Chapter 28 Wren #2
Walking further into the kitchen, I try to move casually but my body feels stiff and unnatural. My arms hang awkwardly at my sides, looking like I don’t know what to do with them.
Act normal, Wren. Don’t let them know you heard anything.
Kage glances over his shoulder, that sinful smirk I’ve slowly come to love resting on his face. “Morning, little bird. Sleep well?”
I nod quickly.
“Yeah…surprisingly.” I smile back at him, hoping they can’t see how forced my smile actually is.
They’re watching me closely. Do they know I heard them? Fuck, did they see me when I peaked around the corner or something? Maybe they heard me? Nox cocks an eyebrow at me like he definitely knows there’s something wrong and I slowly start to panic.
“You alright, phoenix?” He steps closer, bringing his hand to my shoulder and without thinking I take a step back.
Shit, I shouldn’t have done that.
I’m making it so obvious that there’s something off but I’ll be damned if I make it known I was hiding behind that damn wall eavesdropping like a child.
I force out a shaky laugh, desperate to fill the awkward silence. “Yeah, I’m fine. Something smells amazing,” I choke, nodding towards the stove.
“Only the best for our girl,” Kage purrs as he leans back against the counter, crossing his arms, his muscles rippling from the movement. He says it so smoothly, but the way his eyes narrow ever so slightly as he says it makes my pulse jump.
I swallow hard, trying to keep my expression neutral and not give anything away.
Inside, I’m a fucking mess, all my insecurities I’ve fought so hard to keep tamped down now rising to the surface.
The words keep replaying inside my mind like a skipping record player causing my chest to ache with each replay.
“Come here,” Kage murmurs.
It sounds like an invitation, but it feels like I’m walking into a trap as I close the distance between us. Kage pulls me into him, our bodies flushed together and I have to remind myself that I’m literally not wearing anything underneath this.
This can go one of two ways. Either he’ll notice and do something about it, and let's be honest, I won’t be able to stop him. Or, he won’t notice and I can keep pretending like nothing is going on until I can leave and go home. Maybe Retta will let me stay with her for a while.
“I want a better answer,” he says, looking down at me as he holds me closer. “What’s going on? Did you not sleep okay?”
I force a little laugh, but the sound that comes out has me cringing internally.
Shit, get it together.
“Pinned between two massive guys? I slept fantastic. Apparently that’s the cure to insomnia.”
He hums low in his throat, clearly amused. “Well good. We’ll have to make it a habit.”
His words make my stomach tie in knots, but not like how they did last night. Now there’s a sick pit of doubt swirling inside me, and I can’t tell if it’s from fear of what is going to happen or guilt from being such a burden.
Forcing another brittle smile, my voice somehow manages to sound playful even when I feel like I’m about to come apart. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
Nox snorts behind me. There’s something odd in his gaze when I look his way. It feels like he’s dissecting every inch of me.
“I’ll get you a plate,” he says as he moves towards the cabinet.
Kage brushes his lips against my temple, giving me a feather light kiss. It should make me melt, and it almost does, but this feeling in my chest is overpowering.
“You seem…off, little bird. Seriously, what’s wrong? Was that too much for you last night?” he asks, and I feel the moment my heart plummets to the bottom of my stomach.
Lie, Wren. Lie like your life depends on it.
“Nothing’s wrong. Seriously Kage, I’m just starving and a little sore, that’s all.”
He seems to believe me. At least, I think he does, because my answer earns me a dangerously sexy smirk as his eyes glint with lust. I can’t help the way the sensitive space between my thighs begin to throb at the way he looks at me.
There’s so much hunger in his eyes, and I have a desperate need to satiate him.
Heat floods my cheeks and I have to rip my gaze away before I do something stupid, like beg him to take me right here on the damn kitchen counter. That could be fun.
No. Focus, damnit. Food. Coffee. Pretend everything is normal.
“Sit,” Kage orders smoothly, his hand guiding me toward one of the barstools tucked beneath the island.
His touch is firm, possessive, and despite the chill that runs down my spine, I obey.
My legs cross automatically as I sink onto the stool, tugging the hem of Nox’s oversized t-shirt lower over my thighs.
