Page 78 of Reign of the Beast

I frowned. “She made that picnic for your date.”

“She said she conjured it.”

“The ingredients, because we didn’t have a lot here, yes. But she put it all together and actually made it, cooked the beef, made the quiche, those tarts, and everything else. I saw her working on it in here while you were outside running in wolf form.”

He looked more than a little stumped. “Weird that she never mentioned that.”

“It’s not really that confounding, knowing Mia,” Lucian piped up.

It took me a moment, but I realized what he was getting at. “Right,” I said, giving a nod. “She probably downplayed it so that you don’t start to expect it.”

“Expect it?”

“Given how you grew up, in a misogynistic environment? She probably didn’t want you to think herdomesticside extended beyond the cooking thing.” I eyed him pointedly. “Because it doesn’t.”

“Chill. I get it.”

“Good,” I said, relenting.

“Good,” he muttered, sensitive about being schooled in the intricacies of his own mate.

A few moments passed in awkward silence, before Jaxon suddenly cut through it, asking me, “Is the breakfast working to wash away the taste of our cum and your own ass?”

I stilled, my forkful of egg just shy of my mouth.

He was fucking with me.

Well, he had no idea who he was dealing with.

I was Ryker Morgan, the guy who had an answer for everything.

I eyed him steadily and fired back, “It’s actually a cocktail I’m rather fond of. Addingyoursto the mix this time around gave it an added spice though.”

Lucian gave my hand a squeeze and chuckled at my smartass response.

Jaxon grinned, impressed. “Nice.”

An exaggerated gagging sound came from over by the door and we all turned to see Mia leaning against the doorframe, her arms folded across her chest, eyeing us with a mixture of distaste and amusement.

God. She looked sexy as hell with her just-fucked bed hair all wild about her face, dressed in just that thin black, silky robe.

“If this is what you guys talk about over breakfast, count me out.”

“Nah, princess, we’re done with that,” Jaxon assured her.

Lucian rose to his feet and gestured at the empty seat beside Jaxon. “Join us, beauty.”

She smiled and sauntered over to us.

In a burst of speed, Lucian was behind her as she sat down, pushing her chair in for her.

“Thank you,” she said, reaching up and easing himdown to her. She planted a sweet kiss on his cheek.

“My pleasure,” he said, then rounded the table and took his seat back down beside me.

I smiled. With instances like that, it highlighted how he hailed from a very different age, where chivalry was prevalent. He had so many layers to him, I’d wager it would take me several lifetimes just to explore them all.

“Apologies for starting without you,” he told Mia. “We thought it best to allow you to sleep as long as you needed. Last night was rather taxing.”

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