Page 215 of Seer Prophet

Or more to the point, between me and the coffee.

He grunted a little.

I heard humor in it that time.

I was already pouring coffee into one of the ceramic mugs as he settled his weight behind me. He slid under the covers as I poured cream then added honey, which I hadn’t even seen in its small, glass jar behind the cream. Once he was under the comforter and sheets, he wrapped his arms around me, coiling a hand back into my hair from behind and caressing it away from my neck. He pressed against me as I popped a few blueberries into my mouth, and I felt him sigh again, that relief more prominent in his light.

He just lay there, his face resting on my spine and the back of my neck while I ate.

He raised his head only to kiss me, using light in his tongue and lips. He paused every few seconds to press his face against my skin. When he still didn’t say anything, I focused on the tray, going up on one elbow so I could pour a refill of coffee, then munching on a piece of what tasted like turkey bacon.

He wrapped his arm around me tighter, crosswise that time.

He pressed his whole body against me and I felt him against the back of my thighs. Pain seethed off his light. It caught my breath, but also brought up a rush of affection in me.

I leaned on his chest, and felt another pulse of pain leave him.

“So are you going to tell me?” I tilted my head back to look at him.

Given the awkward angle, I only caught a glimpse of his face.

“Tell you what?” His fingers massaged my back.

“The damage,” I clarified, taking another sip of coffee. I sighed in ecstasy at the taste. Between that and the back rub, I was feeling pretty much in heaven. He’d brought me real espresso mixed with water, and he’d made it damned strong, the way I liked it.

I gestured vaguely with a hand, taking another long sip.

“You know.” I sighed, putting down the mug carefully, so I wouldn’t spill a drop. “Whatever pieces I have to pick up from this. With the planning of Dubai. With Balidor and the Children of the Bridge. With the infiltration team. With Loki’s op. With, you know… whatever. All the stuff I blew off when I left.”

He let out a low grunt, gripping me tighter.

“None,” he said.

I looked back. That time I met his gaze. “Meaning what?”

“You might need to apologize to Jon,” he said, quieter.

I winced, and he held me tighter.

“It’s all right, Allie. I shouldn’t have said that.”

He didn’t let go of me, but shifted his weight so he lay more on his back. I noticed that his black hair was getting longer again, even as he shoved a lock of it behind one ear.

“I took care of the rest,” he said.

When I only looked at him, he shook his head, clicking at me softly.

“Don’t worry about it.” His fingers tightened, right before he went back to massaging the muscles of my back. “…I mean it. And don’t worry about Jon. He’s not mad at you. He’s mad at me. A lot of people are.” Swallowing, he tilted his head in a shrug. “I covered you in the planning meetings. I made them wait on anything where I thought you might have an opinion. They’re working on multiple scenarios right now. You’ll have something to work with before we get to the staging. I told them to leave you alone until then.”

Another pulse of pain left his light. Shaking his head, he pulled me closer, wrapping his arms tighter around my body.

“Allie, do we have to talk about this right now?” he asked.

I shook my head, lowering the mug after another sip of coffee.

“No,” I said. “Is Lily okay?”

He gripped me closer, his mouth firming against my neck.

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