Chapter 0378

*Plus, then you can't get knocked up," Jesse murmurs, rubbing his eye sleepily again. "Which...you know, is just convenient. What with...going back to school in a week and a half. Don't want to... bring a... baby....even if it's just on the inside..."

*Shut up, Jess," I sigh.

"Yup, you got it," he murmurs, his exhaustion clearly taking over.

I take a deep breath as the room falls quiet, closing my eyes for a second and pulling myself together. Because...mean...

Honestly, I don't think that this is the solution that I'm looking for. The solution that I want is one which allows Luca and Jackson to be okay with each other, with both of them being in my life. But today Jackson already asked for limits - asked for me to not be affectionate with Luca in his presence.

I scowl, opening my eyes as I realize that here Luca is - barging into Jackson's room. Quickly, I look over at Jacks, but he's still got his head down, studying his feet. I smirk a little to see him standing there bare-chested in his pajamas, just looking so...cute.

But then I turn my eyes over to Luca, who likewise isn't looking at me, and my smile falls away. Because he's my mate, and he's heartbroken, and...if this is what he needs? Content belong to N?velDráma. Org.

Then why on earth would I deny it?

I step forward to him quickly, softly, and run a hand over his hair. He looks up at me, his pretty brown eyes wide and sad. "Is this really what you want?" I ask softly.

"No," he says, hardly more than a whisper. "But...it's what I can handle, until you..." he glances over at Jackson now, and some sort of grace makes him put his final two words in my mind instead of saying them aloud. Pick me, he says, holding my gaze. Until you pick me, Ariel.

I sigh, and purse my lips, and give him a little nod before taking a step away.

*Jacks?" I call, wanting him to consent to it too.

He lifts his head to look at me and I open my end of our bond so that he can feel what I feel, and he can send me whatever it is he wants me to know. "Are you okay with this?"noveldrama

He just gives a little shrug, reminding me down the bond what we agreed to this morning - that it doesn't make much of a difference to him anyway, since we already took sex off the table on our own. I also get the sense that it's all the better in his book if I'm not sleeping with Luca to boot.

I smirk at him a little, and the corner of his mouth curves. But he just gives me a nod, and it's done.

*Fine," I say, throwing up my hands a little bit. "The sex ban is...in effect. No sex, no marks. What fun for me."

Jesse laughs a little bit, and I turn to give him a little smile, glad that someone is still willing to find a little humor in this situation.

"Come on, Luc," Jesse says, reaching out a hand for Luca as he yawns. "You're beat, I'm beat. Let's go find a place to crash."

Luca hesitates, glancing at me, clearly wanting to go back to my room with me, but Jesse just gives him a pretty smile.

"Come on, Luca!" Jesse insists, tugging on his arm. "I want a snack first and you pick out the best snacks. Let's go." He says the last two words more solidly than the others, letting my mate know it's not an option.

Luca sighs and stands. He hesitates and then brushes a hand over my hair, looking down into my eyes. "We'll talk?"

"We'll talk," I say, nodding at him, tucking my hands behind my back, resting the urge to touch him more.

Because, honestly, Luca got his way this morning - but I am not a fan of the tempter tantrum he threw to achieve that. And we will be having a conversation about it when he's awake and sober.

Luca sighs, feeling my displeasure a bit, and then walks to Jesse's side. The two of them leave the room and Rafe moves to the door, glancing out of it, looking up and down the hall. "Come on, Ariel," he murmurs, "I think we should get you out of here and into the shower before the halls fill up."