Page 9 of Outnumbered

Laying back down, I rubbed my face against his bare chest and smiled. “Better.”

He stroked a hand up and down my arms and kissed the top of my head. “Definitely.”

“I don’t want this,” I whispered. “I don’t want there to be more.”

“We’ll meet with him and verify your connection. Perhaps what you’re feeling has more to do with recognizing a fellow hybrid.”

“Then what does that say about us?” I asked and tilted my head back to look at him.

Smiling wide he said, “We are no longer based solely on a connection, are we?”

Heat bloomed across my cheeks. He was right that now, after being with them for this long, it wasn’t the connection alone that drew me to them. It was their personalities, their minds, bodies, their souls. The way they made me laugh. The way they made me feel.

“This is your life, Ember. It is up to you to decide what you want to do. Even if that means severing things with all of us and returning to being a hermit. We all want you to be happy, to live your life how you want.”

Despite only knowing them a month, I knew leaving them wasn’t an option.

“I don’t want to be a hermit again. I want to help hybrids, end the H.E., and explore the world.”

He leaned down, pressed his lips to mine, and whispered against my lips, “Then that’s what I will help you do.”

“Swear?” I asked.

Tracing an x over his heart, he nodded. “Swear.”

“And you promise you’re not mad at me?”

He kissed each of my cheeks before leaning back so our eyes could meet. “I promise I am not mad at you.”

“But you didn’t even say anything about my new dress,” I teased.

Smiling, he sat up, helping me sit up as well, then waved at me. “Stand up. Do a spin.”

“What?”

“Twirl. I want to see what it looks like as you twirl,” he explained.

Feeling silly, but embracing it, I stood and twirled in a circle, smiling like a fool.

When I finished spinning, he was on his feet, and grabbed me by the hips. “You look beautiful and that dress is very pretty. I think we should test out how it looks on the floor.” Sliding his fingers beneath each of the straps, he pushed them off my shoulders.

However, the dress wasn’t held up by the straps, so they just fell down my arms and the dress stayed.

His frown caused me to burst into laughter.

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t like this dress. Take it off now.”

As he reached for me, I ran around the couch, hands out. “Wait, let’s talk about this.”

He growled and prowled after me, eyes slightly glowing. “Don’t you know you shouldn’t run from a predator?”

“Only when you don’t want to be devoured,” I teased.

His eyes glowed brighter and he growled louder as he leapt over the couch.

Screeching, I turned and ran towards my bedroom.

I made it just inside the bedroom door before he tackled me onto the bed and started peppering my neck with kisses and nibbles.