Suddenly unable to wait a second longer, he swept her in his arms, heaved up to his feet and strode back to her bedroom.
At her squeaking protest, he stopped, looked back at the trio, found them on their feet, looking crestfallen.
He raised a mocking eyebrow at them. “Uh, sorry, were you waiting for a response from me?” He groaned in pleasure as Scarlett gave his jaw a punishing nip. His eyes laughed down at her, then back at the guests. “Let me give you a tip for future reference. Once Scarlett has spoken, I am but the executor of her will. She wants us to be family, we will be family.”
After a moment’s uncertainty, the trio’s faces split with smiles, then they each advanced on them, all delighted relief.
At Scarlett’s loving nudge, he put her back on her feet so she could receive with him the hugs of the three people who would be their family.
After an interlude of mutual thanks and excitement, especially on the side of the ladies, who seemed to be delighted to have a girlfriend in their testosterone-dominated lives, Raiden swept Scarlett back up into his arms.
This time their guests took the hint and rushed to the door. Scarlett spluttered that he put her down, that they should stay longer, that she hadn’t even offered them something to drink. But this time he didn’t heed her, and the trio insisted on leaving. It was time, Hashimoto said, to leave the two of them to continue their reunion after such a harrowing separation.
Raiden called after them when they were at the door, “I am grateful we will be family. But remember, we will only be because Scarlett decreed it. Now you all owe her.”
Their voices rose in corroboration as they closed the door behind them. Then he raced with her to her bedroom.
Putting her down on the still-rumpled sheets, as if he was laying down his heart, he pulled off his clothes, then hers, and came down into her arms.
“I wasn’t just making him squirm, you know,” he said against her lips. “I was going to insist on refusing.”