Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird Series)(18)

“Oh my god,” Gabriel said. “I know what I’m researching when I get home.”

“You’re going to start making bath bombs?” Luke asked.

“Meh,” Gabriel said. “I always collect kits for stuff I never have time to put together. I was just thinking I want a collection of bath bombs. I want a surprise every night.” He grasped the hem of his jeans and started sliding them down his hips. “Let’s get in already.”

Seconds later, Gabriel and I were sitting together in the bath.

“Put in the bubble bar,” Luke said.

Gabriel did, keeping it in his hand and letting the falling water from the faucet pour over his hand. Within moments the bath was absolutely full of bubbles.

“I don’t think I was supposed to use a whole bar,” Gabriel said. “But it is a super huge tub.”

Luke stayed on the edge, pointed at me, and then motioned. “Look that way for a second?”

I didn’t understand why, but I looked where he wanted. A second later, there was a whisper of clothing being removed and then the water shifted. I turned back just as Luke was settling down into the tub.

“Ah,” he said and grinned. “I didn’t want to have to find underwear.”

“Fuck...Luke,” Gabriel said. “I buy you shit, and you never wear it.”

“I don’t like underwear,” he said and relaxed back, stretching his arms out behind him.

Once we were in the tub, we became incredibly lazy. Gabriel put on one of the masques over his face, he said for testing purposes. Luke fiddled with different containers of bath salts, occasionally adding the sweeter smelling types to the water. I sat back, watching both of them with my head propped up on a bath pillow.

I breathed in the smells, felt the warm water and was amused by Gabriel and Luke’s antics. Our legs occasionally collided in the tub, and eventually, I had my legs propped up just at Gabriel’s knees.

He plopped a hand on top of my upper thigh as he picked at the black masque on his face. “Does this look dry yet?”

“Shouldn’t you have pickles on your eyes?” Luke asked.

“I think you mean cucumber,” Gabriel said. “Shit, we forgot cucumbers.”

Luke laughed and leaned his head back, using a towel as a bath pillow. “We need one of these in whatever house we live in later.”

“Fuck yeah,” Gabriel said. “I’ve been thinking about that. We need a huge fucking house.”

“We do?” I asked.

“Like Lily’s,” Gabriel said. He started peeling the mask off of his chin to test it and then stopped and smushed the stuff back onto his face. He refocused on me. “I’m hoping to move out, soon. Pam’s about to move her new stupid boyfriend in.”

“Is this the last stupid boyfriend, or is there a new stupid boyfriend?” Luke asked.

“I don’t even know any more,” he said. “She’s gotten into the whole ‘I can date who I want’ thing. But it’s getting weird. And I know Victor wants to pretend he’s off to some elite school soon so he can get away.”

I turned my attention to the ceiling, noticing the elaborate carved ceiling tiles. “So I’m not going to be the only one between houses?”

“That’s what I was saying,” Gabriel said. “We need a place for all of us.” He swished his arms in the water, drifting the bubbles in different directions. “I’ve been asking Lily how she works it out. Sounds like she’s got her own bedroom, and the others have different bedrooms, so everyone has their space. And some days Lily even sleeps by herself.”

I blinked rapidly. “I haven’t even thought about where we’d all sleep.”

“I like sleeping near Sang,” Luke said.

“Yeah, me, too,” Gabriel said. “But we can’t all the time, I guess.”

Luke grumbled. “We can if we had a huge bed.”

“I’m okay with that sometimes,” Gabriel said. “Like when we do sleepover things. But let’s get real a second. Do you really want to be in the same room when Silas and Sang are doing...things?”

“I don’t mind,” Luke said.

Gabriel snorted and he turned his head to me. I turned on the pillow to meet his gaze. “If Luke had his way, he’d probably join in.”

“Maybe,” Luke said.

My cheeks were already warm from the water, but I was sure I was blushing. I had a feeling I knew what they were talking about. “We may need a house really soon,” I said. “The thing with Erica...and Dr. Green’s mom in town...I mean, we’re here now, but Mr. and Mrs. Morgan won’t stay away forever. Nathan has the only house to himself, doesn’t he?”

“Mr. Blackbourne’s place isn’t bad,” Luke said. “But I’m still not sure it would hold all of us together.”

“Where does he live, anyway?” I asked. “I haven’t been there yet.”

“Downtown,” Luke said. “Not too far. But we rarely go these days.”

Gabriel nodded. “He’s usually trying to shake Mr. Hendricks’s people.”

Luke sat up sharply with bubbling suds sashaying off of his shoulders and chest. “Wait a second. We can’t...we have to take care of Hendricks like ASAP.”