Their Kitten: Chapter 17

I can’t remember the last time I went to a hotel this nice since leaving Tristan and Talon’s family. It almost feels as if I’m in a dream. After spending the last few years fending for myself and barely surviving with the scraps I’ve managed to make for myself, something as simple as a clean, safe hotel room is like paradise.

“I swear I’ll pay you once I get my money,” I say, but Talon only waves me off.

“We just want you to be safe,” he says and puts my bag down on a chair nearby.

“We?” I ask in genuine surprise. Even though Tristan had his protective, caring moment yesterday, I still can’t be sure if he was just angry that someone was touching me or if he was genuinely concerned that I was being attacked.

Talon frowns at me. “Why do you seem so surprised by that? Haven’t we been helping you?”

“It’s just a bit odd considering that the two of you are the cause for a lot of the things that’ve gone wrong lately.” I shrug. “But I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate it or anything. I do.”

He gives me a tight nod. “I have to handle something at the front desk really quick.” He points at the nightstand that holds a phone. “If you’re hungry, you can order room service. The instructions for how to do so are on the back of the menu.”

“Thanks,” I say with a small smile.

“Sure. I’ll be back in a little while.”

I nod and watch him exit the same way he came before I launch face-first onto the soft bed. A smile spreads across my face as I run my hands over the soft comforter. I can’t remember the last time I laid on anything so soft and comfortable. My body sags into the soft mattress with a sigh. For the first time in a while, it’s like I can finally take a breath. Things have been hell for the last few weeks and having a small escape—even if it’s just to a hotel room—is well needed.

My mind daydreams about everything I’ll do with my money when I receive it. I imagine having a beautiful apartment in a safe neighborhood, one where I don’t have to sleep with weapons under my pillows. I picture myself going back to school and getting a degree in something that’ll provide me with more stability than bartending does. At this point in my life, I just want a foundation that no one can take from me, one that is all mine and permanent.

One that doesn’t include my past if I can help it.

Talon is back quicker than I expect, coming in with two small buckets of ice. He puts the buckets in the freezer part of the mini fridge before turning his sights on me.

“I figured you’d be there,” he says with a smirk.

“Why’s that?”

“Because your bed at home is shit.” He leaps onto the bed and flops down beside me, putting his hands behind his head. I giggle. He used to do that a lot when we were younger. I used to always fuss at him because he’d just barge into my room and jump onto my bed, normally disturbing whatever I was working on at the time. But now, it’s oddly comforting. It feels like old times, as if we’re the same kids we used to be, but just older.

“Can’t argue with that,” I say after a while.

“I’m guessing you haven’t made it into the bathroom yet to see the shower and the tub.”

“I’ll get there, eventually.”

“I think you’ll like it.”

We sit in awkward silence for a little while longer. Things had been easier when they were mad about not knowing my name, but it’s a bit uncomfortable sometimes when we run out of relevant things to talk about. What do you say to someone that you skipped out on years ago without warning or an explanation? No apology in the world will make up for the time we’ve missed in each other’s lives or the fact that I never even came back after the fact.

“Where’s Tristan?” I ask.

Talon gives me a half shrug. “Don’t know.”

“Does he still not know?”

He’s quiet for a long moment before he shakes his head. “Not yet.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “And he’s going to be just as mad at me once he figures it out if he knows that I’ve known for a while and didn’t tell him.”

“Why didn’t you?” I ask. I’m actually curious, as I thought he’d for sure rat me out since he seemed so set on trying to protect me from his brother.

“It would’ve only made things worse in the moment,” is all that he says. Neither of us says anything. We just lie in comfortable silence as we stare at the ceiling. Dealing with Tristan has been like a double-edged sword for the both of us. Telling him the truth will have the same negative impact as withholding the information. It doesn’t matter what path we choose, because the result will be the same either way.

May as well take the easy route until it no longer works.

“Well, I’m going to take a quick shower,” I say as I force myself up. “I should probably wash my apartment off of me since I’m in this fancy hotel room.”

“I’ll be here,” Talon says.

I nibble my bottom lip as I ponder over my next few words. “Do you…want to join me?”

His gaze whips over to me, widening slightly. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

I hold out my hand to him in response, smiling when he takes it. We both walk into the bathroom, and I’m immediately in awe. This bathroom is probably bigger than the bedroom in my apartment. Compared to the dingy, off-white color of my bathroom at home, this one is bright despite the lack of windows. White marble covers everything, swirls of gray and black making it more contemporary instead of sterile. There is a large standing shower, a separate soaking tub, a double vanity sink, and a porcelain toilet so shiny that I can almost see my reflection.

“Jesus Christ,” I murmur as I look around.

“Told you,” Talon muses.

I open the shower door and frown when I see all the buttons on the wall. “Yeah…this is definitely out of my pay grade,” I say. “How do you turn this thing on?”

