His jaw got hard.
He didn’t think of that.
“You can be pissed at him,” I stated. “You have a right because you’re correct. He left you hanging. He left you alone. He left you to come to the conclusion that you were a monster. And even if he doesn’t know much about who he is, at least you could have had each other. But as for me, he saved my man’s life. So I’m not going to be pissed at him. When they find him and bring him to us, I’m going to give him a big hug and thank him and maybe make him cookies. And you’re gonna have to put up with that and not go wolf on me, or, honestly, burying your cock in my cunt will only be a memory for you for at least a decade.”
His eyebrows shot up, and when they did, they did it scarily. “You’d deny me?”
I ignored his scary eyebrows.
“Fuck yes, if you don’t let me hug anyone who saves your life. And make them cookies. Though, just saying, I kinda hope your brother is the only one who gets that distinction. But with the way things are rolling for us, I might be handing hugs and cookies around to entire armies.”
“This is not the time to be a smartass, Lilah,” he growled.
“You’re right. So, for future reference, you need time in your head and away from me, ask for it. You don’t want to talk things out, tell me. You need to be a dick, just saying, there is never a time when that’s okay to do with me.”
“You laid that out, believe this, and I took it in. But Delilah, there is no way in fuck you couldn’t have taken it in that I didn’t wanna process that shit with you at the precise moment you wanted to process it, and you pushed it. You don’t want the dick, then maybe you should learn to read me and back off when I need you to, not makin’ me ask you to.”
Fuck, he had a point.
“Okay, Abel, you’re right. I read that and pushed it. I’ll try not to do it again.”
“Brilliant. Now, do you mind I take a piss?”
My head tipped to the side, shocked at this request because we hadn’t been together for weeks without that happening and he always did it with the door open. Not to mention, I’d grown up around men who did it wherever, whenever, no matter who was around or even watching.
Therefore, I queried, “You need privacy for that?”
He blew out an annoyed breath, then declared, “You’re my world, my reason for existing, but I got a brother I didn’t know I had, who saved my life, and I gotta take a piss. So no. I don’t give a shit you see that. Just right now, I wanna take a piss and be with my own thoughts. That work for you, or you want me to drag a chair in here so you can watch?”
“Now you’re being an amusing dick,” I told him.
“Baby, I gotta piss,” he ground out impatiently.
I tried not to smile as I flicked out a hand and muttered, “Carry on,” before I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.
I went to the window and stared out at a sea that was undulating calmly. A sea that supernatural beings, who created their offspring by tearing away their own flesh and bone, were going to use to attack tomorrow night with the intent to kill people I cared about, including me.
Since that was not the greatest train of thought, I thought about Abel’s brother, wondering what was up with that.
Since I would get no answers until we met him (I won’t lie: I could dig Abel being pissed, but I couldn’t wait to meet him), there was no use thinking about that.
That was when Abel’s words rang in my head.
You’re my world, my reason for existing.
Now that was worth thinking about.
I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against the cold glass and seeing from my reflection closeup that I was smiling and doing it big.
After the day we’d had, I couldn’t believe I was doing it. But knowing I was Abel Jin’s world, his reason for existing, I couldn’t help it.
I heard the bathroom door open and kept my forehead to the glass. I only took it from the glass when Abel wrapped his arms around me, one at my upper chest, one at my ribs, and pulled my back tight to his front.
“For future reference,” he said softly in my ear, “don’t give a shit you see that with me, but you gotta take care of business, you close the door.”
I stared at us in the glass—Abel holding me close, his head bent, his lips to my ear—and it was an awesome picture, but I didn’t really process it because I was stunned at his words.
“For a biker, your preference is surprising.”
“You wanna be open about that shit, have at it. Just stating my preference.”
“I prefer privacy,” I shared.
“Kinda noticed that.”
“Why is it that men taking care of business seems completely natural to me and I feel the need for privacy?”
“Probably because you grew up with bikers who had no problem marking their territory wherever it might be, and being around men, you valued you privacy. And I grew up with women who were like you so it’s what I know.”
“That makes sense,” I muttered.
He pulled me closer and shoved his face deeper into my neck before he said, “Thanks for talking about pissing and not my brother.”
I smiled at the glass. “Anything for you, baby.”
That was when he gave it to me.
“I’m sorry I was a dick.”
God, I loved it how he did that. Just put it out there. So easy. Never making me work for it.
I drew in breath and let it out. “It was understandable. I’m sorry I didn’t back off and forced you to be a dick.”