Chapter 151: 151.Confessions
Jace’s POV
When we manage to sneak out of the afterparty, we immediately head to Tabitha’s room to check on her. The first thing I notice is that her room is empty. The bed is untouched and the balcony doors are closed.
Where the fuck is she?
Panic crawls to my chest. Last time she went missing we tore a hotel apart trying to find her, only to find out that she ended up in the fucking dungeons! Where could she possibly be this time?
“Fuck this,” I say as I turn to my brothers. “We mobilize the men. Now!”
Luca ignores me and stares at the bedside table. He walks over and picks up a folded paper from the mattress that I didn’t notice earlier.
“What’s that?”
He unfolds it and scans the page. His brows lift for a second. “It’s Tabi’s handwriting. I think she wrote it.”
“Tell us what it says,” Reed demands impatiently.
“Meet me at the cottage before midnight to claim your birthday gifts,” Luca reads the note aloud. “And then a drawing of a smiley face.”
Silence drops on the room.
I snatch the note from his hand and recognize her neat handwriting right away. My pulse kicks harder. Reed lets out a low whistle while Evren stares at the smiley face, intrigued.
None of us say another word. We just quickly bolt out of that room right away.
We slip past the guards because everyone is busy with the party. Music shakes the walls and laughter spills from the garden, so our noises are covered even as I jump into one of my cars, but I still make sure to kill the lights before I start the engine. The others get in fast and shut their doors without a sound. I keep my face calm but my heart is beating like I just downed a bottle of something strong.
I’ve never really been fond of presents. Most of the things people get me aren’t the ones I like. Because if I like something, I get it before anyone else does. So what else can you get me?
Nothing.
Until Tabitha comes along and puts every damn thing before her into shame.
She’s the only one who can give me the very thing that I crave the most. The very thing I can never get tired of. She does this to me every damn time. She gives me a high that I keep chasing even when I pretend I am not.
Tonight I am not missing it. And neither will my brothers.
“What do you think the gift is?” Reed asks from the passenger seat. He’s tapping his hand on the dashboard like he can’t rein in the excitement.
“It could be anything,” Luca replies.
“Why ask us to come to the cottage?” I ask as I keep my eyes on the road.
“Because it’s the only place where we can be ourselves,” Evren says.
That answer settles in the car and none of us argue with it. We fall quiet for the rest of the drive.
I park fast when the cottage comes into view. The place looks dark. There is no light in the windows and no signs that someone is inside.. A knot forms in my gut because what if she never made it here.
Then I see her bicycle leaning against the wall. And I slowly feel the presence of the mate bond, tugging me inside the cottage.
I let out a breath.
“She is here,” I declare.
We do not bother knocking, we just head inside.
The cottage is dark but our heightened werewolf eyes adjust into the blanket of darkness. I see Tabtiha’s shape in the middle of the floor. She is sitting still and surrounded by scattered objects.
I reach for the switch and turn on the lights.
For a second I forget how to breathe as soon as I get a better look at her with lights on.
She is sitting in the center of what looks like a pile of random things. She is wearing a crimson lace lingerie set that hugs her body and leaves little to the imagination. Oh fuck. The lace traces her curves and the thin straps draw my gaze wherever they please. My mouth waters in excitement and I have to adjust my damn trousers as my cock hardens at the delicious sight before me.
“Damn…” Reed whistles.
Even he looks quite taken aback by the goddess in front of us.
I take her in and I do not even try to hide it. Heat floods through me and my jeans suddenly feel too tight. She looks at us like she knows exactly what she is doing. My wolf stirs inside me, whispering every nasty thought in my mind. We both want the same thing,
I want to scatter her red lipstick all over my skin and maybe even make a mess of the makeup she has in her eyes. I want to make her cry and then scream and leave her disheveled. And that lingerie will remain on during the whole damn thing.
Fuck, I palm my cock to calm myself.
“Happy birthday, boys,” she says with a smile. “Do you want to claim your gift now?”
She gestures to the things around her.
That’s when I really look at the floor and acknowledge the objects: handcuffs, silk ties, belts, a blindfold, a feather toy, lotion, makeup brushes—all of it looks innocent at first glance but none of it is meant to stay innocent tonight.
Reed clears his throat. “What exactly do you want us to do with these?”
“They are your birthday gifts,” she says as she tilts her head. “At least the one you choose. You can choose only two items. Whatever you choose, you can use on me.”
Heavens have mercy on me… and my cock.
My mind goes wild with images I devour every single one of them. Why only two items? I can take every item here and not run out of things that I can do to her.