19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Cora

The next morning, it only took one call to Charlotte to have the entire week of work either rescheduled or handed over to Glen Santos, a friend and fellow electrician with his own small company. With that done, Cora could concentrate on getting better. With two gorgeous men seeing to her every need, she was almost tempted to pretend to be sick for longer.

She’d slept for most of the last two days and on the rare occasion she was awake, Kimble, Pike, or both were trying to get her to drink and eat. It was the evening of the third day and although she was feeling better, she probably wasn’t steady enough to take a shower. Even trips to the bathroom and back left her feeling exhausted.

Running a hand through her hair, she grimaced at how greasy it felt. Ugh!

“What’s wrong?” Pike asked. She was snuggled between the two of them on the couch watching some emergency room drama that made Kimble laugh occasionally, probably from all the fake blood.

Pike’s question drew Kimble’s attention to her. “Tired? Do you need sleep again?”

Over the last few days, his language skills had improved immensely. His sentences might be simple and not always grammatically correct, but who cared when they could actually talk to him?

“I’m not tired,” she lied because the truth was that she was always tired. Right now she was baseline tired, not extra tired. “I don’t like being this dirty. Do you think you could put a chair in the shower so I could get clean?”

Pike frowned and shook his head. “That sounds super dangerous.”

“No shower,” Kimble agreed, but he was smiling. “Bath instead.”

She hadn’t thought of taking a bath. Not only would it get her clean, but she could relax into the hot water. That sounded wonderful.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” she agreed. “You guys chill here. I can do this by myself.”

She planned to strip down, sit in the tub, and let it fill up around her. That way, she could take all the time she needed to wash herself and if she got too tired, she could lay back and rest.

However, it was obvious by their expressions that both Kimble and Pike didn’t like her suggestion.

“No,” Kimble said with a shake of his head. “You don’t do bath alone. We do it for you.”

She knew what he meant but couldn’t resist teasing him. “If you and Pike take a bath for me, I’m not going to get clean.”

Kimble burst out laughing, something he’d been doing a lot more lately. It seemed Kimble’s brush with death had changed his attitude. He wasn’t only trying hard to come back to himself, but he was enjoying life again.

He’d even started humming and swept Pike into an impromptu dance while the shifter was fixing dinner the other night. Poor Pike had looked awkward and confused but had tried to join in with Kimble’s old time-y dance. By the end, all three of them were laughing, and Cora was gasping for air. It had been a little magical.

And now he was laughing again, making both her and Pike grin.

“You be in bath, Pike and I soap you,” Kimble explained. He tilted his head thoughtfully. “With candles and wine.”

Pike made a negative sound as he got to his feet. “Not wine. I bet you want a cold Coke instead. ”

“Yes to the bath, candles, and Coke,” she agreed. “But do we have any in the glass bottles?”

“I picked some up this afternoon,” Pike answered. “You guys cuddle here; I’ll fill the tub.”

Taking his job very seriously, Kimble picked Cora up and arranged her blanket-wrapped form on his lap. She was easily chilled since the night Tobias took some of her aura, so her men had made sure to keep her bundled. Kimble’s well-fed body was always pleasantly warm, but Pike was a furnace, so she tended to cling to him in her sleep.

“Do you remember anything from your past?” Cora asked. She’d put off asking but with all of Kimble’s good humor, she decided it was time.

“Jumbled images,” he answered with a sigh. “Tobias knows me. Could ask him.”

His reluctance was obvious. “But you don’t want to, why?”

“Favors,” he answered succinctly. “Nothing among vampires is free. Not to other vampires.”

Kimble had a point. Cora vividly remembered Tobias demanding future favors for his assistance. Owing Tobias gave her an uneasy feeling. Whatever he eventually asked for probably wouldn’t involve her skills as an electrician.

“Is he more powerful than you?” Cora asked.

“Yes and no,” Kimble answered with a little grumble. When Cora craned her neck back to give him a look, he explained. “Me weakened. He is stronger. Now we are equal-ish. When you are a full flock member, I’ll be stronger. Sup-sup-superior to almost all. I’m old.”

He didn’t glitch much anymore, but when he did, it was usually on bigger or less common words. Sometimes he’d mix in foreign words as he spoke. He wouldn’t realize he’d done it until Cora or Pike pointed it out.

“I’m sorry I’m not ready yet,” she whispered. He hadn’t pushed her to exchange souls, but each day she felt a little guiltier for delaying.

Kimble pressed his lips to her forehead then urged her to relax against him. “No rush. I’m your vampire. I can wait a lifetime, only pick me before dying. Can’t exchange souls with a ghost. ”

Cora snorted. “So I need to decide sometime in the next sixty years.”

“Correct,” Kimble answered, then chuckled. “Hopefully sooner, yes?”

