Page 52 of Charged By the Razorbacks

Jarek went still for a fraction of a second, then shrugged, pushing off the counter. “She’ll choose, one way or the other.”

Aleksy studied him. “And if she doesn’t choose us?”

Jarek’s mouth curved, not quite a smile, something sharper. “Not worth thinking about, so we don’t give her enough reason to.”

Aleksy’s gaze didn’t shift. “We make it impossible for her to say no.”

“Yeah,” Jarek said. “We do.”

A quiet sound pulled both their attention toward the hallway.

Soft. Unhurried.

Jarek turned first. And forgot whatever he’d been about to say.

Tamsin stepped into the kitchen looking soft and warm and theirs. She wore one of their shirts—his, he realized a second later—falling loose over her body, the fabric barely brushing mid-thigh, sleeves pushed up just enough to show her hands as she moved.

Her hair was loose, slightly tousled from sleep, her eyes still heavy-lidded in a way that made something low in his body tighten immediately.

Aleksy didn’t move. Didn’t speak. But Jarek felt the shift beside him.

Tamsin paused just inside the room, her gaze moving between them, slow and assessing.

“That had better be food,” she said, her voice rough with sleep. “And it had better be edible.”

Jarek’s grin came back instantly. “Careful,” he said. “You’re talking to the man who made it.”

She looked at the plate, then back at him. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

Aleksy stepped in, sliding a plate toward her. “Try it before you decide.”

Tamsin moved closer, not hesitating as she took the fork from the counter, her hip brushing Jarek’s as she leaned in just slightly.

That—that didn’t help his focus one bit. She took a bite, chewing slowly, her expression unreadable for a second before her lips curved.

“All right,” she admitted. “Not terrible.”

Jarek scoffed. “High praise.”

“Don’t push it.”

She set the fork down, but didn’t step away, her presence settling between them like it had always been there.

Like it always would be.

“So,” she said, glancing between them, “what were you two brooding about while I was asleep?”

Jarek leaned back against the counter again. “The future.”

Her brow lifted. “That sounds serious.”

“It is,” Aleksy said.

Tamsin’s gaze shifted to him, something sharper settling in her expression now. “Yeah? What part?”

Jarek glanced between them, then pushed off the counter, moving to the table, grabbing the tablet they’d been working from earlier.

“This part,” he said, bringing it back, setting it down between them.