Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird #12)(5)

I tiptoed through the front hallway, trying to listen to what was being said in the kitchen.

“What?” Kota asked.

“You know I trust them, but I don’t have a good feeling about leaving them alone with Sang without you or the rest of us around.”

Kota coughed shortly in a way that sounded like a laugh. “They’d never... I don’t know what you’re thinking...”

“I know they wouldn’t hurt her but...” A footstep echoed in the kitchen.

The sound startled me enough to drive me forward, through the hall.

In the bathroom, I closed the door and pressed my back against it. My heart thundered. My palm slipped over it, feeling it thudding and trying to calm myself.

It was normal, I told myself. Erica was doing what any mother would do when concerned about boys and girls being alone together. I supposed all of them together, it didn’t seem too bad, but being alone with one of them was a little too much for her. She did make the rules for a reason.

It was something to talk to the guys about, and probably why Luke felt the need to bolt to the bathroom quickly when hearing someone coming up the stairs.

It was another reason I needed to be more careful, especially if this was going to be my life from now on. Living between houses like this to split my time between them was going to require some adjustments. I had to remember where I was, follow the rules, mind the other people in the house.

I used the facilities and then ran the sink, splashing my face. I lingered there over the cool water, wanting to give a little time for Erica to have her talk with Kota. Hoping I hadn’t caused any trouble between them.

I surveyed the bathroom, trying to pull my mind out of it, for now, to focus on waking up. I borrowed a brush from a drawer and detangled my hair before twisting it again and putting it back into the clip. I was still in pajamas but planned to return upstairs to change once Luke came down.

There was a gentle knock at the door, and I opened it.

Nathan stood on the other side, his eyebrows up in surprise at seeing me, but then he smiled broadly. “Thought you were Jessica.”

“Nope,” I said. “You didn’t see her in the living room?”

“I didn’t see anyone. I just heard you making noises...” He came into the bathroom, leaving the door open. He wore jeans and a red hoodie, and some Nike sneakers. His reddish hair was a little wild, as it was getting a bit longer these days. He stretched his arms over his head, flexing, and his broad chest became more defined through the clothing. “I didn’t even see Max. They must be upstairs or in the garage or back porch or something. I came over to see you, anyway.”

“Is there something we need to do?” The question was generic, but I hoped my tone conveyed the true reason I was asking. There hadn't been word from the Academy in the past week about anything regarding my joining or the promise of looking in on me. There had only been updates about my parents. This left me feeling I might be racking up favors of some sort that I’d have to repay, or that they may reconsider I was too much trouble for the Academy to take on.

“I’m just hoping to get you out of the house,” he said. “You’ve been cooped up for a while. I’d go stir crazy.” He nodded toward the hallway. “Have you eaten?”

“No, but Kota was ordering in from the diner. If you go ask, he can get you something.”

“Sounds good to me.” He angled himself around me and leaned his butt against the sink. He leaned over, looking at me directly as I was facing the mirror. His blue eyes took on a glow when he looked at my face that had my blush returning. “How about after that we go for a walk? Or maybe we can take someone’s car downtown? What do you want to do?”

I loved the idea of getting away, even just for the day. I found it wonderful he seemed to know what I needed. He got used to my moods, I thought, when we were staying together for so long.

However, I still wasn’t sure if Kota or the others planned anything. Or if the Academy might call on them and we’d need to rush off to do something. “I think we should get out... If there’s nothing else we need to do. Luke and I were just talking about where to go today.”

He leaned against me a bit more, brushing his shoulder against mine. “I wouldn’t mind hanging out a little at some point, just the two of us. It feels like you’ve been gone awhile.”

For a long while, we spent most every night together, or hanging around the house, usually just the two of us. As it was now, being alone with one of them was hard to pull off. “If I’m not restricted to resting anymore, let’s go out after breakfast.” It was easy to say. However, I wasn’t sure how we were going to get away by ourselves. Would Kota want to go with us? Would the others want me to do something else?

I had to figure out how to spend time with each of the guys and in different ways. It was one of the things Mr. Blackbourne and others had mentioned.

And Nathan, and a couple others, were having a hard time with the idea of the relationship.

I did, too. I was still unsure I wasn’t making them unhappy, even if most said they wanted to try. We weren’t sure how this new relationship was going to work, but it wasn’t going to work at all if I didn’t get a chance to spend time with them.

“It doesn’t have to be for long,” Nathan said. He brightened up, and he leaned in, kissing me briefly on the cheek.