Page 132 of Security and Submission
Yas relaxed, her expression softening. “Me, too.”
The urge to say something, to tell her something about how he felt about her, was growing stronger as they looked at each other, drinking each other in with their eyes. Just when he thought he might gather his courage and take the leap, he heard her parents’ voices in the hallway, coming closer.
Yas heard them, too, turning her head toward the door, her fingers squeezing his as her parents came in.
“Oh, Zeus, you’re here! So good to see you again.” Bustling around the side of the bed, Yas’ mother came to bend over and press a kiss against his cheek. “I am so excited our girl is getting out today!”
“Yes,” he replied, sending a glance at Yas, who seemed both embarrassed and pleased by her mother referring to her as ‘our girl’ and including Zeus in the statement. “Me, too.”
He couldn’t wait to take her home.
Chapter 46
Yasmine
The evening had turned into an impromptu party at Zeus’. Almost everyone who had taken a turn waiting to see her in the waiting room at the hospital was now packed into Zeus’ house to be there for her first evening out of the hospital. To her relief, she’d had enough time to get herself together for the evening. Zeus had helped with her hair and opening her makeup palettes. She felt a lot more like herself in a sleeveless dress that flowed down to her knees and her hair properly washed and blown out around her shoulders.
So much better than at the hospital. She’d gotten used to being seen without her makeup and hair done, and while wearing a hospital gown, but that hadn’t meant she’d liked it.
Hope and Tiger were running around underfoot, doing their best to accept all the pets and attention people were happy to give them. Hope was dragging the gigantic stuffed animal Yasmine had gotten for her—she’d insisted on stopping by the pet store on the way home. Thankfully, Tiger was empty-mouthed. He’d already gleefully ripped apart three of the little stuffies Yasmine had given him. She’d put together a basket of the clearance stuffies, which she was now glad she’d done. Zeus hadn’t been kidding about how much Tiger liked to rip them apart. They’d lasted exactly as long as it had taken for someone to stop playing fetch with him. Within five minutes after that—decimated.
Thankfully, he seemed to understand that Hope’s stuffie was hers and hadn’t tried to do the same.
“You seem more relaxed than I thought you’d be,” Yasmine said to Zeus, snuggling in beside him. She was happy to have everyone there, but even happier to be there with him. The fact that no one was giving them a second glance was also nice.
Standing in the kitchen, looking at everyone arrayed around the dining room table and in the living room, this was about as private a moment as they were probably going to get until people left.
Zeus looked around and shrugged.
“It’s not so bad,” he said, lifting his beer bottle to his lips to take a sip. “It actually is kind of nice having everyone here.” His gaze flicked over to where Lincoln and Ashley were talking with Yasmine’s parents. “Though I would have wished for different circumstances for having the team over for the first time.”
“I’ll definitely try not to repeat the circumstances.” Yasmine leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Aren’t you two cute?” Jensen said, sauntering over, his dark eyes gleaming with cheerful appreciation.
Yasmine smiled back at him. From what Zeus had told her, Jensen had been among the first to accept him on the team. She’d always liked the happy-go-lucky youngest member of Black Fox.
“I could say the same about you and Jennifer,” she teased.
“Oh, yeah, we’re adorable.” Jensen puffed out his chest. “That’s not why I came over here, though.”
“Why’d you come over here?” Zeus asked, sounding mildly amused.
“We need a permanent call sign for you. Especially now that we have a group chat.”
Yasmine straightened. “Black Fox has a group chat? I thought you weren’t allowed to do that.”
“They weren’t,” Claudia said grumpily, coming up from the other side, as if the very mention of such a thing was enough to summon her. “Yet here we are. It’s all Mason’s fault.” She raised her voice, tossing the comment out towards Mason, who had been talking with David and Cassidy over by the couch.
Mason turned. Apparently, he didn’t even need to ask what they were talking about. “It was time, Claudia. Think of it as team building.”
“We had the work chat.”
“Which is for work,” Lincoln called out, turning his head to join in the conversation, even though he was clear across the room.
“Which is why it was perfect,” Claudia retorted. “We shouldn’t need another one.”
“Sometimes, it’s easier to just text the group.”
