“I need an I heart korma t-shirt,” I tell the sisters, as we walk into the house from the garage. “Besides everything you ladies make, it’s my new favorite.”

They dole out hugs as they head up to their apartment and I walk into the kitchen. I hesitate for a second when I walk in and find the guys gathered around the island dishing up ice cream. Their conversation comes to an abrupt halt, and I give an awkward barely there smile before taking off for my room.

I unpack the bags of books and find a new home for each of them while I ruminate on the advice the sisters gave me at lunch. I want to be respectful of Sabin and how he feels, but the sisters are right. I’m not listening to my own instincts. I’m not listening to what I feel is right. Maybe it’s selfish of me to decide that what I want trumps everything else, but when I listen to my instincts, I always end up exactly where I need to be. So why am I ignoring them now?

A knock on my door pulls my head up, and I see one of the twins poke his head in.

“Bruiser, can I come in?”

I nod my head at Bastien and give him a small smile. I lean back against the built-in bookshelves, and Bastien plops his large frame on the sofa. The green in his hazel eyes is extra prominent today, and his gorgeous hair is down. It skims just past his collarbone, and his pecs flex enticingly as he sets his hands in his lap.

“New books?” he asks, in an effort to skate around the awkwardness hanging around us.

“Yeah just some basics, so I can start figuring out how to use magic and not just read about it,” I tell him and gesture with my thumb behind me.

“What’s in the box?”

I look around and then behind me, searching for the box he’s asking about. When I realize what it is, I pull the cedar rectangle down from the shelf and set it between my legs. I run my hand over the top of the smooth wood, tracing each of the four corners.

“These are my sister, Laiken’s, ashes. I planned on spreading them somewhere, but so far I haven’t found a place that felt right. So, yeah.”

“What happened to her?” He asks, his voice laced with empathy.

“Beth happened to her.” I scoff. “Beth was a user and a con artist. She got away with a lot, but she tried to blackmail this guy, and instead of him giving her what she wanted, he shot her, then he strangled Laiken and shot himself.”

“Fucking hell. I’m so sorry; that’s horrible.”

“After Beth kicked me out of the house, she moved. I had no way to find her or Laiken, but once I had enough money from my fights, I hired a private investigator. I tried to get Laiken to come with me, but she wouldn’t. I think Beth told her I had left her behind or something. She was so angry with me, but I should have fought harder for her.”

“Bruiser, you were just a kid yourself. You can’t blame yourself.”

“It’s impossible not to, all I have left are thoughts and memories, and this, until I find a place for her.” I gesture at the cedar box and then place it back up on the shelf.

Bastien stands up and scoops me off the ground like I weigh nothing. He bounces back down on the sofa with me in his lap.

“I was three when my parents went missing. They were part of the paladin coven that disappeared with your dad. I’ve spent most of my life obsessed with trying to find them, or find out what happened to them. So I understand how easy it is to get lost in the what-ifs. Don’t do that to yourself. Someone took my mom and dad, and someone took your sister, and the blame lies with those people. Don’t take on fault that doesn’t belong to you.”

He runs his hand down my jaw and stares firmly in my eyes.

“Okay. I won’t if you won’t,” I tell him, and a small guilt-infused weight lifts off my chest.

I marvel at Bastien’s ability to be playful and silly, and yet still so emotionally in tune and mature when the situation warrants it. He sees so much more of me than I thought I was showing, and it makes me feel understood and validated. He can joke and tease with the best of them, and then turn around and talk about real-life, tough-shit in a way that makes me feel lighter and freer than I have in years.

He gives me a beautiful, heart-stopping smile and I find myself wanting to run my fingers through his incredibly inviting soft waves. I squeeze my hands into fists and growl at myself. He’s been here for five minutes, and already my self-control is being smashed into smithereens. I move to get out of his lap, and he lets me.

“Why’d you move? Did I make you uncomfortable?” he asks curiously.

“No, it just makes it harder to listen to whatever it is you came up here to say, instead of doing other things," I admit, uncensored.

Bastien’s mind-numbing smile is back, and he pulls me back into his lap. Only this time, he positions me so that I’m straddling him instead of sitting sideways like I was before. Well, crap.

“I’m cool with other things," he tells me, and I feel the proof of his statement grow against my ass. I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths, to try and refocus my brain.

“What’s up?” I ask, trying to change the subject. I laugh when I realize the multitude of different ways he can answer that question. “I mean what do you want?” I try again with another chuckle.

His smile turns salacious, and he grinds himself against me. “You don’t know what I want Bruiser? I need to make myself clearer?”