“I got it,” he says with a chuckle as he nudges me out of the way.

I undress as he presses different buttons to turn on different parts of the shower panel and when he finishes, water is coming out of four different shower heads.

The hot water hitting my tired muscles nearly makes me melt into a puddle and swirl down the shower drain the moment I step in. It’s been so long since I had a shower with decent water pressure that I’m sure I could probably fall asleep standing up if I stay in here long enough. Talon enters behind me and closes the glass door, enclosing the space with warm steam.

“This feels like a dream,” I murmur as the water soaks my hair. The pressure of the water falling down on me massages my scalp. “Maybe I’m dead and this is heaven.”

Talon releases a deep chuckle. I can hear him moving around me before his hands appear in my hair. I open them to find him rubbing shampoo into my long purple strands as he looks down at me with soft eyes.

“You’re very much alive,” he murmurs.

“That’s good to know,” I drawl. My eyes nearly roll into the back of my head as Talon massages and scratches my scalp. The man has magic hands, I’ll give him that. I almost pout when he’s finished, and I reluctantly rinse the shampoo out. “That was nice. Thanks.”

“Sure.”

We lock eyes in the heat-filled space, and something flutters deep in my belly. Beads of water roll down the slates of his hard body as he towers over me. It should be a sin for him to be as handsome as he is. It should be a sin for me to feel so attracted to him. But all of that goes out the window when he leans forward and presses his lips to mine. His kiss is unsure at first, almost as if trying to check my temperature to make sure I’m okay with it.

I run my hands up his body before wrapping my arms around his neck to give him the green light, and he deepens the kiss. His hand disappears between my thighs, rubbing my clit in small circles that send bolts of pleasure sparking throughout my body.

“Talon,” I whisper. My nails dig into his skin a little when he pushes two fingers inside of me. He keeps his beautiful brown eyes on my face, tracking my expressions of pleasure to determine how fast he moves and how much pressure he applies.

“I’ve missed you so much, Cleo,” he whispers in my ear, and his genuine words bring tears to my eyes. “We’ve been lost without you this whole time.”

Guilt and lust battle each other in my heart. The reason I left had nothing to do with them, but they were the ones who suffered greatly because of it. I want to tell him the truth, but the selfish part of me isn’t ready to rock the boat, seeing as the tides are finally calm for now. Instead, I only focus on his words and respond as appropriately as I can.

“I thought about you guys all the time,” I admit on a moan. My hips move quicker against his hands. “I’ve missed you, too.”

He devours my mouth, his fingers moving quicker inside of me. My walls grip his digits for dear life as my orgasm races full speed ahead, my legs trembling and threatening to collapse from beneath me.

“That’s it, Kitten. Be a good girl and come for me,” he whispers against my lips, and I unravel for him. My moans fill the shower as I shake in his arms. A low growl rumbles in his chest as he slows his movements until his fingers stop moving inside of me but continue rubbing my clit. He keeps a tight arm around my waist until I’m stable on my legs before he finally releases me and presses a kiss to my forehead. I immediately feel empty when he pulls his fingers from me, but the fatigue coursing through me doesn’t give me much time to dwell on it.

We get out of the shower, and he hands me a thick, fluffy white towel. I dry off and don’t bother getting dressed just yet, only pulling on one of the complimentary robes Talon passes to me.

“Want to order some food?” he asks as he moves past me. I walk out into the sitting area and stretch out across the couch and shake my head as I stifle a yawn.

“Not yet. I’m kinda tired,” I say. His phone rings before he can respond to me, and he steps off into the bedroom to take the call. I close my eyes for a few moments, figuring I’d rest for a few moments until he’s off the phone.

I’m jolted awake by someone pounding on the door. I jump up and frantically look around, and it takes a moment before I realize where I am. The knocking continues, and that’s when I realize how quiet it is in the hotel room. The fact Talon hasn’t answered the door by now means he isn’t here anymore. How long have I been asleep?

I peel myself off the couch with a yawn and shuffle over to the door. After checking the little peephole, I open it to find Tristan standing on the other side of it. I step off to the side to let him in, and he walks past me.

“Talon sent me here to check on you,” he starts, his eyes moving around the room as if he’s searching for something. “And I also think I should apologize about yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” I ask with a raised brow.

“In the car.” He turns to face me, and his face blanches.

I stare at him, waiting for him to speak, but he doesn’t. “Tristan?”

And then I see it. The confusion. The surprise. The recognition. It’s in this moment that I realize my face is bare of any makeup and with some of my semi-permanent hair color coming out, more of my natural roots are showing, which is more prominent with my hair pushed back. Tristan slowly shakes his head as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing as his eyes widen, his mouth verbalizing the moment I’ve been dreading.

“Cleo?”