Page 4 of Knocked up By the Minotaur

“I’m the thickest.”

Nib bursts into a snorting laugh, grabbing a wayward menu off the table and whacking one of my horns. “Yuk! Just for that, I’m charging you double.”

I chuckle and flick back the styled brown waves that fall into my eyes. “Mind the locks.”

She fans the menu in front of my face to block me from her view and turns to Rho. “I heard Ella’s sister is back in town. Is it true?”

I immediately perk up.

“Nib, she barely arrived an hour ago,” Rho replies, “how do you already know?”

“I have my ways.”

Snatching at the menu before me, I throw it uncaringly across the table and lean forward in interest. “Grace is here?”

“Ooh, that’s right,” Nib says, her lavender eyes lighting up with keen interest now that the smell of gossip is in the air. “You two were hitting it off at Rhokar’s wedding, weren’t you?”

Gods, yes, she was gorgeous. Long, golden-brown hair, bright blue eyes, curves for days and a smile that told me she was aware of my devastating good looks and charm, but wasn’t falling for any of it—which somehow only lit a bigger fire within me. Even her son, Lucas, was a pleasant little thing.

Too bad she’s in a committed relationship, and a bit of harmless flirting was as far as it went. The fact that her partner wasn’t there didn’t matter, there are certain lines I’ll never cross. I never tried for anything more with her, even on the occasions since the wedding when she visited her sister, conspicuously without her male every time.

Nib giggles as she studies me, and with an excited twitch of her wings she leans dramatically down to my eye level. “My, my, look at your love-struck expression! Is this finally the woman that will tame our flirty minotaur?”

I chuckle again and wave her away. “Please…”

Beside us, Rhokar grouches. “Just because she’s single now, don’t think it means—”

Both Nib and I whip our heads towards Rho. “She’s single?”

Somehow, the two of us manage to say that in perfect unison, and Rho purses his lips and glares.

Excitement bursts through my chest, and suddenly images of Grace flood my mind as if they’d been dammed up behind a wall and only just been permitted freedom. The moments we’d shared at the wedding, the video conversations we’ve since had over her sister’s shoulders… my mind fills up with thoughts of her, and I lean back in my seat with a huge grin. “Interesting.”

“Olistaire,” Rho says in warning, but I don’t even see his face as I think about the best way to approach Grace without frightening her away.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen,” Nib says as she lifts into the air with a light buzz. “I have a phone call to make.”

Rhokar lets out a loud, defeated sigh. “Now the whole town will know by morning.”

“Will she be staying with you and Ella?” I ask, barely registering his words.

“No,” he snaps, and I finally turn my attention back to him.

“Where, then?”

“No,Oli. Shut that thought down.”

I smile innocently and grab my drink. “I’m only asking after the well-being of my best friend’s wife’s sister.”

“She doesn’t need your kind of attention right now.”

“But then again,” I say airily, taking a sip and savoring its oaky warmth, “maybe that’s exactly what she needs.”

If he thinks I didn’t realize what that floppy-haired, limp noodle of a male was like with Grace—didn’t notice the way her voice sobered with unhappiness when she spoke about him to her sister, see the look on her face when he walked past in the background with a can of beer and snacks, while she cooked and cleaned on face-time—didn’t hear what Ella had to say to Rho once their phone calls were done…

I noticed, alright. I saw.

That male was a waste of space. And I am more than ready to fill that space and offer this female everything she truly deserves.

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