Page 15 of How to Rescue Your Surprise Baby

Telos breathed out noisily. “Because some people are boneheads.”

“Try me.”

At that, Telos turned to stare at him for a brief second. “No.”

“I won’t judge.”

“Really.” Telos sounded disbelieving. “You have literally judged me for every single thing since the century we met. Ever since I—”

Yeah, they hadn’t met in the best of ways. But enough time had passed, that the jagged edges between them had mostly worn away. Mostly. Mav heard the slightest edge in Telos’ words, and maybe he felt a little bad. “I don’t judge you over every single thing.”

Telos scoffed. “I’m still not telling you.”

“So is that kink of yours something you’d tell everyone but me?”

“I don’t have a special kink,” Telos muttered, but Mav could’ve sworn his cheeks turned pink again.

Telos looked... vulnerable, when he was flustered. He looked almost attractive. It wasn’t something Mav was used to thinking about him. “This is the most uncomfortable I’ve seen you.”

Telos scowled and flipped his turn signal, taking them off the highway. “Coffee break.”

Mav fell silent. Telos pulled into a strip mall and thumbed through his phone. Target acquired, he drove them to a small coffee shop nearby, turning into its drive-thru lane.

As they neared the ordering window, the tension in Telos’ shoulders slid off like water from a duck’s back. “Hey, sweetcheeks,” he said cheerily to the barista. “How’s it going?”

She gave him a brilliant smile. “Things are going great! What can I get for you today?”

“I’d like a large black coffee and a chocolate chip cookie. And a large peppermint mocha for this grouchy lump here.”

How had he known that Mav was fond of peppermint mochas?

“Coming right up,” the barista chirped.

Telos leaned back into his seat, rolling his shoulders. He didn’t speak to Mav. When the barista showed up again, Telos handed over his credit card and grinned. “Busy day?”

“Busy, but great,” the barista replied, dimples in her cheeks.

“Just keep smiling, you’ll rake in all the tips,” Telos said. “Just like you did with me!”

She laughed. Mav frowned, wondering what the hell Telos was doing, wasting time on this when they were so close to finding Uriel.

“Why are you chatting with her?” Mav muttered.

Telos flicked a cool look at him. “Can’t I be nice?”

This wasn’t being nice. Mav didn’t know what it was. But it felt wrong in a way he couldn’t explain. “It’s not like you’re sticking around to be friends forever. Cut the chatter and drive.”

Telos tightened his jaw. “Just because you’ve got a stick up your ass, doesn’t mean I need to be rude to everyone.”

He collected their drinks. Then he shoved one of them into Mav’s hands and their fingers brushed—a dry touch, but it sent a whisper of electricity up Mav’s arm.

Telos drew a slow breath. And he turned away, grabbing his cookie from the barista. “Have a great day,” Telos told her brightly, before he rolled up the window and drove away.

Mav felt a bit better after that. Just slightly.

“Happy now?” Telos grumbled.

“Very.”

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