Chapter 23 #2
Clover turned slowly to Amos. Her hands fisted in the sheet, and the fire in her eyes could have burned down an entire village. Unable to help himself, he winked. He didn’t know why he thought it was a good idea to tease her now, but he had to admit, jealous Clover was becoming his favorite.
His mate scrambled out of bed, taking the sheet with her and uncovering Amos’ naked body in the process. Unfortunately, her anger made him hard, and Jennifer gawked at his dick. “Oh my gods.”
Clover stalked over to Jennifer and grabbed her by the throat. “Stop looking at my fucking mate or I’ll scoop your eyeballs out with a spoon.”
Jennifer looked like a doe caught in a predator’s trap. In a way, she was, because if Amos didn’t step in, Clover might kill her.
“I’m his mate,” Jennifer stammered with zero self-preservation.
“You’re his fake mate,” Clover snarled. “I’m his actual mate, and your time here is done.”
Jennifer paused, and her eyes flicked to Amos. “Is that true?”
Amos grabbed a pillow and held it in front of his hips. Fae weren’t shy about nudity, but he didn’t want Clover to do something she’d regret, like make good on her promise of removing Jennifer’s eyes. Assuming she’d regret it. She might not.
“Yes. Jennifer, this is Clover,” he said, standing from the bed, pillow still in place. “Clover, this is Jennifer.”
Jennifer’s eyes flared. “You said your mate died!”
Clover, still holding Jennifer’s throat, twisted to look at him. “You killed me?”
He threw his hands up, forgetting about the pillow. “Why are you saying that like I actually killed you?”
“Cover your dick,” his wife snapped. Amos replaced the pillow, not liking the look in her eye, like she might try to cut it off. “Why did you tell her I was dead?”
“I didn’t trust her to know about you.” He winced when Jennifer gasped.
She planted her hands on her hips. “I’ve kept all your secrets!” Amos had decided against telling Jennifer about the Hydra, too afraid she’d cave under pressure if someone pushed her for information.
“You two share secrets?” Clover practically yelled. Little mouse, my ass.
Jennifer nodded. “He had me forge letters, and he snuck off all the time, and I never said anything. If he’d told me about you, I wouldn’t have had to pretend to be mad you were here.”
Clover tilted her head. “Why would you pretend to be mad?”
Jennifer snorted. “You’re his actual mate. How would you react if you walked into his room to find him with another woman?”
The women seemed to be calming down, so Amos approached them slowly.
“Are you fucking him?” Clover asked, and he considered backing up again. He really needed to put on pants. He and Clover slept naked, and he wanted to wake up with her the way they normally do. He hadn’t planned on Jennifer barging in.
Jennifer looked horrified. “Gods, no. Look at him.” She motioned to his face.
What the hell? “What’s wrong with my face?”
Both women turned on him and said, “Shut up.”
Jennifer studied the sheet Clover clung to for dear life.
“Let me grab you a dress. It will be loose on you, but it’s better than that.
” She disappeared into her room, leaving the door open, and Clover followed with Amos on her heels.
Amos decided not to remind Clover that she had clothes in their closet.
“Is this your bedroom?” Clover asked Jennifer, looking around.
“Yes,” Jennifer called from the closet.
Clover turned around to look at Amos with fury in her eyes. “You two have connecting bedrooms?”
This wasn’t how he wanted their reunion to go. “My father insisted.” His eyes trailed over her, soaking her in—hair a mess, cheeks pink with rage. “You look pretty.”
“You are really pretty,” Jennifer agreed and handed her a blue dress then ushered Amos and Clover into his room. “I’ll give you two privacy.” Right as the door closed it opened again and Jennifer stage-whispered to Clover. “You should kick his ass.”
The door closed with a loud click, leaving Amos and Clover alone again.
Clover dropped the sheet, and Amos’ mouth watered at the sight of her naked body.
He tossed the pillow to the ground and closed the distance between them, but before he could touch her, she hit him in the face with the dress.
“You don’t get to touch me.” She slipped the dress over her head. “For a long time.”
He recoiled. “Why?”
“Why?” She pointed at the door to Jennifer’s room. “Because you told her I was dead.”
“You’re overreacting,” he fired back. “You actually tried to kill me.”
“You have to get over that,” she huffed. “How would you feel if you found out I had conjoining rooms with a man who was pretending to be my mate?”
Amos cracked his neck, itching to hit something at the thought.
“That’s what I thought,” she said, crossing her arms.
He ran both hands through his hair. “What did you want me to do?”
“You should have told me everything. I might be overreacting, but after what happened nine years ago, I deserve full transparency. Finding out Jennifer can just waltz into your room whenever she wants was not a pleasant experience.”
Jennifer didn’t do that unless he left the door unlocked, which wasn’t often. This was on him.
“I’m sorry.” He crossed to his closet and pulled out a pair of soft, cotton sleep pants. Might as well cover up since it seemed his wife had no plans of letting him fuck her today. “What else do you want to know?”
A soft knock came from the door leading to his sitting room, and he almost groaned. What now? Clover glanced at him. “If another woman walks through that door, I’m leaving.”
Lucy never came to Amos’ room, so he wasn’t worried about it, but he also didn’t know who else it could be. “Come in,” he called out, and because the gods clearly hated him, Lucy walked through the door.
The woman pulled up short, eyes wide when they landed on Clover. “I didn’t know you had company. I can come back.”
Clover grinned, the gesture anything but friendly. “Oh no, that’s okay. You can stay.”
Lucy smiled tentatively. “I’m Lucy.” Amos almost grunted with the sharp stab of fury that shot down the bond.
“Hello, Lucy,” Clover responded coolly. “I’m the new Desert Queen.”
Amos pinched the bridge of his nose. For fuck’s sake.