Nox sets a steaming mug of coffee in front of me, followed by a plate loaded with pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs.
“Eat, phoenix,” he pushes, his tone much softer than usual. “You’re shaking.”
I glance down, startled to see that my hands are trembling as I reach for the fork. “Oh, uh, it’s just…low blood sugar,” I lie with a shrug.
Kage walks around the island and takes a seat directly next to me, so close his thigh brushes against mine.
The rough texture of his pajama bottoms scrape against my skin, and it’s not bad, I just feel like my senses are heightened right now.
He doesn’t sit like a normal person, either.
He sits like he owns the place, which technically he does, and me right along with it.
His arm drapes across the back of my chair, effectively caging me in.
“You don’t need to worry about anything,” he murmurs. “We’ll take care of you.”
What the hell does that mean?
I force down a bite of my pancakes, the sweetness catching in my throat.
My appetite is gone, replaced by the strong need to know what they were talking about before I walked in.
Their so called mission, not thinking straight, and losing me.
The ache in my chest tightens until it feels like I might actually choke.
“When you’re done, we’re going to head out for a while,” Nox says casually, his eyes never leaving mine. “You’ll be safe here. Keep the doors locked and don’t answer for anyone, alright?”
My head jerks up, alarms flaring in my head. “Wait. You’re leaving?”
The question comes out way too panicked, and I curse myself internally. So much for acting normal.
“Just for a bit,” Kage says beside me, his thumb brushing soothing circles on my shoulder. “We’ve got business to take care of.”
Ah, business. Their mission. All those sketchy ass words they think I’m too dumb to notice. My smile wavers but I plaster it back into place, pretending I’m cool with it even as my mind screams.
“Right,” I say quietly, shoving another bite into my mouth just to keep from blurting out something stupid. “Go do your…business thing.”
Kage smirks like he can sense my bullshit, but he doesn’t call me out on it. Instead, he presses another lingering kiss to my temple before standing.
“Good girl,” he praises, and the words hit me low and hard, making my breath catch.
I’ve read guys calling their women good girls in plenty of my smutty novels, and it’s something that has always warmed my insides.
Rich did it a handful of times during sex, but it never hit me the same way it did in my books.
I thought maybe it was just a fictional men thing.
Kage has proven that to be false, because holy shit, I can feel myself leaking down my thighs.
Nox lingers a while longer, his gaze softens when he looks at me. “We won’t be gone for long.”
I nod, swallowing my nerves down. As they walk out of the kitchen leaving me alone, my head starts to spin with the same question. What the hell are they involved in? And what happens to me when they decide I’m no longer worth protecting?
The large house is too quiet without them here.
After leaving me in the kitchen, the boys got dressed and slipped out quickly.
Despite everything I overheard, I really wish they would have stayed with me.
With nothing else better to do, I find myself wandering aimlessly around the space, my curiosity getting the best of me.
Every room I peek into looks like something out of a modern home catalog.
There’s no clutter or signs of life anywhere. How could two men be so clean?
Walking up the stairs and down the hallway, I find several more doors.
All of them are closed, except for the room I slept in, which only makes me want to peek inside even more.
The first door I open looks like a home office.
A sleek black desk sits in the center, shelves filled with books line the walls, everything perfectly in order.
Even the pens on the desk are in a straight little row.
I can’t touch anything. If I do, there’s no doubt that they’ll know. How could they not? This place is so spotless, they’ll probably see my bare footprints on the hardwood. The urge to open drawers in that desk is gnawing at me but I ignore it, tiptoeing back out of the office.
Pulling the door shut behind me, I walk deeper into the hallway. Opening the door across from mine, I find another bedroom, this one much different than the one I’m staying in. It smells like Nox and I’m immediately drawn to it, the scent pulling me inside the room.
Nox’s room is just as big as mine, maybe even bigger.
The walls are painted a soft grey, which is honestly something I expected, and the large bed in the center is impeccably made with crisp white sheets and a matching comforter.
It almost looks like a hotel bed, only cleaner.
My eyes are drawn to a set of sleek double doors on the far wall, and before I can stop myself, I’m walking towards them and reaching for the handles.