Page 9 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)
I wish I could say I remembered the trip to the cabin. But my fatigue, and the gentle rocking caused by the wolf’s long, loping stride, lulled me to sleep.
Barking in the distance roused me from my nap. With a yawn, I poked my head out of the makeshift rucksack and blinked at my surroundings.
The guys hadn’t described their home, but for some reason, I’d imagined they lived in a small hunter’s cabin.
That couldn’t have been further from the truth.
As Linc ran up the long trail leading to the house, I took in the sprawling, red brick Chateau.
It looked like it belonged in the French countryside, back in a time when the wealthy enjoyed bragging about having a city home and a country estate.
Thick evergreen pines pressed in on all sides of the house. Several large oak trees stood among them, their expansive canopies blocking out most of the sun. Ivy crept over the bricks, covering the outside walls, as though trying to reclaim the land for Mother Nature.
If it hadn’t been for the wolf sitting on the porch, his tail wagging and tongue lolling out of his mouth in a toothy smile, the scene would have been depressing. It was clearly well kept, but somehow, it also seemed desolate. A tragic piece of some forgotten paradise.
“It’s about time you guys got here! Copeland refuses to shift,” Fletcher grumbled from where he sat on the front porch stairs. “I swear! If he licks me one more time, or brings that stupid stick for me to toss again, I’m going to lose my mind.”
My nose twitched, and I was thankful not to be in my human form. Fletcher probably wouldn’t have appreciated my amusement.
“Do they know that they’re men? Or do they just go into full dog mode when they shift?” Fletcher asked, picking up the stick and tossing it onto the patch of grass in front of the house.
With a gleeful bark, Copeland dashed off the porch to relieve it.
“When we’re in our rabbit form, we’re still very much human in our brains. But it’s like there’s nothing but a ‘good boi’ in this guy’s head.”
At the words ‘good boi,’ Copeland scrambled back up the porch steps and dropped the extra slobbery stick into Fletcher’s lap.
I wasn’t an expert on wolf shifters, but I suspected Copeland was simply messing with Fletcher. Linc’s amused, wolfish chuff further confirmed my suspicions.
When we reached the foot of the stairs, Linc lowered his head and set the blanket on the ground.
Unclasping his jaw, he released the fabric, letting it fall around me.
With a yawn, I stretched my front paws out in front of me and arched my back, trying to ease the muscle cramps from staying still for so long.
One minute, I was doing the bunny version of Downward Dog. And the next, I found myself flying toward the sky, no longer bound by the laws of gravity.
“You’re the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!” Copeland held me level with his face.
I rolled my eyes and grunted at his ridiculousness.
Fletcher laughed. “If you keep that up, Charlee is going to kick the shifter out of you.”
Ignoring the warning, Copeland flipped me on my back, cradling me against his chest as though holding a newborn baby. “Who’s the cutest bunny in the world? You are!” He continued cooing absolute nonsense.
I kicked out with my hind legs, trying to shove his hand away from tickling my stomach. Some people could see an adorable animal and keep walking, remaining unaffected. Copeland definitely wasn’t one of them.
“If I were you, I’d sleep with one eye open tonight.” Fletcher tried, but failed to hide his amusement.
“She couldn’t kill me if she tried. Look at her! She’s so small!” Copeland ducked his head, rubbing his nose against mine.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. She has a bit of a reputation. One that she earned.” Fletcher didn’t bother to hide the pride in his voice.
“Is that so?” Copeland scratched under my chin while I did my best to pretend I didn’t like it. “Are you my Wee Warrior?”
Hellebores! He did not just go there…
Without warning, or thinking about how far off the ground I was, I shifted. Copeland’s eyes widened, but to his credit, he didn’t drop me.
“You can call me Tiny Titan, Fun-sized Fury, Petite Powerhouse, even The Micro Avenger.” I glared up at him. “But if you ever call me Wee Warrior again, it won’t be the little pig crying wee-wee-wee all the way home—it will be you, Wolf!”
Linc must have shifted while I was distracted because his and Fletcher’s howls of laughter were very human.
“Yes, ma’am.” Copeland bit the inside of his cheeks, already knowing better than to let me see a smirk.
“Now, put me down,” I ordered.
Copeland obediently set me on my feet and stared down at me, his face turning red as he held in his laughter.
