Page 87 of One Touch

“Not sure that’s how it works, Raver,” Ethan laughed. “But yes. When you’re older, you can be the boss of your own hair.” He glanced at me again and I looked away.

Cole shook out another two drops of hot sauce. “Enough?”

“Couple more. For luck.”

“Damn, I know you like spicy books, but this is next level,” said Cole with a whistle.

“Daddy,” Rhea said, “what are spicy books?”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Well,” Cole said, “Lily’s the expert, why don’t we let her explain?”

The blood drained from my face. Holy fudgity fudge. “Uhh. Well . . . sometimes, when a daddy and a mommy love each other very m—”

“Okay!” Ethan said, a note of mania in his voice. “Why don’t we focus on enjoying the food and we can talk about spicy books in, oh, I don’t know, about thirty years?”

“Good idea!” I said, then, I took a bite of the chili.

It was incredible. Such earthy, complex flavors . . . for about two seconds. Then the heat hit me like a freight train.

I couldn’t talk. I could hardly breathe. All I could do was open my mouth and breathe out fire. My nose felt runny. Tears streamed down my cheeks. My entire face stung. I frantically gulped water. It didn’t help.

“Too much kick for you?” Cole asked sympathetically.

I got the hiccups next. All I could do was croak: “Help.”

Laughter broke out and Elara was loudest of all. “Someone throw a bucket of water over Lily,” she said, shrieking with laughter.

“No!” said Ava. “Be kind to her.”

“I can’t feel my face,” I said, as a tingling numbness settled over my cheeks.

“Wait there,” Ethan said. A moment later, he arrived with a glass of milk.

“Milk? Why?”

“Just drink it,” he said.

I did as he said, downing the creamy liquid in desperate gulps. It actually helped—a little. Better than water, anyway.

It was only then that I realized that Ethan was rubbing my back soothingly, barely suppressing his laughter. His handsstrayed over the fabric of my dress onto the bare skin just below my neck. Oh, boy. That crackly touch again.

“You okay there, Lil?” he asked.

I looked up at him, and he seemed to remember himself, springing away from me as though it was my back that was on fire, rather than my mouth.

“Fine,” I gasped out. “Totally fine. Nothing to see here.”

Rhea patted my arm. “It’s okay, Lily. Daddy’s chili is really spicy. I’m only allowed three drops of reaper sauce.”

“Three?!” I yelped. “I didn’t have many more than three.”

“Yeah, but I’d had practice. Plus, I’m nearly six now.”

“Guess I’ll have to work on my heat tolerance,” I said weakly.

“You’ll get there,” Ethan said, trying to act as though he hadn’t just rubbed my back in public.

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