Page 48

“I took the morning off,” I explained.

I wrapped my arm around Tully’s waist.

Pan shook his head, his prickly demeanor fading as he noticed Tully’s emotional state. She was like a frozen rabbit on my lap, paralyzed with stiff tension. I ran my hand down her spine, not giving a damn about my scent transferring onto her. We were past polite conversation.

“What are the tears for, angel?” Pan reached his hand out and rubbed a strand of her hair between his fingers.

“You can trust us to help you,” I whispered into the shell of her trembling ear.

Tully let out a shuddered breath and sagged against me. “I don’t know how.”

“Did you tell Lloyd?” I asked. “You’re close with him.” It wasn’t jealousy that tightened my chest. It wasn’t.

Pan was so intrigued, he was silent for once.

“What am I meant to know?” Lloyd asked as he wandered into the room, Ajax on his heels. They both froze as they saw Tully in my arms. A mixture of envy, desire, and surprise flitted across both their faces. Tully cringed at their arrival, and she folded off my lap like her ass was on fire. Her gaze flicked to the doorway and my stomach sank.

She was spooked and about to run. But Pan wrapped his hand around her wrist and caged her between the table and his legs.

“Let go.” Tully flattened her lips.

Her warmth echoed through me, and I wanted to yank her back and give her everything she needed.

“I know Walden can be overbearing, but has he driven you to tears already?”

Tully didn’t answer, intent on ignoring all of us like we might disappear if she hunched her shoulders high enough. One tear escaped her trembling lash line, and Pan caught it on his thumb. He held the glistening drop up with a quiet awe.

“Tully, what do you need?” Lloyd whispered, his face pinched.

He and Ajax lingered at the table. There was no need to tell them to tread carefully. The scent of charred fig, a cloying and overpowering sweetness, clung to Tully.

I waved Lloyd off, my chest aching as his face fell. He waited for a moment, perhaps hoping Tully would answer him, but she didn’t. She remained stiff in Pan’s hold. Ajax clenched his jaw and walked into the kitchen, pulling down mugs with tight shoulders.

I couldn’t stand the growing pressure under my forehead. The way my fingers itched and muscles twitched. Her scent was so sharp and bitter, it stung my nostrils.

Tully had a problem, and I wanted so desperately to be the one to solve it. Pan reached around with his free hand and dragged the bag of supplies I bought for Tully. He twisted a fruit-themed stamp in his lithe fingers.

“Aren’t these pretty?” My skin burned as Pan’s upper lip curled and I waited for a sharp retort to follow it, but he only sifted through the pile. “What’s this?” He flipped open Tully’s black bullet journal.

Lloyd fell into the chair next to him.

“That’s Tully’s bullet journal,” he explained.

Pan let go of Tully’s wrist. She didn’t seem to notice as Lloyd explained the design she’d made for the month, and I sucked in a sharp breath at her creativity.

“What layout are you going to do for the next one?” Lloyd directed the question to Tully, and she peeked at him, like a snail coming out of its shell.

Pan took in the intricate pages. She had put a lot of care into making it look beautiful. Each line was methodical, elegant.

“Mood tracker, monthly calendar, bucket list—” Pan flicked through the pages until he landed on one that caught his interest. “What’s this? Heat tracker? Angel, no wonder your scent is so ripe.”

Tully squeaked and tried to close the journal. His teasing brought back color to her face, even if it was embarrassment. “That’s private.” But her begging only excited Pan.

My teeth hurt from the sugariness of their entwined scents.

“I won’t be able to play nice if you go into heat in this house.”

“This is you being nice?” Tully snorted, slamming the journal and tucking it against her chest.