Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(57)

“I’ll make it up to you with pancakes. Deal?”

“Fine,” I grumbled. “What can I do?”

Dex took me by the shoulders. The moment those rough palms curved around my bare skin, every part of me came alive. I wanted to push into his touch, feel more of it. It was as if I’d been in some half-numb state, and one touch had snapped me free.

“You can sit and drink your coffee,” Dex commanded, guiding me toward a chair at the kitchen table. “You’ve had enough on your plate for a bit.”

He bent as he spoke the words, his face close to mine. His gaze dropped to my lips again, sliding over them like he’d dragged his thumb across one. I sucked in a breath.

Yeti let out a loud, demanding bark, and Dex jerked upright, taking a huge step back.

“Yeti’s big mad. Did you feed her yet?” Owen asked, oblivious to the moment between Dex and me.

I cleared my throat. “No. I haven’t. You want to do that, bud?”

“On it,” Owen said, full of energy at the fun of a new guest.

“Then you can be my kitchen assistant,” Dex instructed as he set my coffee in front of me.

Owen poured two cups of food into Yeti’s bowl. “I need a more bad booty name than assistant.”

Dex chuckled as he washed his hands and started prepping ingredients. “Okay. How about second-in-command?”

“Better.”

The two of them chattered away as they prepped breakfast, and I tried to think of the last time someone had cooked for me. A stabbing sensation lanced my chest.

Nova.

She wasn’t one to prepare breakfasts, but she was one hell of a dinner chef. And she loved trying new cuisines. Everything from Thai to Indian to Greek. And she was the only one who could get Owen to try those adventurous foods. Because she made it fun.

Since she’d disappeared, I’d cooked every single meal other than the odd treat of Owen and me eating out. I’d cleaned every dish. I’d carried the weight of it all on my shoulders. And I was so damn tired, I felt like I could sleep for a month.

I jolted as a plate slid in front of me—a stack of two pancakes that obviously had things mixed into the batter. The stack was rimmed with an artful array of strawberries and a healthy dose of whipped cream on top.

“Your breakfast. Need anything else to drink?” Dex asked, his voice dipping low.

I saw that he’d already gotten milk for Owen, who was carrying his plate to the table.

“I’m good,” I croaked. “What are these?”

Dex slid into the chair between me and Owen as if he belonged there, as if he fit. “Strawberry Oreo pancakes. My specialty.”

My eyes flared. The combination sounded heavenly and sinful all at once, the perfect balance.

“Go on,” he encouraged. “I need to know if I passed the test.”

I cut a small bite, dipping it into the whipped cream and sliding it into my mouth. I couldn’t help my eyes closing as I chewed. Flavors exploded on my tongue, different levels of sweetness all balancing each other out. I let out a humming noise without thinking, and when my eyes popped open, I found Dex watching me intently.

“Good?” he asked.

There was a hint of boyish uncertainty in the question. Something that made Dex all the more real.

“Best thing I’ve ever tasted,” I whispered.

Pure pride bloomed in Dex’s expression as if I’d told him he’d successfully launched an expedition to Mars or cured cancer.

“Ermygod.” Owen struggled to speak around a mouthful of food. “Best ever!”

Dex chuckled as a beep sounded and then another. He slid his phone out, grimacing.

“What?” I asked, concern taking hold.

“My brother,” he grumbled.

“Which one?”

“Orion.”

Something about his expression said there was a story there. Then, a smile split his face as his fingers moved across the screen.

“Is everything okay?” I asked hesitantly because Dex’s expression said it both was and wasn’t.

His grin just widened as he lowered the phone, so I got a glimpse of the screen. “I changed his ringtone to the Hannah Montana song.”

“You stole his phone?”

“Please,” Dex said, offended. “I hacked it.”

“Can we change Mom’s?” Owen asked hopefully. “She hated that ‘Baby Shark’ song. That would be awesome.”

I shouldn’t have, but I stole a glance at the screen.

Orion



Change it back. Every time I try, it instantly reverts.





Dex



Stop being a dick about Brae, and I’ll fix it.





Orion



We don’t know if we can trust her.





Anxiety ignited, spreading through me like wildfire. Had they fought? Over me? Why?

Maverick



Says the guy who guards his property with bear traps.





Wylder



And exploding food dye balloons.





Orion



Want to be able to track anyone who comes onto my property uninvited.