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“And I love it,” he said, peering at the sketch. “Is it a storm?”
“Yup. One’s hitting soon.” Storms were beautiful, and I only wanted to draw the most beautiful things in the world. “You’re next, then… then Knox, if he says he’ll bite in.”
Rogue shot me another charming grin at that, and I tried to take a mental snapshot for his portrait.
A couple more rounds and Bunny was really drowning in debt.
“You know, I don’t know if this win is going to be entirely honest.” Rogue snorted, shooting me a raised eyebrow. “You cheated poor Bunny.”
Ah. Shit.
He’d noticed.
“If you knew Bunny, you’d be cheatin’ him, too.”
“You don’t like him?”
I scowled, opening my mouth to answer, but cut off as the door to the basement opened.
I glanced over to see Knox wandering in, peering at the three of us. “You’re playing games, and I wasn’t invited?” he asked.
I cocked my head, peering up at him suspiciously. “You only get to play Monopoly with me if you’re gonna bite in.”
And he’d said he’d only bite in if I heat bonded Rogue, so it didn’t count.
Knox’s eyes slid from me, to Bunny, who was surrounded by half a dozen mortgaged properties. “HasBunnybitten in?”
“Bunny’s pack lead, stupid.”
Knox opened his mouth as if to respond, then shut it again as if thrown off by that. “Right… Well. I was coming to let you know I’m turning in. If you want your cuddles, you come to bed with me.”
I froze, staring up at him, then glancing back over to Rogue.
Cuddles?
I wrung my fingers together. It was gonna be pretty hard for Rogue to cuddle me through the bars. Plus, he’d basically won; he was about to bankrupt Bunny, and I was next…
“Go on, Kitten,” Rogue said.
I met his piercing teal eyes, then peered back up at Knox, who’d folded his arms, now leaning against the cage. I imagined those warm arms folded around me.
Snuggling in beneath the covers with Bunny, drowning in the scent of ink and antique wood that was quickly becoming mine—even if destiny hadn’t made it so.
But he bought us a sketchbook…
And that forever ache, ice shards through my very bones, would be goneallnight.
Knox kept his promises, and I knew he’d do it just as much as I knew there’d be no cuddles at all if I didn’t take his offer now.
A sound night’s sleep… Full breaths.
Safety.
“I’m gonna…” I swallowed, voice cracking and fingers aching with how hard I was squeezing them. “I’m gonna finish the game.”
He was just tryna piss on Rogue’s territory, but Rogue had said he’d be happy to be in a pack with Knox.
Knoxwas being the stubborn one.
