Chapter 84

I’m shocked, however, when I wake up a few hours later to find that we did not, indeed, go to the dream state. I spend a moment wondering what happened but then…well, I guess we didn’t need to, did we? Not curled up as we were all night long, tangled up in each other, sharing our dreams in a completely different way.

So I just smile at my still–sleeping mate, admiring the sweep of his long eyelashes in the dark–blue light of early dawn. After a moment, though, I attune my hearing, wanting to know if Rafe and Jesse are up if we’ve been caught…

But no, I can hear them both still breathing the slow, heavy breaths that suggest they’ve slept soundly through the night. And so I risk it, turning over in my mate’s arms and wrapping his arm around me, pressing my back to his front and giving him a mental nudge down the bond, waking him up.

Instantly, Luca’s arms tighten, pulling me closer against him. He takes a moment to come back to consciousness and I can almost feel him blinking awake before he dips his head, pressing a kiss to the back of my neck.

Morning, gorgeous, he murmurs, his voice somehow still thick with sleep even though it’s only sounding in my mind. I like waking up like this.

Me too, I say back, happiness thrumming through me.

I especially like this part, he says, his mental voice lazy and warm as his hand drifts down to my hip and pulls my ass back hard against him. My eyes fly wide as I instantly go fully awake when I feel the long length of him hard against my ass.

I mean, I’ve gotten used to it in the dream state but…this is definitely the first time that I’ve felt it in person. And honestly, after all of that dream practice…

I have to admit, I don’t hate it. I arch my back a little, pressing myself tighter against him, letting him feel all of me against all of him.

Luca groans quietly, half in my mind and half in real life and I bite my lip for the joy of it, the sheer pleasure of turning my mate on, making him want me. His hips buck slightly as he buries his face against my neck, his hand slipping from my hip upwards along my skin,

Emergency calls onlyMO

over my waist and up my torso until he cups my breast in his palm.

* .096%

15:36

The moan that nearly escapes my lips – he’s ready for that too. Luca slips his other hand around my head, covering my mouth so no one can hear me as he grinds himself against me, softly squeezing my breast in his hand, letting his thumb stroke idly over the sensitive skin of my nipple in a way that has my eyes fluttering shut, my head arching back on my neck.

I can’t wait to mark you, Luca whispers into my mind, pressing his lips along my neck right where, I think, he intends to press his teeth into my skin giving me his mark and letting everyone know, incontrovertibly, that I’m his and he’s mine. I nod, agreeing, wanting it very badly in this moment, losing myself to the very literal reality of him along every of me –

But then Luca sighs, and pulls away, and I turn towards him in surprise.

But he just shakes his head at me, glancing towards the curtain, and I sigh, nodding.

inch

Never thought, gorgeous, he says, shaking his head and stroking the soft skin of my cheek. with the backside of his hand, that I’d be the mature one putting an end to this sort of thing.

Maybe you just….make me throw caution to the wind a little, Luca, I reply, smirking at him and turning over to get one last look at my mate in the secret morning light of our little nook.

He sighs, deeply regretting it, I think, and then leans forward to press a long kiss to my mouth. Before I know it, though, he’s gone through the curtain and back to the couch.

I take a long moment to collect myself, knowing I need a shower, knowing that I’ve got to get these pajamas tucked away in my hamper before Rafe gets a whiff of them…

But then, something completely cruel comes to my mind. And I immediately decide to go

with it.

Two or three minutes later I peek out of my curtain, my eyes instantly darting to Rafe’s bed. and then Jesse’s. When I’m fully convinced that they’re still asleep, I slip out and slowly walk towards the bathroom.

My mate, pretending to be asleep on the couch but secretly watching my every move, lets out a very real, not–too–quiet moan as I walk past him only in a set of girls‘ panties that Daphne set up to me, my naked breasts cupped in the hands that I’ve got crossed over my noveldrama

chest.

I almost burst out laughing at his reaction as Luca covers his face with his hands, turning to face the ceiling and clenching his jaw.

You are killing me. Ariel! He shouts, the words echoing loud in my head as I laugh and pull open the bathroom door, slipping inside. This is cruel! Borderline mental and emotional abuse – god damn it

“Luca?” I hear Jesse’s concerned, sleepy voice ask. “You still here? You okay, man?”

I’m still grinning, wicked, as I pull the door shut behind me.

“Sorry, Jesse,” Luca sighs. “Just a nightmare. An absolute god. damn. nightmare.”

And then I sigh happily, a little too pleased with myself as I skip over to the shower and turn on the water, nice and hot.

Classes go well that day, with me passing marksmanship with flying colors and receiving a great deal of gratifying praise from the Captain, especially after Neumann was so disappointed in me yesterday. But not even that can keep my concentration on schoolwork, because I am so incredibly excited about tonight.

I charge up the steps to our room after class, already mentally composing the note that I plan to send down in the dumbwaiter asking for extra provisions for this evening, because it is Friday and finally finally! – Daphne is coming up for a visit.

–

She’s been very overwhelmed with her work lately, and while I’ve been going down for a few hours a couple times a month to sit and study while she sews, this is the first night when she has some time free. And Daphne – she’s been so overwhelmed lately, and I think she’s quite lonely. Also, I that she’ll get along with our group beautifully and that we can

cheer her up.

Overall, I just really, really want to show her a good time, and I’m going to do everything in

my power to make it happen.

All the boys have promised to be on their best behavior and, as I hurry into the room, I start to move around, cleaning up and getting ready. A little guilt pulses through me as I set schoolwork out of my mind for a moment, though, remembering what Neumann said about prioritizing school while I have the small window to do so.

But…well, friendship is important too, right?

I bite my lip, knowing what he’d say about my evening plans, but there’s no time to think on it when the door opens behind me.

I spin, instructions already on my lips for whoever is there, but I falter for a second when I see that it’s…

It’s Jackson.

“Sorry,” he says, glancing around the empty room awkwardly. “Am I…early?”

“No,” I say, bursting into a smile. “No, Jacks. You’re right on time.”