“Maybe,” she teased, making him huff out a laugh. “You know, you’re so much happier now. It’s nice.”

He went silent for a moment, then spoke in a hushed tone. “I almost died for us, angry and anxious. That was bad. Better that I live for us instead, happy and loved.”

Oh damn, that wasn’t what she was expecting. Her philosopher vampire.

“Good choice,” she murmured, tucking her head under his chin. “Very good choice.”

***

While Pike helped Cora stand, Kimble stripped her out of her cotton pajamas and tossed them into the nearby hamper. The bathroom was cozy and warm, softly lit by a dozen candles and jazz music quietly playing from Pike’s phone on the counter.

Cora had a moment where she felt mildly self-conscious, but it vanished when Kimble surveyed her body with lust sparkling in his eyes.

“Beautiful,” he murmured as he ran his gaze over her.

She beamed at him, then let Pike lift her into the steaming tub. She moaned as hot water enveloped her. “Oh, this is nice.”

Pike had brought in a stool that he sat on before reaching for a washcloth and a bottle of body wash. “You just wait, because it’s going to get better.”

She watched through half closed eyes as Kimble knelt next to Pike and reached for another washcloth, then accepted the bottle of wash from Pike. With soapy cloths in hand, the two of them went to work.

Cora didn’t know what she expected, but the slow, sensuous rubbing wasn’t it. Kimble started at her feet, running the cloth over her skin and then setting it aside to start massaging her.

She’d had a massage exactly one time in her life and hadn’t been impressed. If the masseuse had been even half as good as Kimble, she would have gone back every other day .

“Very muscled,” Kimble commented as he worked his way up to her calf. Pike was working on her shoulder and right arm, but she barely noticed as Kimble’s magic fingers found all her knots.

“Sorry,” she whispered. Then gave a little gasp and moaned, “Oh man, right there!”

“Muscled good,” Kimble told her. “Strong survive.”

“That was the truth in my household,” Cora agreed with a grin, then opened her mouth and sucked in a breath. “Right there please, a little harder.”

“If you didn’t love him before, this might do it,” Pike teased. “Could you scoot forward and dip your hair to get it wet?”

Kimble stopped massaging long enough for Cora to get her hair wet, then he went back to finding all her tense spots. She wasn’t sure what felt better, Kimble’s magic massage or Pike’s fingers on her scalp as he worked in the shampoo.

“We need to make this a regular thing,” Cora said. She meant the words to sound funny, but they came out needy instead.

“Any time you want,” Pike promised with all seriousness. She opened her eyes in time to see him swoop down to lay a kiss on her lips before going back to washing her hair.

She didn’t think it was possible for her to love these two any more, but as they cared for her body with the sole intent of making her feel clean and relaxed, she fell for them a little more.

By the time Kimble had washed and massaged most of her, Pike had finished with her hair. It had required getting a bowl from the kitchen as well as draining and refilling the tub once, but he’d been determined.

She barely felt the aches she’d been dealing with for the last few days, and her headache was completely gone. She felt clean, warm, and relaxed.

The relaxation was so complete that when Pike pulled her out of the tub and set her on her feet on the bathmat, her knees wouldn’t lock, and she started to fall.

“You’re not an equine shifter, so no falling asleep on your feet,” Pike said after catching her and holding her to his body while Kimble dried her off.

“That was a first,” she admitted, turning her head to rub her face against Pike’s damp shirt. His muscles always needed to be worshiped. “I’ve never felt this relaxed.”

But they weren’t done there .

After she was dry, Kimble started applying lotion to her skin. As with his washing/massage, he took his time to rub every part of her, paying special attention to all the spots where he’d found knots. This time, his touch was everything gentle and soothing as if apologizing to all the muscles he’d worked on earlier.

Most guys would’ve taken advantage, especially when running their hands up the inside of her legs. He didn't ignore her sex, but he only gave the damp curls at the apex of her legs a quick kiss before concentrating on spreading lotion on her belly.

The kiss seemed like a promise for later. She was feeling well enough that maybe she’d be up to having some fun with the guys. After another nap.

Once he deemed her suitably moisturized, they wrapped her in a fuzzy blanket and carried her back out to the couch. Once again, she was arranged in Kimble’s lap, and Pike went to work combing out her hair.

“How do you know how to do this?” she asked. “Did you have long hair once?”

“No, but I took care of my sister’s hair when Mom didn’t have time,” he explained. “She had a sensitive scalp, so I learned to be gentle with the brush or comb. It got to the point where she’d ask me to do it instead of Mom.”

He sounded so proud that it made Cora mildly jealous. “Sounds like you and your sister were close.”

“When we were kids, we were best friends. I was Big Bear, and she was Little Bear. We did everything together. It was a lot of fun.” He sounded wistful, and Cora went from feeling jealous to sympathetic.

