I grin back at him and shrug. “It looks pretty good to me.”
He steps away from the bathtub and dusts his hands off on his jeans. “That's because you haven't seen my tiling efforts yet. I'm gonna have to try to convince Gabe to help out. Otherwise, it'll be the only bathroom in the place with tiles that are off-kilter.”
I roll my eyes and giggle at him, enjoying the early morning banter, even if I’m standing here in this hot-as-hellfire room without any damn underwear on. “I did some tiling work when I was with Gabe the other week. I'm sure between the three of us, we could knock it out today if you want?”
He stalks over to me and cups both of my cheeks in his big hands, swooping down to kiss me thoroughly. I'm reminded once again that we had our own morning-after stolen from us by the Resistance attack. Even though I'm feeling an itch across my skin to get back to Gabe, I'm glad that Atlas is here and that I'm getting to see him again.
“Are you hungry, Sweetness? I checked the fridge this morning to make sure that Gabe had thought far enough ahead to bring over supplies. I can whip you up something to eat, if you are.”
I nod back, my stomach rumbling at the mere mention of food, and rise back up onto my tiptoes to kiss him again. “I’m starving, actually. Is it okay if I grab a shower before I head down though?”
He nods and lets me go, bending down to grab his shirt from where he’d discarded it on the floor, and then he pulls it back over his head as he steers me out of the room.
His bedroom doesn't have carpet yet, but the walls are painted and there's already curtains up on both of the huge windows. When I duck my head into his closet to have a look in there, the shelving is already up as well, so it's just the bathroom and some flooring left before he will be moved in as well.
He walks me back past all of the other rooms, dropping me off at my bedroom door before heading back down to the kitchen by himself. I watch him walk away for a moment, enjoying the tight stretch of his shirt over his shoulders, but the itching across my skin to get back to Gabe doesn't ease up.
The post-bonding nesting is in full effect.
When I get back into the room, I find Gabe is stepping out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his hips and his magnificent chest on display. It's as though the both of them are trying to kill me this morning with their nakedness.
“Was Atlas working already?” Gabe says, and I nod.
“He’s gotten the bathtub in, but he’ll need some help with tiling. I offered our expertise. I hope you don’t have other plans for today.”
He scoffs and steps back into the bathroom to head towards the closet to get dressed. “He certainly needs it. I wouldn't let him tile anything by himself. It’s not fucking rocket science, but he can’t figure it out, no matter what I try.
I follow him through to the bathroom and strip to climb into the shower, soaping myself up and trying not to get emotional at the scents of him washing away from my skin. I already know that it is a nesting instinct to want that sort of marking, having experienced it three times over, but it doesn't make it any easier.
When I turn to duck my head under the spray to wash out the shampoo, I find Gabe leaning against the door, completely unabashed as he watches me with hooded eyes. I might arch my back just a little more than necessary in a teasing motion and enjoy the groan that rumbles out of his chest as his eyes latch on to my nipples.
“I didn't think you would want to go for another round while Atlas was here, but I’d never say no to you, Bonded,“ he says with such male satisfaction that it sends tingles down to my toes.
I smile like the Cheshire Cat and shrug with a flirty smirk. “Who said anything about going again? I'm just trying to wash my hair out. You're the one with all the dirty thoughts.”
Then I hear him chuckle, except it's not out loud, but in my mind. He's also ended up with that connection and a grin bursts across my cheeks.
I can't believe I was so upset about having my Bonds in my mind.
The fear in me was so strong that I didn't have that connection with him as well. The teasing that they all do when no one else can hear has become vital to me and my happiness. The feeling of belonging and love and companionship, all of those things make being a monster a little easier to deal with.
“Come on then, Bonded. Let's go eat something and get Atlas’ room finished so that I don't have to share with him anymore.”
I roll my eyes and cut the water off, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around myself as I step out of the perfectly luxurious shower stall. “You guys are surprisingly good at sharing. I was not expecting the two of you to last in that room a whole day, let alone the weeks that you have.”