“Your cat’s giving me attitude again,” I tell her.
“Ourcat,” she corrects, and something warm unfurls in my chest at the word‘our.’“And he’s just jealous you’re not giving him enough attention.”
Our.
Like we’re a team.
Like we’re building something together instead of running from everything behind us.
I navigate through the increasing traffic, the weight of arrival settling over us. We’re two days late, which means Sin, Las Vegas Defiance’s President, is probably ready to rip my head off and use it as a bowling ball. The man doesn’t do patience on his best days, and having people show up late when there’s chaos brewing back home isn’t going to improve his damn mood.
“We need to check in with Vegas Defiance,” I say, pulling out my phone. “Sin’s probably ready to send a search party.”
Clover nods, her fingers drumming against her thigh. “He’s going to be pissed we’re late.”
“Understatement of the year. But first, we need to get to our digs.”
The safehouse Alpha arranged is in a quieter part of town, away from the chaos of The Strip, but close enough that we can disappear into the crowd if needed. It’s a small hotel that looks as if it’s seen better decades, the kind of place that doesn’t ask questions and doesn’t keep detailed records.
“Home sweet home,” Clover chimes as we pull into the parking lot, but there’s no sarcasm in her voice. Just exhaustion and maybe a little gratitude that we’re finally here.
The desk clerk barely looks up from his magazine when we check in, sliding a single key across the heavily damaged counter with the enthusiasm of a sedated sloth. We side-eye each other at the lack of communication, but honestly, I am far too tired to give a flying fuck right now. Ushering Clover back out, and toward our room, it’s not until we’re standing outside the door, key in hand, that the reality hits.
One room.
One key.
One bed.
“Well…” Clover says, peering through the window of theground-floor room, “… this is cozy.”
Swallowing hard, I unlock the door, and we step inside. Dracula immediately bolts from his makeshift carrier to inspect every corner like he’s conducting a security sweep. The room is exactly what you’d expect, like tired carpet, generic art, and a bed that takes up most of the space—a double, not even a queen.
“I’ll take the floor,” I state automatically, dropping our bags near the door.
Clover turns to look at me, one eyebrow raised, and there’s something in her expression that makes my pulse kick. “Don’t you think we’re a little past that?”
The question hangs in the air between us, loaded with everything that’s happened over the past few days. The kisses. The confessions. The way we’ve been circling each other like moths around a flame, getting closer and closer to igniting with the heat.
“Clover—”
“Phoenix.” Her voice is soft but sure. “We’ve been sleeping next to each other for three nights. We’ve been… whatever this is that we’ve been doing. We even called this a relationship, right? I think we can share a bed without the world ending.”
She’s right, and we both know it. The line we’ve been pretending exists between us has been getting blurrier every day with every touch, every moment we choose each other over the safe distance we should probably be maintaining.
“Okay,” I say, and it comes out rougher than I intended. “But I call dibs on the side closest to the door.”
“Done,” she chimes as I advance around the room, checking the bathroom, testing the air conditioning. “Security protocol?” she asks.
“Old habits,” I state, watching her move, the way she’s making herself at home in this generic space. “Plus, if someone comes through that door, I want to be the first thing they meet.”
Something flickers across her face, surprise maybe, or something softer. She’s used to Maverick protecting her. I guess maybe she now has to get used to me doing it too.
And I am going to because whether she knows it yet or not, Clover ismineto take care of.
Or maybe the look she’s giving me right now means she knows she’s mine.
I continue to do my security sweep while Dracula claims the center of the bed, sprawling out as though he’s surveying his new kingdom. He looks completely at home, which is more than I can say for myself right now.
