When he saw her enter the room, he got out of bed. They met halfway, touched lips, and he hit the bathroom, cleaned her from his cock, quickly brushed his teeth, and headed out.

She was in bed in a nightie, and he knew, panties. She didn’t sleep bare in any way.

He didn’t either, so he pulled on some sleep pants.

He joined her and tangled them up.

She cuddled closer, tucking her face in his throat.

“You felt really good tonight, baby,” he said quietly into her hair.

“You always feel really good, baby,” she replied.

He grinned. “I meant, it was nice to have you like that.”

He meant more than dispensing with the prophylactics.

“Yeah,” she whispered.

She knew what he meant.

He gave her a squeeze with his arms.

“Thanks for having my back with Dad.”

“Mm,” she hummed.

She did not like his dad. She didn’t warm up to him once all night. No matter how obsequious Sylas was being, she put up with him and that was it.

It was his father’s loss.

Then again, his dad had been losing out on a lot for as long as Axl could remember.

Through this, his mother was entirely unoffended.

In fact, Hattie and his mom bonded.

Extreme.

He liked it.

But there was something he didn’t like.

“I think something’s up with him and Mom.”

“Mm,” she repeated, but it was different.

“What?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she answered.

“You kind of know,” he returned.

She tipped her head back. “Tonight was rough for you.”

“Tonight was worse than sometimes, not the worst it’s been. It’s annoying but I’m used to it and it’s annoying because I’m used to it.”

She nodded against the pillow. “I feel that.”

Yeah, she did.

“You mention that because…?” he prompted.

She was hesitant when she said, “I don’t know how raw you are.”

“She’s done with him,” he stated.

She pressed her lips together tight and lifted her brows.

Yeah.

His mother was done with his dad.

Hattie could even read it and she barely knew them.

“Thank fuck I don’t have a guest room,” he muttered.

She grinned up at him. “Your mom gives me the impression she can take care of herself.”

He didn’t know about that.

“You haven’t mentioned anything about this being a possibility. Is this out of the blue for you?” she asked.

“I would have wanted her to leave him twenty years ago. She just seemed like she was so stuck in it, she was never getting out.”

“Maybe something happened,” she suggested.