Chapter 463

noveldrama

We have a really nice evening, especially when the food comes and then we get to share in on the muffins that Daphne's mother sent along as a gift, but even despite that I think all of our eyes are on the clock. Tomorrow everything starts again, after all, and we're all anxious to make a good start. We end the evening earlier than we usually do.

Daphne is the first to leave, making her excuses about having a ton of sewing to get started on in the morning, and we all bid very sorrowful goodbyes that she laughs off cheerfully, reminding us that while we have a workout in the morning she just gets to get up and have coffee and start sewing.

Ben and Luca stay a little longer, but they bow out soon after. After I give Ben his kiss goodbye on the cheek and wave him away down the hall, I take both of Luca's hands in mine and lean back against the wall of the stone corridor, looking up at him.

"So, what was that all about?" I ask, a little smirk on my lips.

"What was what all about?" Luca asks, blinking innocently and playing dumb.

I just narrow my eyes. "Your secret rendezvous with Jackson. Ben thinks you two were kissing, by the way."

Luca laughs and then strokes my cheek with his thumb. "Look at you, Princess," he murmurs, "practicing one whole hour of restraint in not asking that question." He steps close to me and presses a hand to the wall above my head, leaning in and looking down at me, just a bit. I bite my lip as I look up at him, thinking that he is...just a little too good looking in this little moment. My wolf agrees, giving a sharp howl and hopping around in an eager circle.

"Yes, I am a paradigm of self control," I reply, immediately belying my words by putting my hands on his hips and tugging him closer, a little shiver of delight running through me when his body presses against mine. "Now tell me - what happened between you and Jackson in the nook?"

Luca shrugs. "Nothing much. Just...established some ground rules between each other for how to behave. No beheadings, reduced frequency of insults. Rules of war. That sort of thing."

"Really?" I ask, legitimately surprised. "So mature."

"New man,” he says, gesturing towards himself with his free hand before slipping it behind my neck and cradling my head. "Now, do I get a kiss goodnight? Or have we all grown so chaste that even that is forbidden?"

I laugh and tilt my head back, standing on my toes a bit, and Luca dips his head and presses his lips to mine. My body sings, my wolf prancing, to feel his mouth again on my own. I kiss him slowly and deeply, relishing it, pleased that things are more normal between us again. It ends to soon, if you ask me.

"I'll see you at breakfast?" he murmurs, so close that I can feel his words as breath.

I smile and nod, allowing my feet to fall flat again. "I'll bring you some of the pens," I whisper, grinning eagerly up at him and making him laugh. Luca kisses me swiftly one last time and then starts down the hall. I call him a goodnight and then move back into the room, where Rafe and Jesse are cleaning up the plates from dinner and carrying everything to the dumbwaiter. Jackson helps too, clearly doing my share of the work.

"Thank you," I say, laughing a little and working to take the plates out of his hand. “No, I can do this –“

"It's fine, Ariel," he says, laughing lightly and grinning down at me. I sigh, feeling lazy about letting the boys do the work - but honestly it all goes by so quick between the three of them that there's not much more for me to do. I slip into my nook, pulling out my pajamas for the evening, my ears trained for Jackson's footsteps because I know that he will not leave without saying goodnight.

When he comes over, I toss the pajamas on to the bed and take a step out of the nook.

"Ready to sleep?" I ask Jackson, reaching my arms up towards him. Instantly understanding, Jackson dips low so that my arms easily clasp around his neck as he picks me up, the arm around my back pulling me warm to his chest as he presses a kiss to my cheek.

"Yes," he says, giving a happy sigh and smiling up into my face, his dark blue eyes shining. "I'm tired - it's been a long day."