I could see it. The betrayal in her eyes. The way she’d wrap herself in silence and shut me out. She’d think she was just another target. Another project.
She wouldn’t believe that somewhere in the middle of all this… I fell. Hard.
And that scared the hell out of me. I exhaled slowly, brushing a hand over her back. She made a soft noise, a hum deep in her chest, her fingers curling against my ribs.
If I could stay in this moment forever, I would. But the truth was a shadow creeping closer.
And when it came… I didn’t know if we’d survive it.
14
NAIMA
Itightened the belt of my robe, padded barefoot toward the sound of laughter and clinking mugs, and found them all seated around the long wooden table like always—Tasha, already mid-rant; Selena, cool and unbothered as ever; and Lennox, leaned back in his chair, the morning light painting him in gold.
“Morning, Moonchild,” Tasha sang, wiggling her fingers over her coffee. “You slept in.”
Selena smirked without looking up from her plate. “No such thing as sleeping in when you don’t get much sleep.”
I gave them both a dry look, ignoring the way Lennox’s mouth tugged to one side, trying not to smile.
“You know y’all are insufferable in the morning, right?”
Tasha grinned. “Just observant.”
I moved to the counter and grabbed a mug, pouring myself a cup tea. He didn’t speak, just slid the jar of honey toward me like he’d read my mind. I took it with a quiet thank you, avoiding his gaze but feeling the weight of it anyway—soft and steady, like hands I didn’t want to stop touching me.
Last night had been... everything.
After the creek, we’d snuck back into the lodge like teenagers, laughter hushed but urgent. I’d barely closed my bedroom door before he was on me again. We used every surface—desk, chair, mirror, floor. My bedframe had squeaked loud enough to threaten suspicion, but neither of us cared.
He fed me fruit from his fingers, kissed the juice from my lips, then dropped to his knees like worship. I’d lost count of how many times I had cum into his delicious mouth. All I knew was when I finally collapsed, slick and stretched and full, he curled around me like I was his only home.
Now he was next to me, like we hadn’t ruined each other twelve hours ago.
“It’s so quiet this morning…or is it just me?” I asked, sitting beside him, thighs brushing.
“Nico took them into town early,” Selena answered. “He had another appointment later.”
Nico drove a van and offered transportation services since there was no public transit. He would run guests into town for shopping.
“So it’s just us misfits this morning,” Selena added.
“Misfits,” Lennox repeated, reaching for another biscuit. “That what we are now?”
Tasha shrugged. “Speak for yourself. I’m perfect.”
“You’re loud,” Selena said.
“And proud of it,” Tasha shot back, then turned to me. “You’re glowing, by the way.”
“Must be the green tea and honey,” I replied, sipping slowly.
“Mmm. Or the company,” Selena said, not even trying to be subtle.
I shook my head but didn’t argue. What was the point?
This was our rhythm now. Mornings full of slick grins and easy talk, sunlight streaming across worn wood and bare skin. Time had passed since Lennox first arrived. He wasn’t a guestanymore. He’d become part of the fabric here. A steady presence at meals. A voice during fire circles. A pair of hands I’d grown used to feeling on me, in every way that mattered.
