Page 15 of Artemis

“Yes.” Artemis adjusted her shirt and underwear, trying to ignore Finley’s knowing grin. “Goddesses are just as deserving as everyone else to date, don’t you think?”

“Oh yes. Completely,” Finley agreed readily. “That shirt looks amazing on you, by the way.”

“Thank you. My son told me I should wear it tonight.”

“Your son?”

Oh no.

“Yes. Don’t worry, the father isn’t in the picture.”

“I’m sorry you don’t have the support you need to raise your child.”

“We do all right,” she said stiffly, pushing her glasses up her nose. Her glow was completely gone now.

Finley checked his watch as they left the bathroom. “Would you look at the time? I promised my brother I’d be home by now. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, and then he was gone before she could even give him her number. She could practically see the cartoon smoke trails in his wake.

Well, fuck.

CHAPTER4

Finley groanedas he rolled out of bed the next morning.

Far too early to be up.Far too early to deal with children.

“I love my brother,” he grumbled, stretching one arm and then the other over his head. “He owes me.”

He moved through his kung fu forms smoothly, the repetitive motions soothing his mind. By the time he’d finished, he felt awake and more like himself. He tossed on clothing and trotted downstairs for breakfast.

Jaden was in the kitchen. “Thought you might want an omelet.”

Finley raised an eyebrow. “This doesn’t count as payment.”

“Of course not!” Jaden affected a shocked expression.

“If I hadn’t brought it up, you might have tried.”

“Hey, I’m having a kid. I’ve moved past those infantile tricks,” Jaden said haughtily.

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Finley pulled up a chair at the kitchen island. “Mushrooms, cheddar, bacon, and chives, please.”

“Coming right up. In a wrap, sandwich, or as is?” Jaden expertly cracked three eggs into a bowl and scooped large handfuls of toppings into a pan. He shuffled the pan with a practiced twist of his wrist before pouring cream into the eggs and picking up a whisk.

“Since you seem to be doing them the fancy way, I’ll take it as is. Since when did you learn how to cook like this?” Finley asked admiringly.

“When do you think?” Jaden replied, adding salt and beating the egg-cream mixture. “Maddie has been craving eggs practically nonstop.”

“Whipped looks good on you, little bro,” Finley teased, and then bit his tongue. “Sorry. That’s not what I—”

“I know what you meant.” Jaden flipped the toppings again and poured them into a separate bowl, emptying the egg mixture into the pan.

Finley stayed quiet, thinking about how panicked he’d felt when Jaden had been kidnapped and beaten within an inch of his life not even a year before. His kidnappers, led by an ancient diamond dragon shifter, had wanted him to win—and lose—matches for them, so that their gambling ring would make more money.

When they started fighting at Valhalla’s Throne the brothers had agreed upon a system, once they realized that nobody could beat them in their respective weight classes, whereupon they would roll a dice before starting work, and based on that roll, they would win or throw the match.

Jaden had added the toppings to the egg and folded them in once by the time Finley found his voice again. “I’m glad Maddie’s taught you some skills in the kitchen that go beyond making cereal.”

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