Page 44 of Meant for Mayhem

Growing up tucked inside the Rockies, I’d never thought much about the view. Mountains were always there. From up here, though, the range rolled endlessly across the horizon, layer after layer fading into blue until I couldn’t tell where the earth ended and the sky began.

It should have been the first thing I noticed, and it almost was.

But even more beautiful than the mountains were the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves opposite the bed. Every shelf was filled with books and trinkets, the collection sprawling from one end of the room to the other.

My feet moved toward it before I even clocked what I was doing, fingers dragging along the light wood shelves and across the wide array of books. Sci-fi, fantasy, mysteries, and action-adventure fiction titles sat in neat rows, some collector’s editions and some no more elaborate than my bodice-rippers tucked into tote bins by the door. It wasn’t fancy, but it was impressive and I wasn’t prepared for it.

“Mikko,” I said, then made the mistake of turning around to face him.

Words dried up on my tongue as I finally took a good look at my husband. He’d changed while getting Leena ready for bed, trading his button-down for a navy t-shirt that stretched across shoulders I’d already been trying not to think about. Gray sweatpants hung low on his hips, concealing even less than the t-shirt clinging to his muscles.

Trim hips, thick thighs, and the distinct outline of⁠—

My gaze jerked back to the bookshelf with all the subtlety of a car slamming into a guardrail.

Yep.

Books.

Books were definitely safer.

Mikko pointed toward the door tucked beside the closet. “Bathroom’s through there. Help yourself to anything you need. Towels are in the cabinet.”

“Perfect. Thanks.”

Before he could say anything else, I grabbed my backpack and escaped.

If I was hoping for a slice of my reality, this bathroom wasn’t it. Warm marble floors took the chill from my bare feet, the oversized mirror cast a soft glow across the floating vanity, and the walk-in shower looked bigger than the bedroom at my dad’s house. It felt like a luxury hotel, and even that, I’d only ever seen in movies. I planted both hands on the cool countertop and blew out a slow breath.

“Okay,” I muttered to my reflection, looking as out of place as I felt. “Don’t be weird.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

Stevie

You up?

Shannon

Yeah.

Before I could even lower my phone, it started ringing.

I answered with a laugh. “You know texting exists for a reason, right?”

“I sent one text, and you answered. That means we’re both standing here with our phones in our hands. Calling is more efficient.”

“What a millennial thing to say.”

“Exactly.” I could practically hear her grin. “Anyway, you’ve been on my mind all day. I got Harper back to sleep, climbed into bed, and then I started wondering how bedtime with Leena went. Then I started wondering how you were doing, which somehow turned into me hiding in my bathroom wondering if you were hiding in yours.”

I glanced around the marble bathroom. “Technically, it’s Mikko’s bathroom.”

She was silent for a moment, which was very un-Stevie of her. “…in Mikko’s bedroom?”

“Master suites do typically have an en suite bathroom, so yes.”

“Okay, but why are you in Mikko’s bedroom?”