Page 40 of Justice
“And we still don’t have a destination,” she said with a sigh.
“We'll figure it out. Sterling had the plane stocked with everything we could possibly need, so wherever we go, we will be prepared.”
“I wonder what it's like,” she mused as she turned in my arms. “Not living paycheck to paycheck.”
“We’ve all got you now.” I leaned down and kissed her nose. “But to be fair, he spent quite a bit of time building his fortune. We all have money tucked away, but he, well he just has a lot more of it.”
“So, he’s made known.” Her giggle after that was so damn adorable, I couldn’t help but lean down and capture her lips.Perfection. Each kiss I stole from her was pure perfection. I never wanted a day without it. Never wanted to go back to life before her.
“Do you want to get some sleep?” I asked as I pulled back from her kiss and tried to pry my arms from around her, but it was nearly impossible, so I settled for resting my chin on her head.
“I can always sleep on the plane.” Her voice was a purr as her hand untucked my shirt then traveled up my bare abdomen. My muscles contracted, her touch feeling so good against my skin. I couldn’t help letting a soft sound of approval escape my lips. “Plus, I’ve been dying to get you alone.”
I pulled back to look at her, quirking one brow. “Dying, huh?”
“Yes, dying.” She bit her lip. “I love having you all as a group, but there is something about one on one time that can’t be matched. It’s so –”
She shook her head slightly as she searched for the word. “Intimate?”
“Yes! That!”
“Um, well, I could definitely give you some one on one time.” I bent a little, snagging her lips in my teeth as the scrape of the metal door opening broke the silence around us. I pulled back from her with a sigh but refused to detach her from my arms.
“The matriarch requests your presence at dinner.” Sterling couldn’t hide his amusement. The bastard knew what was about to happen before he interrupted us.
“Can we pass?” My voice came out almost like a whine but fuck if I cared. I was close to having Liberty alone and to myself for the first time in days.
“No can do. I mean, that is Liberty’s new mother-in-law.” He paused. “Or should I call you Libby now?” She reached over and punched him in the arm, serving only to cause him additional amusement instead of actual harm. He humored her, rubbing his arm as if she actually caused him pain. “Don’t harm me, or you won’t get the gift I brought you.”
Her ears perked up. “You brought me a gift?”
“Freshly delivered,” he confirmed.
She looked in his hands and then around him, searching for the present before finally asking. “Where is it?”
He stepped out the door for a moment before returning with a garment bag, “I figured you could wear it tonight. Plus, no offense, the dress you have on, though clean, has gotten pretty much ruined in the rain and sandstorm.”
He wasn’t wrong. The light blue dress had been stained with dirt and mud, dulling the vibrancy of the color. Darker splatter marred the top of the dress though she pretended not to notice; we all spotted the sporadically placed holes. Even so, she refused to borrow any of Justice’s people’s clothing, afraid she might burden them.
He laid the garment bag and another smaller bag on the bed. “I have more clothes and stuff coming on the plane tonight, so you should be set. I hadn’t counted on all our stuff being destroyed in water and sand, but I did splurge for waterproof luggage this time around.”
She tried to hide the excitement in her eyes, but it was apparent she couldn’t wait to tear open the bags. I gave Liberty one last kiss on her forehead before parting. “I’ll head out and let you get dressed. See you at dinner.”
Leaving her was nearly impossible, but I knew she needed her space too. She had a lot to process and had such little time to do so. It couldn’t be easy processing when men were always surrounding you, begging for attention, and stealing your time. Plus, it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t anxious to see her in that dress. Despite all his faults, Sterling had impeccable taste, and I knew he wouldn’t let us down.
We pulled the door closed behind us, cringing as the metal ground against metal as it slid past. This bunker was old, that was for sure, and though they tried to hide its age with paint, there were spots where paint had chipped, and rust shone through. But it served its purpose, it was well hidden and nearly impossible to spot unless you were specifically looking for it.
“You ready?”
I blinked a few times, forgetting I was walking with Sterling. Damn, if only he weren’t such a prick, because he was growing on me. “For?”
“What I got you.”
My eyebrows shot up in shock, and he looked so fucking smug about it. “You got me something?”
“Yeah. You couldn’t go to dinner with the shifter Queen wearing that.”
He gestured to my clothes, and he had a point. My jeans were torn and mud-stained, and my once white t-shirt was now a murky brown. Sitting down to dinner in this would be an embarrassment, if not to myself, surely to Liberty and Justice. I smirked to myself as their names came up in the same sentence.