“So,” I drummed my fingers on my arm where I was sitting outside our door, almost an hour later, staring up at Jack and Pearl who had just exited our room, “I have to ask…what were the water and the sparkles doing?” I had been thinking about that as if it were burned into my mind ever since I had sat down.
“Sweetheart,” Ezra reprimanded, shaking his head and letting it drop on his arm that was over his leg.
“What?” I asked innocently. He tilted his head, giving me a look only a husband could. I sighed. “Fine. Never mind.” My eyes went back to Jack, who was standing a smidge protectively in front of Pearl, and Pearl, who had a pretty blush on her cheeks, peeking around Jack’s shoulder. “So, I’ll ask the other question. You two were fucking while Ezra was supposedly on his deathbed?” That one I was a bit pissed about, and I wasn’t going to take it back even though Ezra sighed heavily next to me.
Pearl bit her lip, but Jack stated calmly, “We were having sex to help take our minds off it.”
I snorted, but sadly I couldn’t really disagree with that way of thinking.
Jack raised his eyebrows at me when I stayed mute, then moved to help Ezra up, giving him a huge hug, pounding on his back. “How the hell are you alive?”
“Lily healed me.”
Pearl had tears instantly tracking down her cheeks, and she threw herself into Ezra’s arms when he and Jack broke apart. “I’m so happy you’re alive. And I’m so sorry about your mom.”
Ezra rubbed her back. “I’m fine, so don’t cry. And thank you.”
Didn’t really help because she kept bawling.
Still sitting, I asked Jack, pointing between him and Pearl, “When did this happen?” Ezra and I knew from our phone conversations with them that they had also gone against tradition and met up like Ezra and I, to find their Prodigies together, but Jack had never once mentioned this.
Jack grinned slowly. “I finally manned up a few days ago and made my move.” He shrugged a muscled shoulder, his grin growing, and he whispered, “She couldn’t resist me.” I chuckled at his cockiness, and he held out a hand to help me up, also giving me a hug and holding me close to whisper at my ear, “Just saying goodbye, huh?”
I shrugged inside his hold. “It was a little more bumpy than that, but we’re both fine now.”
He leaned back, tilting his head so his blue hair wasn’t dangling over his eye. “I have a feeling I would probably be pissed if I knew the whole story.”
Ezra grunted, still rubbing Pearl’s trembling back, and glanced at him. “You have no clue how pissed you would be.”
Pearl’s head jerked back. “What are you talking about?”
Ezra softly patted her blotchy cheek. “Nothing to worry about.”
Silently, I sighed in relief that Ezra wasn’t going to completely rat me out, but Jack felt it since he was still holding me, and he glanced at me sharply, eyes roaming my face. I smiled at him sheepishly and patted his chest, stating studiously, “We’re both fine.” I felt his power surge, aimed directly at me, and he stilled, eyes narrowing when he probably felt that my Core power was still a bit off. Calmly, I reiterated, “We are both fine, Jack.”
His eyebrows slowly rose, and he bent, whispering at my ear, “We’re going to have a talk later.”
I growled a bit at his tone, but I didn’t argue. I had lied to them. Used them. It had been for a good cause, but there would still be repercussions for my actions.
Jack released me, giving me one last glance before gently pulling Pearl away from Ezra. “We’re going to get some dinner. Want to come?”
Both Ezra and I shook our heads, and Ezra stated, “She and I need to talk, but I’m starving, so maybe you guys could bring us back something?”
Jack sighed, glancing at his watch. “How long should we be gone for?”
Ezra chuckled softly, putting his key in the door. “Maybe an hour.”
I held up two fingers. “Or two.”
Ezra blinked, opening the door. “You’re not too sore?”
Pearl popped her fingers into her ears. “Too much info. Too much info.” She turned, getting the completely wrong impression from his comment, and started walking in the other direction. “Let’s go, Jack.”
And…Jack followed…staring at her ass the entire way until they turned the corner.
I pointed where they had disappeared. “He’s whipped already.”
Ezra chuckled, pulling me into our bedroom, and locked the door behind us. “Yes, he is.” He hugged me tight against his chest, staring down at me. “You really aren’t too sore?”
I shook my head, fingering his shirt. “Nope, I’m really not that bad. And I want to make love in this room, where we first came together, one last time.” My eyes met his green ones.