29. Shiro

29

Shiro

W hen I woke up, it was noon, and my body was aching from the intense sex I had with Adam last night. I couldn’t believe we did it five times.

I rolled my body over, feeling so damn exhausted. That was when I realized Adam wasn’t in bed with me. He had probably gotten up ages ago. Did he not need sleep? Because as far as I remembered, it was already dawn by the time we both were satisfied and our life essences decided to dissipate.

I sat up, and Adam opened the door and came in. A cup in his hand and a radiant smile on his lips, he said, “Hello, sunshine.”

Sunshine. Did Adam just call me sunshine?

I smiled. That was nice. I wondered if that was going to be his pet name for me from now on. It had a nice ring to it.

“Hello,” I said, eyeing the mug of something steamy hot inside, licking my lips. I was damn thirsty .

Adam sat on the side of the bed and then handed me the cup, which I eagerly took and then sipped. Coffee. Ah, it tasted so good, which reminded me of that first mug of coffee he had made for me, along with the big plate of pasta.

I felt emotion stir within me. I felt like I had come so far— Adam picking me up from the streets, saving my life, tending my wounds, and treating me to a cup of coffee and pasta, and now, here we were, dating. Fuck, I loved this man.

When I moved the cup away from my lips, Adam took the opportunity and kissed me, and I savored the precious moment, loving it.

Moving back, he asked, “Is your backside all right?”

I said, “It’s a bit sore, but I think I’ll be fine.”

“Good.” He patted my head. “Let’s draw you a bath. We’ll have lunch after and then head back to the penthouse.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

I continued to sip the coffee as he went about drawing me a bath in the en suite, which once again, reminded me of that first day we met, and I felt this beautiful warm sensation caressing my chest. When he was done, he took the empty cup from me and put it on the bedside table. Then he pulled the duvet away from me, revealing my nakedness. But of course, I wasn’t shy or anything. Adam liked looking at me naked, and I loved looking at him naked, too. He was so hot, after all, what with his tall, ripped body. He was a hunk, and I wished he was naked now so we could share a bath together. But maybe we could do that another day .

He scooped me up and I eagerly wrapped my arms around his shoulders. In the en suite, he put me in the fancy bathtub filled with water and what smelled like lavender essential oil.

Submerged in the water, I said, “It smells really nice.”

“Lavender oil helps you relax,” he said. “Now, let’s wash your body and hair.”

Wash my body and hair. He had done that, the hair part, for me, too, that first day, and I smiled. Moments later, with my hair full of bubbles and his hands deep in it, massaging my head and teasing my fox ears, I pulled him to me and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you,” I said softly.

Adam grinned at me. “You’re welcome.”

The doorbell rang, and we both turned to the door.

“Must be Nolan,” Adam said.

Nolan? What was he doing here? And if Nolan was here, that meant Lan would be, too.

Adam moved and then headed out. Alone, I quickly washed my body and then rinsed myself. I was just about finished getting dressed when I heard Lan calling out, “Shiro?”

“I’m in here,” I shouted, pulling on my jeans from yesterday. I was just pulling on my hoodie when Lan opened the door and rushed in, Aka behind him.

“Shiro? How are you feeling? Better?” the two asked.

I chuckled and said, “I’m fine now. I was just… tired.”

Of course, after the events of last night, I was even more tired now.

Lan touched the back of his hand over my forehead, probably to test my temperature. “It’s not hot. ”

I moved his hand away and said, “The fever is gone.” Thank goodness, I thought.

We left the bedroom and went into the living area, and the moment we did, Chase asked, “Shiro, how are you feeling? You want me to examine you and take some blood tests? In case you caught something nasty?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine now. Thanks, Chase.”

Sitting there on the sofa beside Adam, with one leg crossed over the other, Nolan said, “Like I said, Shiro just needs rest. He’s been working too hard and too stressed out.” He turned his gaze to Chase and demanded, “You’re not overworking my nephew, are you?”

“Of course not,” Chase said. “He’s just helping Aka with the filing and whatnot.”

Nolan nodded. “Good.” To me, he said, “Oh, and by the way, Shiro, now that you’re officially dating Adam, it’s best you move to the Sullivan Mansion. You’ll be protected from the other clans in case they decide you’re good leverage to use against Adam.”

How the heck did Nolan know that Adam and I were dating? We only got together last night.

I turned to Adam and asked, “Are you moving?”

Adam nodded his head. “Mm-hmm. It’ll be safer for you at the mansion.”

“Oh, okay,” I said.

“You’re dating Adam?” Aka asked. “When did that start?”

I scratched my head and chuckled uncomfortably and was about to say just last night , but Lan got to it first.

He said, “Since weeks ago. Shiro lives with Master Adam, after all.” He wrapped his arms around me, a big grin on his face. “And now, you’ll be living at the mansion, with me. We can spend a shitload of time together and stuff.”

Aka said, “Cool. I’m so happy for you, Shiro.” He hugged me tightly, too. Now I was being squeezed by two beastkin. “Maybe I can move there, too?”

Lan said, “That’s a good idea. Then we’ll be together like old times.” He leaned closer and whispered, “All you have to do is ask Master Adam.”

Aka swallowed hard and was about to do just that when Chase said, “You’re moving in with me, Aka.”

“Huh?” Aka expressed in outrage. “When did I agree to move in with you?”

“Just now,” Chase said, smiling, his eyes twinkling. Then he turned to Adam and said, “I assume my wing is still intact at the Sullivan Mansion? You didn’t demolish it or turn it into some weird rooms, did you?”

Adam chuckled. “Of course not.”

“Good,” Chase said. “Because I’m coming back and will begin my research there. Aka, Shiro, you’ll be helping with the research.”

Wow! So everything was decided then? All of us moving into the Sullivan Mansion. Oddly enough, I looked forward to that, living with Adam and everyone else. And then we just needed to find Kuro.

I smiled, looking forward to the day when Kuro and I would reunite and our small family was back together.

The doorbell rang, and Adam said, “That must be our room service.”

Room service ?

“Yeah, lunch,” Lan said and rushed after Adam toward the door.

A moment later, Adam returned, along with three hotel maids rolling in three trays with platters and drinks. Once they lined them up against the side of the wall, they took the lids off, revealing a lunch buffet full of an assortment of delicious-looking fare. My mouth watered, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

The maids left then, and we started our lunch, and it was heavenly. A bit later, after I was very stuffed, Adam took me outside to the balcony.

It was a lovely day, though a bit cold, and I snuggled close to Adam, nestling my cheek against his chest and inhaling his wonderful scent. His powerful arms around me, Adam planted his lips on my forehead. Emotions stirred within me and I looked up at him. I said, “Adam, thank you for… saving me and taking me in.” I couldn’t express enough how much it meant to me that he did that.

Smiling at me, he said, “Once again, you’re welcome. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I said, and then we kissed.