Chapter Twenty Two-Tricks Up My Sleeve

When I woke up, it was to another empty bed, and when I checked my messages, I realized I’d slept nearly the entire day away. 

I was sticky with my men, and every muscle ached, so I filled the tub and searched my bag. After I dumped a vile into the water, I swallowed another, and a thunderous voice came from the doorway. “What the fuck is that?”

I licked the taste from my lips and tossed the bottle back in my bag. “It’s birth control.”

His face drained of all color, and my pulse suddenly beat in my ears as he came closer. It didn’t occur to me that such a simple thing was forbidden among their kind. No wonder there were badass little kids everywhere you looked. “Birth control?” His whole face contorted, and his head shook. “Why?”

I leaned over and twisted the tap until the water trickled. “Logan, I told you two that I don’t want children. Not for a long time anyway.”

His hand wiped his mouth as he pressed his leg against the counter. “We didn’t talk about this. We don’t do that kind of thing here, Tessa.”

I took the scrunchie from my hair and shook it out, then put my hands on his chest. “Baby, we just met, and I’m not one of you.”

I could see the anger building in his eyes, and I backed away as I lowered my robe. “You boys are convinced that you’re my mates, and maybe that’s true. But maybe it’s not. You really want to bring a bunch of babies into a maybe type thing?”

“Oh, that again? Hmm?” Logan laughed as he backed away and pointed at me, but there was zero humor in his face. “You’re always looking to get out on some kind of technicality. But I tell you what, I got a couple of tricks up my sleeve too.”

I found him in the kitchen chopping vegetables when I came downstairs, and I slid onto the barstool to watch him. “You’re pretty good with a knife.”

He nodded and went back to work, and I rested my head against my fist. “You’re really mad about this baby thing, aren’t you?”

His lips pushed out when he shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about anymore.” After he hesitated for a second, he glanced at me and pointed the knife tip in my direction. “I want to know when you’re going to cook for me. I’ve already cooked for you a few times. When do I see your skills?”

I scoffed at the idea of it and shrugged. “As soon as someone teaches me how to cook.” His eyes narrowed at me, and I could tell that the idea of a woman not knowing how to cook seemed crazy. My hands came out to my sides. “I’m rich, Logan. I have people who do that kind of stuff for me.”

He dumped the vegetables into a pot, then leaned across the island. “Didn’t your mother ever cook for you?”

I had a good snorty laugh at envisioning that regal woman in an apron instead of the crystal-encrusted gowns she wore most days of her life. “My mother?” I pushed the tears from my eyes and shook my head. “No. She, uh, I guess you could say she wasn’t raised that way.”

He nodded and peeked back over his shoulder at the boiling water. “I guess I don’t know you the way I thought I did. So, tell me about yourself.”

My fingers slid back and forth over the counter. Talking about our way of life to outsiders was kind of frowned upon, and I wasn’t sure what Teddy had already told his new family. “From what point? I mean, what do you want to know?”

“All of it.” He crossed his arms and rested against the counter behind him. “Start from the beginning.”

I scratched my forehead as I decided which information I could trust him with. “Alright. In a nutshell, I lived in Savannah until my parents died. Then we traveled the world with our guardian until we were old enough to defend ourselves. And now we’re here with you all.” Trying to deflect any other questions about my past, I tapped my finger on the countertop. “Oh, and I’m a Scorpio if you’re interested.”

He glanced out the window and nodded like he already knew the answer.“Who murdered your parents, Tessa?”

I shook my head and twisted on the barstool. There were patches of my memory that were difficult to recall. It was like they were just erased with a really cheap eraser. There were still smudges that I could almost read, but they were cloudy.

I’m a product of childhood trauma, and in case you weren’t aware, it tends to mess with your head. “I don’t really remember. I heard they were executed for it, though, while we were gone.”

I knew Teddy and Haldir had more answers than I did, but I was afraid to know the truth. I caught their looks at each other when the topic of my parents came up, but I never questioned it. Some things are too awful to relive.

His eyes searched my face until they settled on my eyes.“The man who raised you, where is he now?”

I thought about it for a second before answering. This man was already inclined to jealousy, and I knew this would set him off. “Back home.”

A shot of air left his nose as he smirked and tapped a finger against the counter in front of me. “This is your home. Is he the reason you and Teddy stopped talking for so long?”

I sighed before I shook my head, because I realized he already knew everything. “No, that’s not why.”

“Don’t lie to me.” His head tipped just a bit as he leaned forward. “What did he do, Tessa?”

My teary eyes rolled away. “He didn’t do anything. Teddy and Haldir have been fighting for years. It was a long time coming.”

His head moved from side to side as he tapped his hand on the counter. “Why is it so hard to tell me the truth?”

I pushed the tears from my face and cleared my throat. “Ok, then. I kissed him. I love Haldir, and I kissed him one night when I was upset.”

His knee bounced as he pushed air around his mouth, and the tips of his ears were red as he tried to contain himself. “You love him?”

I rolled my shoulders and sat up straighter. Haldir was the one person I was sure of. He’d never let me down, ever.

We had a bond that was bigger than love. More significant than the father-daughter roles we found ourselves in. I wished to whatever God was out there that he was my mate. He was a man who couldn’t die, and I was a girl who lost everyone she cared about. He was the one stable thing I knew.

I might have to give up certain things to be with Logan, but Haldir would never be one of them.“Yes, of course, I do. But it’s not like you think, and he doesn’t feel that way about me anyway. To him, I’m just the little girl he rescued from a hospital. That’s all I could ever be to him.”

I reached across the island and wrapped my fingers around his big hand. “Besides, now I have you.”

He nodded, and there was a coldness to his eyes that made me wish Jacob wasn’t on patrol tonight. “That’s right, you do. No one else in the world matters but the people in this room right now.”