Sauter (Ironside Academy, #3)(127)

He cracked a grin, leaning over her to kiss her softly. “I’ll get a towel.”

Despite the statement, he didn’t move. He remained exactly where he was, eyes trailing leisurely over her, his dick still hard, his breath sucked sharply between his teeth.

“Okay, going,” he rasped.

He pulled his boxers back into place and disappeared into his bathroom, returning with a damp washcloth. He gently cleaned her up, but when he returned from the bathroom again and caught her reaching for his discarded shirt, a gravelled sound of warning burst from his throat.

He looked like he surprised himself, and he shook his head. “Sorry, baby. Cover up if you want to.”

She held up her hands in surrender, a laugh building up in the back of her throat, and he rolled his eyes, pouncing onto the bed and rolling her into his body, tugging the blanket up around her before wrapping her into his arms and pressing his nose to the back of her head, inhaling her deeply.

Her hand pricked again, and she glanced down, freezing at the hint of red on her skin, but it wasn’t blood, it was only … string. She raised her palm, and Theodore shifted behind her, his head lifting to also stare.

The string was tied around her pinkie finger, the other end disappearing into the blanket, she rolled onto her back and blinked at Theodore, who was holding up his hand. The other end was tied to his pinkie.

There was the softest, most subtle glow to the thread, and it felt like it hummed. It began drawing their hands together, and Isobel laughed as their palms met, the thread only relaxing when Theodore forced her fingers to part, threading his between them.

He didn’t say a word, but he twisted behind her again, resting their clasped hands in front of her, where he could see them. He didn’t feel tense, but she could tell that he stayed awake, just watching the thread, and she eventually drifted off to sleep before he did, her body filled with warmth and happiness.





21





Consolidation Day





She blinked her eyes open blearily, trying to clear the fogginess from her mind as the world spun around her dizzily, the bed falling away from her as she dropped onto something much harder than a mattress. The something grunted, and a male voice swore roughly.

“Niko? What was that?” a woman’s voice demanded. “Is there someone in your bed?”

“Okaasan. Mama. No.”

Suddenly, a blanket was being tugged up over her head, Niko’s hand gripping her shoulder underneath it, keeping her still. “See? It’s just me. I just kicked my foot on the end of the bed. Why did you call so early?”

The blanket was flipped back from her head, revealing Niko half sitting up in bed, his broad, muscled chest bare, his hand landing on her shoulder again and squeezing. He didn’t look at her, though, keeping his attention on his phone screen. His mother was chattering on about a dream she’d had, and something called omikuji and how it all meant something especially bad.

“Everything’s fine, Okaasan.” Niko sighed, his fingers still tightly holding Isobel in place.

“Are you getting sick?” she demanded.

“No, I’m just tired. You woke me up.”

“Okay, Niko-kun, get some more sleep. Be careful today, okay? I’ll text you later.”

“Love you, Okaasan.” He hung up the call and tossed his phone aside, peeling his hand off Isobel one finger at a time as he stared down at her in shock. “Are you naked, Carter?”

She was huddled between his legs, her hands still braced on his hard thighs, her mind completely still with shock.

“Would it be less awkward if I lied?” she asked timidly.

“No.” He slitted his gaze. “You smell …” He breathed deeply, his pupils dilating. “What were you doing?”

“Sleeping,” she grumbled. “It was very confusing to wake up like this.”

She started to lift up, but his eyes suddenly widened, and he yanked her back to his body, upsetting her balance and sprawling her across his chest.

“Shit,” he swore, releasing her again. “Sorry, I thought you were going to drop the blanket.”

“You never seen a girl naked before?” she asked, folding her arms over his chest, and propping her chin up, since it didn’t look like she was going anywhere anytime soon.

“Of course I have,” he groaned. “But none of them were my mate.”

“Does your mom know about them?”

He glared at her. “I’m starting to see why you need a safe word.”

She gasped, a laugh building in the back of her throat, and Niko’s lips twitched like he was thinking of laughing as well.

“I don’t think it’s very common to discuss your sexual experiences with your parents,” he said. “So … that would be a no.”

“What difference does me being your mate make?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

His hand flashed up, brushing away the strand of hair that had slipped over her cheek. He glared at his own hand like it had acted without his permission, before dropping it to the bed.

“It means something different.” His gaze traced her face. “Anything I do with you will mean something different.”

“Like what?”

“All right, naked girl, that’s enough.”