“You’re not close anymore?”

“Everything changed when she turned fourteen. She didn’t have time for her brother anymore. It was all about her friends, boys, and having the latest of everything. I remember I saved up for months to buy her a phone she wanted, except by the time I got it, she already wanted a different one. I couldn’t keep up so after that, I’d give her cash instead. That’s a gift she always likes.”

Kimble made a grumbly sound that Cora interpreted as disapproval. “Greedy.”

Pike froze. “She’s not greedy. I’m just a bad gift giver.”

“You’re perfect,” Kimble answered. “Always. ”

It seemed Pike’s sister was a sore point between the two of them. Pike was a sweetheart, and she’d known plenty of people who had blind spots when it came to their family.

“Kimble’s right,” Cora murmured, turning her head so she could see Pike. “I can’t imagine you being a bad gift giver. Your sister is too picky.”

Pike scrunched his forehead a little. “Can we talk about something else?”

Cora’s phone rang shrilly, making her jump, Kimble growled, and Pike got up to retrieve it from the nightstand. She hadn’t gotten many calls, but she’d made sure the guys knew it was important that she answered the phone. She’d been avoiding calls from her family and sending texts instead. So far, no one had any emergencies that required her help.

The call was from an unrecognized number so it might be work related.

The moment she answered, she wished she hadn’t. “Perfection Connection Electrics, what—”

“You’re so sick you canceled your entire week but didn’t call me or any of your brothers?” her father yelled through the phone. Daniel might love her deeply, but one of the main ways he showed concern was with volume. Right now he was practically screaming.

“I’m not that sick,” she answered but winced when his volume didn’t decrease.

“You’re like me, you’d have to be on the verge of dying to hand that many jobs over to Santos. Are you at the hospital? Did you crash that shit van? I warned you about that vehicle!” He talked too fast for her to answer any questions. Cora let him voice one horrible outcome after another until he paused long enough for her to speak.

“Are you tired yet?” Cora asked when he had to pull in a breath of air.

“Tired?” he asked, confused.

“Tired from leaping to all those conclusions,” Cora explained, then snorted at her joke. She’d thought of it months ago and had been waiting for the perfect time to use it. Next to her on the couch, Pike laughed but Kimble didn’t look happy at all. She gave him a reassuring smile before focusing back on the call .

“Dad, I’m at home and being taken care of,” she rushed to say before he could start worrying at high volume again. “I’m sick but doing better. I took the whole week off because I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get over whatever I caught.”

“Did you even go to the doctor?” Daniel demanded. “I bet you didn’t. I’ve never known a more stubborn person than you.”

“Look in the mirror, you’ll find one,” she shot back.

“I’m coming over,” he announced. “You shouldn’t be alone. Do I need to bring groceries? Never mind, I’ll stop by the store on my way.”

“No.” Her one-word sentence was everything final, and her dad heard it.

“Fine, then I’m sending Ted. He’s a better choice anyway, he works at the hospital.”

“As an x-ray tech!” Cora protested with a laugh. “What’s he going to do here? There is an absolute lack of radiation equipment in my home.”

“I still think—”

“No you don’t, why start now?” Cora asked, making him sputter and Kimble and Pike laugh.

“Who’s there with you?” he demanded. “Is it that guy Cooper met at your house?”

“Yes, Pike is here, and another guy named Kimble,” Cora confirmed. She might as well get Kimble’s name out there before Sunday’s BBQ. She’d be fine by then, and if she didn’t show up, her family would invade her home.

She knew all too well that she couldn’t avoid them forever, unfortunately.

“Two men are there?” Daniel asked, as if he was making sure he’d heard correctly.

“Yes, two men. They’re both mine, and I don’t want to hear another word about it. We’re all coming over on Sunday. If you visit here before then or send anyone by, I swear to God I’ll move out of state,” she warned him.

“First you drop the bombshell that you’ve got two guys and then you threaten me,” her dad said. “These guys must be special.”

“They are so don’t test me,” Cora said.

“Then I guess Sunday will have to do,” he grumbled. “What did you say their full names were again? ”

“I didn’t,” she answered, then hung up without saying goodbye. It was the price he paid for thinking he could run background checks on them.

Kimble plucked the phone from her hand and tossed it next to them on the couch. “Tense again,” he grumbled.

“My family does that to me,” she admitted. She felt weirdly awake but fatigued. Her body was tired, but her brain was whirling with thoughts and plans. “I hope you don’t mind meeting my family, Kimble.”

Kimble made a dismissive sound. “Don’t care.” Then he eased a hand under the fuzzy blanket and palmed her breast. “Want a happy ending?”

All thoughts of her irritating father and annoying brothers vanished. “Hell yes!”