You should know that by now. Whether or not Lucian and Burners were drug-free, they’d be on this tour if that’s what he wanted and you could bitch until you were blue in the face and it wouldn’t make a bit of difference. Cage is Batman and he makes the rules.”
“Dude, I bet he makes some really hot rules when you’re fu—boning,” Xan says, correcting himself and grinning as he does.
“Oh God. Boning? We have to hear words like that now that we can’t use the F word?” Lucy mutters. “Maybe we should just use the F word.”
“Nope,” I say. “Those babies don’t need their first word to be the F word.”
“True that,” Ethan agrees, stepping up with a yawn. “Misty, you got any coffee?” he asks. She nods. “Bless you. I slept like shit last night.” Misty hands him a cup of coffee, giving him a come-hither smile. Ethan either doesn’t notice or he ignores it because he just turns and sits down next to Kennedy.
“What’s up?” Ethan asks.
“Coley didn’t come home last night,” Xander announces.
“No shit.”
Xan nods. “We’re thinking she and Lucian were playing hide the salami.”
I can’t help it. I laugh as Lucy groans.
“Nice one,” I tell Xan and we fist bump.
“I’m digging down deep for these.” And he’s damn proud of each one, too, from the gleam in his eyes.
I sit back and roll the cigarette through my fingers.
“Are you smoking again?” Jesse asks.
I shake my head. “Thought about it.”
“What’s going on?”
I shrug. “Just stressed out.”
Jesse meets my gaze. “Stay away from the hard stuff.”
I glare back. “Burners don’t do that shit anymore, and even if they did, I’m long past that bullshit.”
At his nod, I relax, tipping my head back to rest on the back of the couch.
“What was that about?” Lucy asks Jesse.
“Nothing to be worried about.”
“Hmm. You sure? If Coley’s going to be spending time with them—”
“Nah,” he tells her. “She’s fine. Plus, I bet she could kick their ass if they messed with her.”
Sera snorts. “Likely. She’s one tough cookie.”
“A cookie Ben wants to eat,” Xander blurts out. Fucker.
I wake up sweating. I try to move to kick the blanket off of me, but I quickly realize it’s not a blanket making me hot. It’s Lucian. His arm wrapped around my waist and his leg entwined with mine tighten, pulling me closer.
Oh shit. Lucian. I take a steadying breath. I feel a little like a slut. I mean, I didn’t have sex with him but we’d done pretty much everything else… and it was fantastic. I’m a little ashamed and I’m going to die of embarrassment when Lucy asks me a million questions—because she will. Lucy’s quickly taken to mothering me. She’s too young to actually be my mother so I just think of her as a protective big sister. I gasp. I let my guard down with her. It’s impossible not to and I let her get too close. What if—
“I can hear you thinking,” Lucian mumbles against my neck before pressing a kiss there.
I sigh. “It’s one of my faults, I’m afraid.”
“Hmm. If that’s the worst of it…”
I laugh. “Hardly. I have way worse.”
“You were sexy and a bit of a dirty girl last night. Did you like it?” he asks and I feel the flush rising from my chest to my cheeks.
“I did.”
“Mmm. For someone who hasn’t been around the block much, you sure know your way around.”
I shrug. “Like I said—”
“Yeah, I remember. Hospital porn.” He chuckles and shakes his head.
I turn over to face him and suck in a breath. Jesus, he’s beautiful. His inky black hair is mussed, his blue eyes a bit darker than his normal ice, and the stubble growing on his face. Holy Hannah.
“Do you like what you see?”
I roll my eyes. “Yep. You’re so damn hot. How are you single?”
He shrugs. “Never met the girl who I wanted to settle down with.”
“Ah.”
“What about you? Have you had any boyfriends?” he asks.
“One, when I lived in
“Dude, I bet he makes some really hot rules when you’re fu—boning,” Xan says, correcting himself and grinning as he does.
“Oh God. Boning? We have to hear words like that now that we can’t use the F word?” Lucy mutters. “Maybe we should just use the F word.”
“Nope,” I say. “Those babies don’t need their first word to be the F word.”
“True that,” Ethan agrees, stepping up with a yawn. “Misty, you got any coffee?” he asks. She nods. “Bless you. I slept like shit last night.” Misty hands him a cup of coffee, giving him a come-hither smile. Ethan either doesn’t notice or he ignores it because he just turns and sits down next to Kennedy.
“What’s up?” Ethan asks.
“Coley didn’t come home last night,” Xander announces.
“No shit.”
Xan nods. “We’re thinking she and Lucian were playing hide the salami.”
I can’t help it. I laugh as Lucy groans.
“Nice one,” I tell Xan and we fist bump.
“I’m digging down deep for these.” And he’s damn proud of each one, too, from the gleam in his eyes.
I sit back and roll the cigarette through my fingers.
“Are you smoking again?” Jesse asks.
I shake my head. “Thought about it.”
“What’s going on?”
I shrug. “Just stressed out.”
Jesse meets my gaze. “Stay away from the hard stuff.”
I glare back. “Burners don’t do that shit anymore, and even if they did, I’m long past that bullshit.”
At his nod, I relax, tipping my head back to rest on the back of the couch.
“What was that about?” Lucy asks Jesse.
“Nothing to be worried about.”
“Hmm. You sure? If Coley’s going to be spending time with them—”
“Nah,” he tells her. “She’s fine. Plus, I bet she could kick their ass if they messed with her.”
Sera snorts. “Likely. She’s one tough cookie.”
“A cookie Ben wants to eat,” Xander blurts out. Fucker.
I wake up sweating. I try to move to kick the blanket off of me, but I quickly realize it’s not a blanket making me hot. It’s Lucian. His arm wrapped around my waist and his leg entwined with mine tighten, pulling me closer.
Oh shit. Lucian. I take a steadying breath. I feel a little like a slut. I mean, I didn’t have sex with him but we’d done pretty much everything else… and it was fantastic. I’m a little ashamed and I’m going to die of embarrassment when Lucy asks me a million questions—because she will. Lucy’s quickly taken to mothering me. She’s too young to actually be my mother so I just think of her as a protective big sister. I gasp. I let my guard down with her. It’s impossible not to and I let her get too close. What if—
“I can hear you thinking,” Lucian mumbles against my neck before pressing a kiss there.
I sigh. “It’s one of my faults, I’m afraid.”
“Hmm. If that’s the worst of it…”
I laugh. “Hardly. I have way worse.”
“You were sexy and a bit of a dirty girl last night. Did you like it?” he asks and I feel the flush rising from my chest to my cheeks.
“I did.”
“Mmm. For someone who hasn’t been around the block much, you sure know your way around.”
I shrug. “Like I said—”
“Yeah, I remember. Hospital porn.” He chuckles and shakes his head.
I turn over to face him and suck in a breath. Jesus, he’s beautiful. His inky black hair is mussed, his blue eyes a bit darker than his normal ice, and the stubble growing on his face. Holy Hannah.
“Do you like what you see?”
I roll my eyes. “Yep. You’re so damn hot. How are you single?”
He shrugs. “Never met the girl who I wanted to settle down with.”
“Ah.”
“What about you? Have you had any boyfriends?” he asks.
“One, when I lived in
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