“I wish I could argue, but I’ve never been this tired in my life,” she admitted with a yawn.
Without another word, he scooped her up. She snuggled against him and rested her head on his shoulder, her warm breath teasing at his neck. “Close your eyes. We’ll be home soon.”
Chapter 13
As tired as she had been when they had gotten home, Stella barely managed to eat half the meal Brycen prepared for her and fell asleep in the tub. She had planned to seduce him once they got to the bedroom, but her eyelids drooped, and her muscles wouldn’t cooperate. When he didn’t join her on the bed, she opened her mouth to protest, but another huge yawn came instead.
“Get some rest, sweetling.” He eased her back down onto the pillow and brushed his lips against hers. “I have to make a phone call, but I’ll be back soon.”
When she woke next, the room was dark, and she nestled into Brycen’s warmth, her back against his chest, and his large hand cupping one of her breasts. His soft snores ruffled the hair by her ear, and she smiled. She snuggled impossibly closer and drifted off to sleep again.
Stretching, Stella opened her eyes to a bright room. Sunlight filtered in through the open curtains. The spot where Brycen had been was empty but still warm. Following the sound of running water, she found him in the shower. He had already turned to block the spray and opened the door for her before she got there.
“Morning, beautiful,” he said as he pulled her close.
She shouldn’t be shy around this man. He was her mate, but still, heat rose up her neck and into her cheeks. “I’m sorry I slept so long.”
“Don’t be. You needed it. Your body has been through a lot in the past few days.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. “We’re about to have company, one of the men in my clan, in fact, he might even be waiting downstairs as we speak, so we had better get a move on.”
“I’m meeting your family today? You should have warned me. I have no clothes to wear.” Her heart stuttered. What kind of impression would she leave with his clan if she paraded around the house naked?
“For starters, it’s not family, not in the traditional sense. I lost mine in the raids, too. Second, you can wear something of mine. He won’t care what you’re wearing, and we’ll go to your place and get your clothes later. Or I’ll buy you a whole new wardrobe if you want.”
“But—”
“But nothing. He will love you,” he assured her. “His name is Jace.”
A funny look flitted across his face, and then it was gone. She was about to ask him what was wrong when a male voice sounded from somewhere in the house.
“I’m here,” the man announced, with a note of impatience in his tone.
“Oh, shit,” she said. She looked up at Brycen, who just burst out laughing.
“You’ll be fine. I promise. Finish your shower, and join us downstairs. I’ll get started on breakfast.” He gave her a hard, lingering kiss, then swapped places with her so that she was under the shower’s spray. “Don’t be too long.”
Once he was gone, Stella steadied her nerves as she washed and rinsed her hair. When she got out, she found her bra sitting on top of a clean, white T-shirt, and another pair of sweatpants. These were a little smaller than the ones she’d worn before, but they were still too big. She tightened the drawstring as much as she could. At least they wouldn’t fall.
She heard the male voices coming from the kitchen and stopped just outside to take a breath.
“I don’t know, man. I’m not sure if it is now or not,” Brycen said.
“What do you mean, you don’t now? Last night, you sounded pretty damned convinced that she was my sister.”
Stella didn’t recognize the other voice, but a tingle went down her spine, and deep inside, her dragon perked up. “Mine,” it whispered into her mind, almost confused. Her heart pounded. They couldn’t be talking about her. All except for her, the entire McLaughlin clan had perished over twelve years ago.
She took a shaky step forward, then another, until she was standing in the doorway. Neither of them had heard her silent, barefooted approach, neither looked in her direction. Brycen leaned against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest.
The other man, Jace, stood in front of him, his brows furrowed, and his hands stuck in his pockets. His hair, dark as the night sky, was standing on end as though he’d run his fingers through it. In profile, he looked so much like her father, only younger.
“I thought so, but—”
She must have made a sound, because right then, Brycen stopped talking, and both men turned to look at her. Jace stared at her, his mouth gaping open. His bright blue eyes a replica of her own. There was no way.