Chapter 3
JULIET
Iwake up feeling hungover. My head pounds, but my body is sore in the most delicious of places. A groan makes its way up my throat as I stretch lazily against the black satin sheets that cover me.
When I bump into a hard, warm male body on one side, I still in surprise. Opening my eyes, I peer down at the thick arm wrapped around my waist that I hadn’t noticed before now and then to the slightly tanner hand next to my side. I’m surrounded by not one, but two bodies. Gio and Lex.
Their heat is almost overwhelming, but thankfully I’m not dressed in the gown I’d been in last night for the masquerade.
One of the guys must have changed me while I was out because now I’m wearing a pair of black board shorts that are loose around my waist and an overly large t-shirt that smells like cinnamon and spice.
Sans bra or underwear, of course. I roll my eyes.
Surprise, surprise. I’m not even bothered anymore by the idea of Lex or one of the others seeing me passed out and naked.
It’s not like they haven’t already seen all of me.
Blinking away the crud in my eyes, I gently reach down and lift Lex’s arm off my waist. Then, after a brief moment of hesitation, I scoot down between the two male bodies, worming my way to the end of the mattress under the sheet until my legs fall over the side of the bed and hit the floor.
Gio grumbles and rolls closer to Lex, hand patting out against the mattress as he slumbers on.
For a moment, I just stand there, watching the two of them. Then, awareness of the third man in the room sweeps over me. I turn towards the doorway as Nolan arches a brow at me and holds out a steaming mug of what smells like nirvana.
“Come on,” he whispers. “We can talk in the living room while we let them sleep a bit longer.”
Unable to resist the pull of his offering, I take the mug and carefully lift it to my lips.
To my surprise, it’s not coffee—but hot chocolate.
I shiver in pleasure and swallow down several mouthfuls before following him out into the hall and shutting the door behind me.
Nolan strides ahead into Lex’s small living room area and takes a seat on the couch.
A bit slower, I trail him and take up residence on the loveseat.
Pulling my legs up to sit crisscross, I cup my mug of hot cocoa and let the warmth invade my fingers.
“How are you feeling?” Nolan asks as I lift the steaming liquid to my mouth again and take a sip.
I meet his eyes, my fingers clenching around the porcelain. “Tired,” I admit, and then, upon more consideration, I add, “sore.”
His lips twitch as he raises his own mug to his mouth. When he lowers it again, he responds. “I’m not surprised. You’ve been through a lot the last few weeks. Even if you didn’t realize it, you must’ve been tense. Now, you’re in a safe place. Your body is, no doubt, ready to relax.”
He can say that again. I sigh and slump into the cushions at my back. “What happens now?” I ask, not bothering to tell him that he’s right about his assumptions.
Nolan’s brows lower and his expression hardens. “Are you sure you’re ready to talk about it yet?” he asks in lieu of an answer. “You know it’s okay to take some time.”
I’m shaking my head before he’s even finished talking.
“Not a chance,” I say. “Putting it off now will only make me want to keep doing that. I want everything figured out and I want to go back to normal, Nolan.” I grimace and my hold on the mug in my hand tightens until my fingers ache and the skin over my knuckles goes bone white. “I want a fucking life again,” I admit.
Nolan is quiet for a moment, then he sets his mug down on the coffee table and stands up from the couch.
I tilt my head back, watching him as he moves towards me and then slowly lowers himself before me, going to his knees.
Months ago, before realizing how dedicated this man could be, before realizing that he would come for me when no one else would, I would have laughed at the position he puts himself in.
Now, though, all I do is stare back at him and wait.
Gently, with firm fingers, he pries the cup from my grasp, turns, and sets it alongside his own. Then, he faces me once more and reaches for my hands.
“We will figure this out.” His words aren’t said casually, they’re a promise, an oath.
“You’re not alone, Jules.” Nolan bends his head, the crop of sandy-colored hair shifting with the movement as he presses a close-mouthed kiss to my cold knuckles.
When he looks back at me again, I’m struck by a sudden urge to cry. “You’ll never be alone again.”
Silence echoes between us. It stretches, a string pulled taut. Until I can’t stand it anymore. Withdrawing one of my hands from his, I smooth it over my cheek to double-check that I didn’t let the tears out before nodding my understanding.