I stare at him and groan irritably. Why is this so easy and all so difficult at the same time?

“I mean what did you come up here to talk about?”

I give up my internal battle and finally run my fingers through his waves. Yep, just as gloriously soft as I thought they would be. Bastien hums in appreciation as my fingertips scrape across his scalp, and now it’s his turn to close his eyes and attempt to control his breathing.

“I can’t remember. It was something along the lines of: can we just pretend Sabin is a mute and never told you any of the shit he told you," Bastien asks with a breathy laugh.

“I’m surprised Captain Cockblock let you come up here alone," I admit.

“Bruiser, let’s get a couple things straight. Sabin’s permission is not required. He doesn’t let me do anything. He can feel how he wants to and behave how he wants to, but I’m not him. Also, none of us agree with his assessment of things. So please let it go and hang with us again. You know you miss us," he smirks.

I chuckle and then evilly grind against his massive hard-on, eliciting another groan from him. “Feels like you’ve been missing me, Bastien," I counter, and high five myself internally for the sultry comeback.

“You’re playing dirty,” he accuses.

“I’m playing dirty? You started this,” I laugh, and tug lightly on the ends of his hair.

“I did, didn’t I," he grins while I continue to watch, hypnotized, as his chocolate locks slip silkily through my fingers.

“Tell me you’re going to stop avoiding us.”

“I’ll stop avoiding you," I parrot.

“I knew I could convince you. Are you sure you don’t need more convincing?” Bastien wags his eyebrows suggestively.

“Sorry to bruise your ego but you didn’t convince me of anything. I got some good advice today, and it helped me see things in a different light," I confess.

“Bummer, here I thought I could add powers of persuasion to my magical resume.”

Bastien sticks out his lower lip in a faux pout, and before I can second guess myself, I lean into him and take his pouty lip in between my own. I suck on it for a couple of seconds before I pull back to gauge his reaction.

I don’t get very far before Bastien grabs the back of my neck and pulls my lips back to his. His kiss is fire and passion and everything I need right now. His tongue sneaks in to meet mine, taking things to a whole other level, that sears the feel of his lips and tongue onto my soul.

The dam on my desire breaks, and I bury my hands in his hair, claiming him the same way he’s claiming me. Need burns through every inch of me and my magic begins to build in that same unusual way that it did with Valen and Ryker in the closet.

I moan my approval and Bastien greedily swallows my pleasure. Our kiss slows and languidly, Bastien and I pull our mouths apart from each other. We’re both breathing heavily, chests heaving with effort to fill our lungs and clear our minds.

Bastien brushes hair away from my face, and I pull my fingers through his waves one last time. I stroke the back of my fingers down his jaw and he closes his eyes and leans into my hand.

“What kind of spell are you weaving over me, Vinna?” he asks with hooded eyes and want in his tone.

I laugh softly before stealing his lips again, this kiss slower and more appreciative. I try not to move against his hardness, but it’s maddening to stay so still. I retreat, offering one last quick peck before climbing off him. Bastien groans in protest.

The space between my thighs feels empty, and a twinge in my gut tells me to do something about it. I ignore it and offer my hand to help Bastien get up.

“Let’s go before I lose my virginity on this couch," I tease.

Bastien stills immediately and gapes at me. “Wait, what?”

“What?” I ask, unsure why he’s shocked.

“Uh, I just thought otherwise, you’re so...not virginal.”

I laugh. “What does that even mean?”

Bastien runs his hands through his hair. “I don’t know. You’re not shy or awkward. You seem comfortable with things.”

I snort. “Yeah, it’s called romance novels and masturbation, and not always in that order.”

Bastien lets out a surprised chuckle, and I can’t tell if he’s embarrassed to be talking about this or interested.

“I don’t think you have to have sex to be sexual. I know what it entails. It’s also something that’s incredibly intimate to me, and until now I just haven’t met anyone I could be that way with.”

“I’m not going to lie Bruiser; my inner caveman really likes that.”

I laugh. “Don’t get any ideas about clubbing me and hauling me off to be at your mercy. I will kick your ass.”

Bastien chortles. “Don’t knock it till you try it; you might like it kind of rough.”

I laugh even harder and then clench my thighs together at the exciting thought of rough sex.

He rubs his palms together nefariously. “Are you ready for the corruption of your innocence to commence, Bruiser?”

“Please, do you know who you’re talking to, what innocence?”

We both laugh.

“This is going to be fun,” he teases, in a singsong voice and gives me a quick peck.

I push his hulking form out of my room, all the while internally shouting, fuck yeah it will be.