"Now." That was the only decision Lexi felt qualified to make at the moment; between Keiran's closeness and Arthur's...everything, it was a bit like she was wading through fog. No landmarks, no handholds, nothing but thick pea soup in every direction and her wandering along a cliff's edge. A part of her thrummed wildly, a mad flutter of pulse and breath and dizzy anticipation. But that guilt again, that fear, the feeling not that she didn't want to be close to Arthur, but that she didn't deserve the privilege.
"We... I have to understand what this is. So talk."
There was a hesitation, like they should go someplace private. But Lexi found she was standing just a little too close to Keiran to be passed over as inconsequential. He was hovering there, behind her, bristling and protective, and while most of her wanted to wave him off, to protest that she could manage herself just fine, the other part, the louder part, wanted neither him nor Arthur any further away than necessary.
"Everyone sit," she said, rubbing her forehead. "Nathan--"
"I'll get coffee," he said, standing, holding out his chair for her and then heading to the kitchen.