Forced Bonds (The Bonds That Tie, #4)(31)

I’m already moved in.

I turn back to Gabe and whisper in disbelief, “We’re staying here tonight? It's done enough for that?”

He grins and nods back. “Your room, your bathroom, and the kitchen are done. My room just needs the lights to be wired. North’s room is waiting on flooring. Gryphon’s is being painted today, and Atlas has been working on his bathroom. Nox’s is done, he likes everything to be simple and plain. But, yeah, we’re here tonight, Bond.”

It’s the most romantic thing any man has ever said to me, I swear to God.





Chapter Nine





Gabe



The joy on my Bond’s face makes the long hours working on this place worth every exhausting and frustrating second.

She heads straight into the bathroom to wash up, and I go down to the kitchen to fix us both some lunch. When North had called to say that Oli and the guys were on their way back, I’d gone down to the dining hall to shop through the kitchen there, grabbing whatever supplies I could get away with, thanks to the chef following me around and grumbling the whole time. Not that he cared about the actual food leaving his kitchen, he’s just pissed that he’s not cooking for the Dravens as much.

The man has a lot of pride tied up in his work for North.

I already know that my Bond is easy to please when it comes to meals though, thank God. A loaded sandwich with all of the trimmings has her beaming at me as I kick her bedroom door shut behind me. She looks fucking adorable sitting in the middle of the giant bed in one of my old football jerseys from high school and an old pair of sweatpants that she’d squirreled away from Gryphon.

My voice dries up in my throat.

“Oh, I freaking love bacon in a sandwich! I could smell it cooking when I got out of the bathroom, and I’ve been drooling ever since.”

I smirk at her and walk over to hand her the plate, careful not to brush up against the clean linens. I’m still covered in dust and God knows what else, and I’m not going to disrespect her space like that.

The whole point of getting her in here is so she feels respected and more in control of what her life looks like. There’s not much I can do to help with that, especially when I agree with all of the extra security North and Gryphon are putting on her, but I can give her this little haven. I know how badly she needs her own space, even when she’s craving her Bonds.

“Are you going to sit with me or just stare at me while I make a pig of myself?” Oli drawls, her sass a little muted now that shit has hit the fan with Sage, but it’s still there.

I grab the chair from behind her desk and drag it over to sit beside her. “I’m covered in dust. I’ll grab a shower after I’ve finished eating. I didn’t have time before Gryphon called.”

She nods and takes another huge bite of her sandwich, a little of the sauce dripping out of the corner of her mouth, and I grin at her. This version of my Bond, the one who has let down all of her barriers and walls, is my favorite one. I’ve never been happier in my life.

“You should’ve just jumped in with me. We could’ve made the food together afterwards.”

I almost choke.

I put a lot of time and effort into not making a complete dick of myself around her, thanks to the small fact that there are four other Bonds in my Bonded Group to compete with. I manage to keep my shit together, though I swallow too soon and it’s a little dry going down my throat.

“I didn’t know that was on the table. You definitely haven’t said that it’s an option.”

She tilts her head to the side as though she’s thinking and nods slowly. “That’s true.”

We fall back into silence, only the sounds of us both tearing into our food to be heard, and when I set my plate down on her side table to go grab that shower, she clears her throat. I stop and look over at her, raising an eyebrow at her, but she just shakes her head back at me like she’s changed her mind.

I’m not pushing her.

I never have and I never will. I don’t think that I’m a fucking saint or anything, but I want to know for sure that when I complete my bond with her, it’s because she wanted to, not because of some other stupid reason. I never want to have a doubt in my mind that she was just as desperate for me as I am for her.

So I head to the bathroom, rolling my shoulders back and groaning a little under my breath as the bones there crack. I’d gotten up before the sun this morning to lay the carpets in Oli’s closet, the last thing that was needed for it to be done, and hauling the rolls into the house by myself wasn’t the easiest thing to be doing. I’ve been slacking on my workouts and, man, does my body feel it.

I get the door open before Oli calls out, “Gabe? It’s on the table.”

I turn back and find her staring over at me, no signs of her bond taking over and forcing decisions onto her, just those crystal clear blue eyes looking back at me, as sure at the sunrise in the morning.

Well, fuck.

It’s impossible to shower without a rock-hard dick now. The scents of her soaps and lotions and girl shit just makes it worse, like I’m marinating in all things Oleander Fallows, until I’m about ready to nut myself.

Would jerking off right now be taking things too far? Fuck, here I was thinking how fucking good I am at respecting her shit for not getting dust on her sheets and ten minutes later, I’m thinking about spraying her shower screen with my cum because she said four little words to me. Four words that in any other situation are not a fucking turn on.