I narrowed my eyes in warning. “If you so much as giggle…”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied innocently.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I was suddenly reminded I was still rocking my birthday suit.
It didn’t matter that they’d seen every inch of my skin; I couldn’t stop my full-body flush.
Being naked during sex was one thing. Prancing around naked with three men watching was something that would take some getting used to.
I spun around, snatching the blanket from the ground, intending to wrap it around me. Linc caught my wrist.
“Sugar, you have no reason to feel shy. You’re a work of art.
” He brushed his lips against the inside of my wrist. “But if you would feel more comfortable clothed, then let’s go inside and get you a clean shirt.
” Linc moved his palm against my lower back, guiding me up the porch steps and into the house.
“I think we’d all enjoy some food and a long shower,” Copeland agreed. “Come on, Fletch.”
We let the wolves lead us into the kitchen.
While the outside of the house looked as though it had belonged in a long-forgotten fairytale, the interior was more in line with our current century.
The guys had updated the furniture, light fixtures and appliances, but had managed to keep some of the homey rustic feel.
Stepping to a cabinet that stood just inside the home’s entrance, Copeland pulled out three pairs of folded gym shorts. He tossed a pair to Fletcher and then Linc before slipping a pair on himself.
My stomach flipped as he pulled two more folded garments from the shelf. Even though Linc had assured me no female had stayed in their home, part of my soul shriveled up and died just thinking that he was about to offer me clothes that were from an ex.
He stared down at the shorts and T-shirt in his hand. “No matter how tight you draw the string, I don’t think our shorts are going to fit you very well.”
Grinning in relief, I caught his face between my palms, pulling him down so I could kiss his cheek. “The shirt will be fine.”
I slipped it on, unsurprised when it fell past my knees. Spinning in a circle as though I were the belle of the ball, I giggled, “It’s practically a dress on me.”
“And it looks beautiful.” Copeland brushed his thumb along my cheekbone. “Once your heat is over, I swear we’ll take you to get whatever you need.”
“Unless you prefer to make a list. The women from the pack would be happy to bring you whatever you need now,” Linc offered.
“No!” It came out a bit too sharp, and I forced a smile to my lips to make up for it. “I don’t really need anything right now. All we’ve been doing is eating and sleeping.”
“Just know the offer is there should you change your mind.” Linc moved past me, toward the largest fireplace I’d ever seen.
It stood in the middle of the floor, serving as a dividing wall between the kitchen and the main room. My eyes slid around the room, suddenly suspicious.
“Did you buy this house from a witch who enjoyed combining her love of DIY projects and gingerbread baking? The same witch who liked cookouts involving kids? And I don’t mean the goat kind of kids…” I asked.
“I was wondering what the initials ‘H & G’ carved in the basement meant,” Copeland teased—or at least I hoped he was teasing.
Before I could do something stupid, like lick the wall nearest me to make sure it was made of wood and not a twisted dessert, Copeland swept me up into his arms. Striding across the room, he deposited me in the middle of a bean bag the size of a bed… where I promptly disappeared.
I squirmed, trying to free myself, only to be swallowed even deeper.
“Do you want help?” Copeland asked, brow raised as he watched the battle playing out in front of him.
“No!” Flinging out my limbs like a spider, I tried to distribute my weight evenly to keep from sinking through all seven levels of bean bag hell. “I totally have this under control.”
“Uh-huh. Sure you do.” Fletcher sat down on the couch across from the bag and laced his fingers behind his head to enjoy the show.
Ignoring both men, I gathered my strength, preparing to fling myself from the cursed cushion masquerading as a chair. The moment my weight shifted, the seat devoured me faster than a hungry hippo.
“Ugh! I thought you said I was going to eat! You said nothing about me getting eaten!”
“That was an oversight on his part. You’re definitely going to get eaten.” Glancing toward the fireplace, I caught Linc’s smirk and the wicked gleam in his eyes. “Over and over.”
My entire body flushed at the implication, and I gave myself over to the beanbag, willingly allowing it to swallow me so I could hide—not from embarrassment over his words, but to keep them from seeing just how badly I wanted them.
My reprieve was short-lived. A hand reached into the depths and pulled me from the belly of the bag.
“You’re so tiny, we’ll have to be careful not to lose you.” Copeland grinned down at me. “How do you feel about wearing one of those kid leashes?”
I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “How do you feel about having me shove a glowstick up your dick and cracking it?”