Page 84 of Gates of Tartarus

“Hey now!” he says, mock offended. “This is hurting my feelings. I think I could definitely rock a crop top!” I snort loudly, then, mortified, clap a hand over my nose and mouth to prevent me from doing it again. Still, giggles escape, and I finally give up, lying on the floor, wheezing from laughing so hard, hardly able to see straight. In the midst of this chaos there is a loud knock at the door, which sets my heart to racing. Only Gemma and Lachy have ever come to the little cabin. No one else but Hideo even knows where I live, and he has never ventured out to Vashon. Lachy’s bigger cabin is further up the driveway, closer to the road, so most people don’t even know that our place is back here on the water. I stop laughing at once, and Lachy looks at me with a tinge of sadness.

“You stay there, Suge. I’ve got this.” He lumbers up off the floor, steps over me, and goes to answer the door. Just as he is about to open it, he glances back at me and gives a little shimmy to his ass, imitating the move I had done earlier, and all reason and concern flee my head as laughter overtakes me again. Smiling in satisfaction, he cracks the door. As much as I want to care about who it is, the image of Lachy shaking his posterior at me is burning my brain, and every time I try to calm down, another laugh gurgles up from my belly. I’m making weird, high-pitched, giggling noises when Lachy turns to me, a small frown on his face.

He looks down at where I lie, sprawled on the floor, and unleashes the most magnificent grin I’ve ever seen. His teddy-bear eyes light up, an almost smug satisfaction rolling off him in waves of happy contentment, only the very edge of his feelings laced with concern.

“You have a couple of visitors, Kai. Should I let them in, or do you want to speak to them on the porch?”

“No visitors allowed, LachyBear! Tell them I’m not home! Make them go away!” I try to whisper.

He rolls his eyes a little and says gently, “Suge, I think they could hear you two states over. You’re not being as quiet as you think.”

“Kailani?” calls a confused voice. “It’s Hideo. Can I come in?”

I panic, looking up towards Lachy. “My secret shame!” I whisper again, gesturing around the room wildly. “I can’t be a badass anymore if he comes inside.”

Lachy makes every effort to control his laughter, but it bursts out of him like thunder, deep and smooth and vibrant. His happiness floods me again, and I grin up at him, helpless to resist his overwhelming glee in the moment. We stare at each other for a long minute, just smiling into each other’s eyes, until Hideo’s voice breaks the spell. “Seriously, Kailani. I’m really sorry to bother you, but I do need to talk to you.”

Lachy looks around the room and then back to the concern and amusement at war on my face and nods, like he’s come to a decision.

“Right,” he says. “One minute!” he calls out to Hideo. “Give us just a minute.” Then he lumbers around the room, picking up bits and pieces of things before turning back to me. I’ve just gotten myself upright and under control when he turns back to face me.

“Oursecret shame,” he says, smiling, and a peal of laughter bursts from me that is so loud that Hideo flings open the door to see what’s happened. Lachy has spent the last few moments putting small ornaments and tinsel and glitter in his beard, and he looks spectacularly and marvelously ridiculous and fantastic all at once. I’m laughing so hard at this point that I’m not making any noise at all, just occasional, long intakes of breath, and am leaning weakly against the arm of the loveseat as Hideo falls into the room.

“What’s happening? Are you o…” his voice trails off as he looks around the room, first meeting Lachy’s gaze, then moving confusedly to mine. His eyes take me in in all of my Christmas glory, “Naughty” and “Nice” on full display. Breath catching sharply, he swallows audibly. I try to care, to regain some level of professionalism, but over his shoulder Lachy is pulling hilarious faces at me, lip-synching to Cyndi Lauper, and shaking his head so the bells in his beard jingle. I honestly have no hope of taking control of the moment, and I can’t catch my breath long enough to even greet Hideo.

“What the actual fuck is going on in there, Tanaka?” sounds a third voice from the porch. Hideo meets my gaze briefly, then throws himself against the door, slamming it shut in the newcomer’s face.

“You can’t... we can’t have the meeting tonight,” he stammers. Hideoneverstammers. He is always cool logic, never wrong footed. The chaos of my house must have really thrown him. “You can’t come in. Reed isn’t... feeling up to it.”

I stand up as straight as I can, walk forward very elegantly while taking a long sip of white, lean forward, and boop Hideo quietly on the nose.

“Boop!” I whisper. “You’re funny when you’re flustered!”

“Jesus, Reed, youaren’t fucking whispering!” the voice from outside says, exasperated. “Can we come in already? It’s fucking freezing out here.”

Lachy and Hideo look at me, concerned, and Lachy opens his mouth to reply when I wave him off.Like a freaking queen!I think, impressed with my control of the situation.I am like a freeeeeeeaking queen! I wonder if I can speak British? Pip pip cheerio! Aw hells yeah!Hideo lets out a groan to the side of me, and I look at him, concerned.

“Yeah,” says Lachy quietly to Hideo. “She’s been doing that all night.”

Ignoring them, I throw open the door to reveal Walker, Smith, and Jonah shivering on the porch.

“I am onvacation,” I state, grandly. “I amnotworking tonight. I. Will. See. You. Wednesday.”

I think they’re very impressed with my impression of royalty, because all three stare at me, open mouthed, eyes wide.That’s right, bitches! I’m the fucking Queen of Christmas!

Smith recovers first. “Alright, Queen of Christmas, clearly we can’t get anything done tonight. We’ll find a hotel and see you in the morning. 9:00. At the cafe in town.”

Lachy steps up behind me, huge and hulking, and puts a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“No,” he responds firmly. “She’ll check in tomorrow, but she’s not meeting you in the morning. This is her time off, and she doesn’t get much. Now get off my property.”

Ooooo! Lachy being all masculine is really working for me. I lean back into him and snuggle in like a cat before looking up and seeing the glitter beard, which sets me off again into non-stop giggles. He grins down at me, wrapping his big arms around me and squeezing me, before moving aside slightly so I can turn around and walk back into the house. Behind me all three men audibly inhale, almost in unison.

“Fuuuuuck…” Walker whistles under his breath. “Hey, Kai. Let me come in. No work talk. I’ll help decorate.”

Shaking my head, I look back over my shoulder at him.

“Go away.”