“Same,” I said. My eyes fluttered closed, and I tilted my head.
He rewarded me with several heated kisses against my throat, and I moaned softly. I wrapped my legs around his waist, slightly worried he might decide to stop and take off again. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle another second without him. I was starved for his attention, which was ridiculous, but this bond we shared really messed with my emotions. All I wanted was him.
Trent’s hand slipped beneath my shirt, and I arched into him. Instant goose bumps spread across my stomach. I wanted to scream at him to touch me everywhere, to demand he not hold back. But then his bedroom door flew open. I yelped with surprise, and Trent growled.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” Colt said. He stood leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed. “I thought maybe the four of us could go grab breakfast.”
“Go away,” Trent said.
“I’m not hungry,” I said, and Trent gave me a knowing smile.
“Oh, c’mon,” Colt said. “Chloe’s going to be my sister soon. I really should get to know her better. Isn’t that what you said, Trent?”
In a flash, Trent was off me and shoving Colt out of his room. “Yes, but right now, we’re busy. Come back in a few hours.” He slammed the door in his brother’s face, then locked it.
Colt’s laughter filtered from the hallway.
Trent sauntered toward me, his gaze heated, and my temperature spiked several degrees. I was so glad he was back home, and I prayed he wouldn’t feel the need to go on anymore camping trips any time soon.
“A few hours?” I asked.
“I severely underestimated that, didn’t I?” he teased. “I should’ve told him a few days, huh?”
I laughed, and he smiled, his lips seeking mine.
CHAPTER NINE:
Impatient
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS FLEW BY. Trent was still spending a lot more time with Colt than he was with me, and I tried to be as understanding as possible, but I was jealous. I had no reason to be, but I was. I missed being the center of Trent’s world.
I sat on the edge of Trent’s bed and stared at the vial in my palm. My name was written across the glass in tiny capital letters, the script flawless.
It had been almost two months since we’d made our deal with Ivy, and absolutely nothing had happened. No signs of the Zoya—we had no idea if they knew anything about me yet, and Isach hadn’t been able to gather any information.
Ivy was true to her word, and she’d been leaving us alone, though we saw her around town frequently. She was pleasant, but I knew she was eager to one day soon find me sporting a baby bump, because the sooner I got pregnant, the sooner I’d be able to break the curse.
But… there was still no baby.
And it wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I did. I was ready, but Trent wasn’t, and every time I brought it up, he told me there was no need to rush something like this. I disagreed, but I was tired of arguing with him about it.
Deep down, I was hoping he was just overwhelmed with everything else he had going on, and he was waiting until things calmed down. But if that were the case, why didn’t he tell me that?
“Chloe?” Trent said. A second later, the bedroom door clicked shut.
I took a deep breath and gently set the vial back in the nightstand drawer, right next to the matching vial with Trent’s name.
“Yeah?” I stood and turned to face him.
Head tilted, he studied me. “Everything okay?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I just needed a minute alone.”
Everyone—me, Trent, Abby, Isach, Whitney, Luke, Wyatt, Jax, Colt, and Karina—were hanging out, watching movies, playing board games. That was another thing grating on my nerves—Trent and I rarely had any time alone together. Every time we were with each other, everyone else was around, too.
The snow hadn’t stopped falling for days, and the temperatures were too frigid to be outside, for us humans anyway, so we’d been housebound for the past four days. School was cancelled last Thursday and Friday, but the forecast predicted the snow should move out later today, which meant there would be school tomorrow. I was actually looking forward to that.
“We can hang out in here if you want,” Trent said with a wicked smile. “Just the two of us.”
I laughed. “And do what?” I sauntered up to him and slid my arms around his waist.
He gripped my hips and yanked me closer, his eyes darkening. “We could practice making a baby,” he whispered.
A rock landed in my gut. Knowing we weren’t spending as much time together as we used to, practicing seemed like a total waste. Lately, every single moment I had with him was precious, and every single one needed to count.
“Practice,” I said with too much anger and frustration. “But not actually do it.” I pulled away from him. “How much longer are we going to wait, Trent?”
“Not this again,” he said with a groan.
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes and headed for the door.
When Ivy had given us the opportunity to have our own biological child, Trent was reluctant, for good reasons, but part of me wondered if he ever really wanted this. Or had he agreed simply because he knew it was what I wanted. Either way, what was the point of him swearing a blood oath to Ivy so we could get the necessary potion if he wasn’t ever going to use it?
“Chloe, stop.” Trent gently grabbed my elbow and spun me around to face him. “I know you’re excited about having a baby. I am, too, but why are you trying to rush this?”
I crossed my arms. “Why are you trying to stall?”
“I’m not.”
I raised a brow, refusing to say anything else until he explained. This was not the first time we’d had this discussion, but he had yet to
