Page 97 of Inked in Bloom
No wonder I found her hoarding more trinkets to rage paint.
“Better than the punishment I got...having to go through that damn course again.” Dani blows out a breath and continues chewing. “Anyway, as you can imagine, the conversation didn’t go well. She even accused Mom of using it as a way to force you two together.”
The space between my ribs burns, the mate mark bubbling with heat. The thumping of footsteps grows louder and a door shuts above us.
Dani’s gaze trails up to the second floor. “Better tend to our mates.”
Their hand slips to their chest and they disappear.
Climbing up the rungs, I peek in at Monroe. Her lips are parted, glasses resting low on the bridge of her nose as she concentrates on painting an ornate purple door on the mug. On the next one, she pokes at it, creating uneven strokes and splotches. My brows knit in concern, but with each passing moment, the burning anger begins to quietly simmer in our bond.
Thick clouds roll overhead, and when I squint toward the sky, a fat droplet breaks against my lens.
Shit.
The rain goes from a momentary murmur to a rush against the windowpane. Monroe cranes her neck in my direction, and I duck, hair falling in thick, wet strands overmy face. My entire concern had been her, I didn’t consider the time. Now that our matehood is no longer secret, I don’t want to startle her or scare her off. Not when there’s a sliver of a chance.
Plink, plink, plink, plink, plink.
I remain frozen a minute before straightening up.
Pursed pink lips and a mint-green stare pin me in place from across the glass. With a few clicks followed by a whoosh, Monroe lifts the window. She grips the top rung of the ladder, and a vein pulses at her temple.
For a moment I think she’s going to push it off the side of the house. Let me fall. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame her.
“Are you going to come in or wait for me to get soaked?”
I choke back my response.
She holds the ladder steady while I cram my body through the window’s opening, my shoes squeaking against the wood. I’m about to use my magic to dry off, but I catch Monroe’s focus and follow it to the white shirt plastered to my torso. I wiggle my nose, only erasing the droplets from my spectacles, then slip my hands into the pockets of my damp jeans. If she wants to gawk, who am I to steal her joy?
The air sweetens with the scent of her arousal. I twitch in my pants but otherwise remain still.
After a moment, she pivots and sits down at her desk, shifting the partially painted teacups to the side. “You know, there is this wonderful contraption called a door.”
I shrug. “What would be the fun in that?”
“Did you know your mother was coming here?” The displeasure in her tone is thick.
“I did.” I sit on the chaise by the window clasping my hands together and resting my elbows on my knees. “However, I wasn’t privy to what the Radixes decided.”
“I’m apparently in charge of the claiming ceremony.”
“Dani told me.”
“Did they also tell you they’re mated?”
“Yes. But only just now, before I came up here.” I keep my expression neutral, though her frustration slams into my chest. At her assignment, at the news of the mate bond between her roommate and Dani. I’m not sure which she’s more upset about.
“You mean right before you snooped?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” My eyes drift to the drying paint streaked across the teacups on her desk. “Clearly you’re not.”
“Painting is fun,” she says defensively. Heat sears along our mark.
“The angry face you made while streaking paint across the cup really sells the fun part.”
“It’s good stress relief.”
