split second. “Uh-huh, my ass. You’re just as into it as I am. Don’t act like you’re not.”
“I am not.”
“Oh my Scales! You were crying when Jorgo told his story about being turned into a vampire—it was tragic, and you cried. A lot. And when we had to stop the one episode without finding out who stole Loreena’s spellbook, you were pissed for, like, a whole day.”
“I was not.”
I pointed at him. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”
He turned away from me, but not before I saw his amused expression. “Nope. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh. I know your game, Roman Zohar Vidar Frewin Trevil. I see you smiling over there.”
“I’m not smiling. And why the hell are you full-naming me right now?”
“Because I think it’s hilarious that you have like seventeen middle names.”
He sighed. “It’s only three.”
“That I know of.”
“Oh my fuck, I don’t have more names than that.”
I laughed. “Uh-huh.”
“You’re a menace.”
I flipped him off as I laughed, then walked down the hall toward his bedroom where I’d left my bag earlier. “Whatever you say, Mr. Pants On Fire.” My pants are about to be on fire just from looking at him.
I heard his laugh even though he cut it off to hide it from me.
What a dork.
But I still had a grin on my face the entire time, and when he didn’t immediately follow me into his bedroom, I called out, “Rome?”
“Yeah?”
“Come here!”
Roman had been so sweet and fun tonight—and fucking sexy as hell—and I wanted him to know how much I appreciated him and his willingness to put up with all our friends and family members.
And… I still really wanted to lick him.
No, I needed to.
Maybe tonight was the night… if I could find the courage.