Page 153 of The Forgotten

“When things break, no one offers to fix them without some type of ulterior motive,” I mutter.

“That’s shitty,” he says mildly. “Let us take responsibility for this, Marie. I’m asking you for now, but I’m not a patient man.”

Rolling my hips, I smirk as his hand tightens on my ass as he grunts in pain.

“Everything reverts to a threat with men like you, doesn’t it?” I purr, rolling my eyes.

“Taking care of my girl isn’t a threat,” he murmurs. “One day, you’re going to agree to let me fuck, ruin, and adore you.”

“One of those things is not like the other,” I whisper, shrugging. I’m trying to act as if being ruined doesn’t sound amazing, but what happens when it all ends? “I think I’m too boring for you, Wilder.”

“Oh you do know my name,” he smirks. “Move in with us, Marie. Help us decorate and build your nest.”

“This doesn't feel real,” I sigh, shifting on accident this time. He’s all hard muscles and experiences, while I’m soft and sweet. Tommy may have shown me the underbelly of his work and life, but it just made me more insistent to keep mine separate from that.

“I’m definitely real,” he says, his hand on my ass moving to grab my hand and press it against his chest. I can feel the soft thumping of his heart, and when he begins to purr for me, I whine. I want to believe this so fucking badly. “Things don’t have to be reciprocal when you’re dating someone. I’ll always pick up the check, find ways to keep you safe, and remind you that you’re mine.”

“We barely know each other,” I say weakly.

“Then I guess you should have breakfast at our new place after your shift to help change that,” Wilder murmurs. “We have a lifetime to get to know each other. I once read that people are meant to change as they get older. I look forward to relearning who you are at every age, Marie.”

Getting lost in his gaze, it takes me way too long to pull myself together.

“How do you make it look so easy to say things like that?” I whisper.

“I’m only poetic when I’m feeling inspired,” he chuckles. “Let’s put your bag away and get you to work, baby.”

He helps me off his lap since my feet won’t touch the ground from here, and I put my things away before getting on the bike behind him. After putting on my helmet, I watch as he slides his on and he fixes my arms around his waist the way he wants.

I can’t stop the smile that appears as I ride to work with him, the rumbling of the engine affecting me as much as it did with Lore. My thighs are trembling as I get off the bike at work. Wilder collects the helmet as I get my bag, and I can feel his warm gaze on me.

“Lore will come get you after work,” he says. “We’ll be working on the house today. Can I have your phone?”

Digging through my bag, I purse my lips at him before I hand it over unlocked.

“I just want to put our numbers in,” he explains, his fingers flying over the screen. “There. That wasn’t hard, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t,” I say, cursing as I see the time. “I gotta go.”

I’m already running inside when he begins speaking, and I completely miss his next words. I hope work is busy because I’m going to need the distraction. It feels like that’s what work is now.

The independence I keep insisting I need feels like an excuse, and I don’t know how to stop running.

LORE

The brownstone has entire rooms that have furniture now, though the second floor has a room with a giant mattress and that’s it. Cian helped us figure out what we’ll need, but delivery can take time for some of our choices.

Thankfully, we have a couch in the living room, we hung gauzy curtains, and even have a rug. The kitchen has plates, utensils, and pots and pans, and the roof top has patio furniture. While it seems random, it was done with the intention of having comfortable spaces for Marie to hang out in with us.

“Can you handle making breakfast?” I ask Wilder.

“I’m probably the only one between the three of us that can cook without burning anything,” Wilder chuckles. “Isn’t it time to pick up Marie?”

Glancing at the time, I see that he’s right. “Yeah, it is,” I agree.

“I’ll start the fire in the fireplace soon,” Storm says. “It’s cooler upstairs on the roof and I don’t want Marie to get cold.”

“Fuck, did we forget to buy blankets?” I groan.