“It’s possible, but time will tell. We’ll be with you every step, if you’ll have us,” Murdoc said.
I sighed and squeezed his hand. “Thank you. I appreciate it even though I’m guessing I might not have a choice.”
“Either way, we should take advantage of the lull to feed you,” Gray said. “And, Murdoc, is there any chance you brought a cell phone? I don’t want to call from the landline, but we need supplies, and if the others are on their way, I want to have them stock up before they cross the water.”
15
April
The bedroom closet was filled with women’s clothes, and when I walked in, I was bombarded with memories from childhood of hiding in here among all the soft things. A faint jasmine scent was almost entirely overpowered by all the cedar, but I could still smell the floral hint. It evoked images of my mother’s lovely face before she disappeared from our lives and we had to move away. I stood unmoving in the center of the room, surrounded by racks of clothes, not sure if I could bring myself to wear any of it. But I didn’t have my own, and I didn’t want to ask Gray or Murdoc to dress me every day. They’d probably appreciate some real clothes too, and I thought some of Dad’s old things might still be around here somewhere.
Diverting my attention to a search for men’s clothes, I shifted focus, scanning the racks of delicate fabrics and pretty, feminine prints until I spied the denim and plaid shoved back to one corner. Dad wasn’t a small guy, but I still wasn’t sure if his things would fit my two new friends. It was better than nothing though.
I pulled out a couple pairs of jeans and flannel shirts, found socks and underwear to add to the stack, and set them on the bureau outside the closet. Then I chose jeans, a tank top, and a pastel flannel from my mother’s things, stomach fluttering at the idea of putting them on.
The men’s voices carried up from downstairs, along with the delicious aroma of roasting meat and baking bread. I’d have been enamored of those two just by their bedroom skills alone, but discovering they could cook practically sent my head into the clouds. I got dressed and wrangled my crazy hair into a thick braid, then headed downstairs with my offerings held in my arms.
Both men looked up with welcoming smiles when I reached the kitchen, their sheer beauty nearly knocking me back.
“Christ, men should not be allowed to be as pretty as you two.” I set the clothes on the end of the counter and pinched myself. “Nope, not dreaming.”
Murdoc laughed. “I wouldn’t think being forced into hiding would factor into a good dream if this was one.”
“Dreams have never been logical for me. You never know. Anyway, here’s some clothes that might fit on the off chance you guys get tired of making your own. Dad liked oversized things so…” I shrugged, shoving the stack toward them.
“Thanks, April,” Gray said, coming around the counter to give me a sideways hug and a kiss on my forehead. Murdoc gave me a squeeze from the other side, making a soft noise of approval.
Both were wearing nothing more than conjured pajama pants that resembled white silk, but the second they reached for the clothes, their pants seemed to melt away entirely.
Confronted with the sight of them in all their glory took my breath away, and the subdued ache in my womb flared and twinged. I stumbled back with a sharp breath. “Okay, I think I need you guys to not be naked as much as possible. I mean, as much as I’d love to let you ravish me nonstop, I also need to feel like a thinking human being on occasion and not just a hole to be filled, and those…” I waved my hands at their groins, “…those definitely don’t leave room for rational thought.”
“Got it! Sorry,” Murdoc said with a sheepish smile, grabbing a pair of boxers and shoving Gray behind the counter.
I let out a sigh of relief. “I’ve never exactly been a nympho, but you two kind of bring it out of me, I guess.”
“You aren’t a nympho,” Murdoc said, slipping into one of the flannel shirts and buttoning it up over his broad chest. The shirt and jeans just barely fit them both and left little to the imagination, but at least they were covered.
“What else would you call this constant need?”
Gray peeked into the oven, letting out a waft of warm, bread-scented air that made my stomach growl. He glanced back over his shoulder, then stood. “What he means is that nymphomania is a real thing, but one that only afflicts actual nymphs. You’re a mix of ursa and dragon, so what’s going on with you really is just an ursa estrous. If you were a nymph, it would mean you were pining for a lost love, but for ursa, it’s just a normal part of your fertility cycle. Nothing to do but service you through it.”
“Service me,” I said, smirking. “Somehow, I like the sound of that.” I hopped up onto the kitchen island, letting my legs dangle off the edge. Murdoc closed the distance, settling between my knees and smiling down at me, his hands on my hips. His hair had dried into rich golden waves that begged to be touched.
“Well, we are at your service,” he said in a suggestive tone, then bent to brush his lips across my ear. “Just say the word, sweet thing.”
“Murdoc,” Gray scolded, smacking the other man on the ass before turning back to his meal prep. “Let her breathe.”
Murdoc scowled, then winked at me. In a conspiratorial voice, he said, “He’s only being this bossy because Stu isn’t here yet. If you ever want to be smothered by a sexy dragon, Stu’s your man.” He moved to lean beside me, his hand slipping beneath the hem of my shirt to rest against the bare skin of my low back as if he was compelled to keep touching me. The second he made contact, though, half the building pressure in my lower abdomen seeped away, calming me in the process.
“Remember when you almost went feral after the war was over, Gray? Stu had to chase you down and challenge you to a duel to keep you sane.”
“A duel?” I asked, brows shooting up in interest. “Like with swords or pistols?”
“Nah, dragon duels are a challenge for power. The loser submits to the winner. So I guess in a sense, no one really loses.”
“That’s easy to say for someone who’s never lost before,” Gray said, pulling plates out of a cabinet and setting them on the table in the breakfast nook. The utter domesticity of the scene made my heart melt.
Murdoc tilted toward me again, his big hand sliding around my waist. “He loved it. He’s just too shy to admit it.”
“Shy?” I asked, laughing. “Are we talking about that guy?” I pointed at Gray, who shot me a chagrined look, his cheeks reddening. “The guy who happily fucked me in the middle of my hot shop, then fought off an attacker stark naked?”
“It’s just very personal,” Gray said in a subdued tone, darting a look out the window at the dripping gray sky and rain-soaked lushness of the island with the Sound beyond. He took a breath as if bracing himself to face us, then turned and gripped the back of a chair, spearing me with an intense look before focusing on Murdoc. “I was so far gone it took both you and Stuart to subdue me. That was the moment I knew the three of us had a bond that could never be broken. That I—that we—belonged together.”