“Okay,” I say. I inhale a deep breath and slowly release it again. This time, when I meet Nolan’s eyes, his are enigmatic—unreadable. “Then, what do I need to do?”
“Well, first, we need to talk to the cops.”
“The cops?” I frown. “Why? Do they think I—”
He squeezes the one hand he’s still holding, the action stopping me from going down that rabbit hole.
“We expected that they would want to question you about Morpheus’ death since you were living with him and at the event where he was murdered.
I had Viks find out who’s being put in charge of the investigation,” he tells me.
“It’s being given to the Silverwood Police Department.
We scheduled a meeting with the detective in charge later this morning. ”
“So soon?” I breathe.
“Yeah.”
I frown as I consider his words. “Wait, but Morpheus was murdered in the city, why would his death be dealt with here?” I ask.
His grimace doesn’t bode well. “I’m not exactly sure,” he admits. “But I think it has something to do with how involved Morpheus was in Silverwood’s community. The department pushed to have the case passed back to them since Morpheus’ life was here and they believe the suspect is someone he knew.”
Would it be that easy? I wonder, brow furrowing.
Even if it is, though, I’m sure that the police of Silverwood are going to immediately presume I had something to do with his death.
I’m nothing more than the daughter of a criminal, after all, and…
with Morpheus dead, my mother and I are the only ones left to take over the business. With Mom gone, it’s just… me.
A warm hand grazing my cheek brings me out of my reverie and I blink in surprise to find Nolan’s face closer than ever, right in front of mine. He cups my jaw and strokes his thumb over my skin. The action is intimate—sweet—and it makes me want to lean into him even more.
“Do you trust me?” he asks.
Frowning, I cant back my head and his hand falls away. Of all the ridiculous questions to ask me now. “Nolan,” I say. “You’ve proven how far you’ll go for me. I trust you more than my own damn mind sometimes.”
He nods as if the answer was expected, but then why did he ask it?
Before I can prod for more, he lifts his head and glances over my shoulder.
I turn, following his line of sight to find Lex standing in the mouth of the hallway looking sleep-rumpled and sexy as sin.
He scratches his stubbled jaw and yawns as he takes in Nolan and me.
“What’s going on?” he asks, lowering his arm and stepping farther into the room.
Nolan stands, startling me enough to return my gaze to him as he towers over me on the loveseat. “Nothing,” he says, and I’m not sure if it’s a lie. “Take a seat, I’ll grab you some coffee.”
Lex looks between Nolan and me as Nolan moves off, but follows the command and comes around the loveseat to plop down next to me. In a blink, he has his arm wrapped around my waist and me pulled directly into his lap.
“Hey!” I slap his chest. “What are you doing?”
Lex merely wraps both arms around me and bends low, nuzzling his face into the side of my neck.
He inhales, breathing me in, and sharp tingles of arousal burn through my lower belly.
Damn it. I need to focus, not get turned on.
He never answers as Nolan finishes puttering around in the small galley kitchen and comes back a moment later with a mug of coffee that he passes over to me.
I nudge the man at my back. “Come on,” I urge. “Take your coffee.” I squirm back and forth as I try to assuage his grip, but Lex doesn’t let go until he’s good and ready, which turns out to be several minutes later, when the coffee in my hand has cooled considerably.
He takes the mug and sips it while keeping one arm around me. “Lost you once, baby,” he murmurs so that only I hear him. “Let me hold you so I can assure myself you’re real.”
That shuts me up. I remain silent and still for the rest of the time it takes him to finish his coffee and Nolan goes back to his. My hot cocoa sits, cold, on the table before us, and I honestly can’t find it in me to give a single shit.
As sunlight begins to rise over the horizon outside of the windows, a sound comes from the back of the carriage house.
A few minutes later, Gio comes stumbling out of the hallway and makes a beeline for the kitchen.
Nolan smirks and doesn’t offer to help as Gio makes a bunch of noise—opening and closing cabinets, stumbling and stubbing his toe against the floorboards, and cursing.
Finally, though, he has his own coffee and makes his way into the living room before sinking onto the couch opposite of Nolan.
“Okay,” Nolan finally says, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. “So, here’s where we’re at.”
Nolan goes over the events of the last several weeks—basically ever since I walked back into the hellhole that was Morpheus Calloway’s grasp to keep them safe. That, however, is not an issue anymore.
Because Morpheus is dead.