Page 5 of Stick Handled

Ares just hums as he adjusts the bow on his basket. Typical.

We step inside, greeted by the smell of something cooking. Rowan comes around the corner, all towering muscle and sharp eyes.

“I hope you actually practiced today and didn’t use my absence to fuck around,” he says, voice gruff. “Glad you made it,” he adds.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I reply, throwing him a grin. “Only a small amount of fucking-around was done. You have nothing to worry about.”

We leave the baskets on the kitchen island and move into the dining room, where Avery’s setting the table. She looks up, and as soon as her eyes meet mine, I catch that same flicker of nervousness.

“Good evening.” I flash her my most dashing smile. “Smells delicious.”

“We made steak,” she replies, her voice a note too high. She’s trying so hard to act normal, but she’s wound tighter than a spring. Cute.

“Welcome back, Avery,” Ares’ unusually deep voice cuts through the soft music.

“Hi, Ares.” She waves a hand and looks away from him faster than the words leave her mouth. My mouth twitches, glad to see she’s just as terrified of him as everyone else.

Dinner is the usual spread—steak, roasted veggies, and the cheese and fruit we brought. It’s a whole lot of fancy for a family meal. Rowan’s idea of “casual.” We’re all sitting around the table, and I make damn sure to take the seat right next to Avery. I can feel her tense when my kneeaccidentallybrushes hers under the table. It’s subtle, but it’s there, that little jolt of surprise I was waiting for. Every rational part of me is blasting red alarms, yet the thrill of it leads me straight past them and right to Avery.

Meanwhile, Rowan’s grilling her, completely unaware of the things I’m imagining doing to his little sister.

“So, how’s school been? Still planning to do that journalism thing here in LA?” He cuts into his steak, watching her closely.

Avery stumbles over her words. “Yeah, still planning on it. I just need to… figure out where I’m going to intern first. There are a few magazines I’ve been looking into.” Her voice is soft and nervous, tinged with that shyness I remember all too well.

I catch Rowan’s eye. “Magazines, huh? Are you planning to start some gossip column, digging into all our dirty secrets?”

Avery blushes. “No, I’m not into gossip. I want to write real stories.”

“There’s plenty of real stories to tell about Damien,” Rowan chuckles.

Avery glances my way, wide-eyed. She’s rattled, trying to cover it up with a sip of water. I hide a smirk behind my own glass.

“So, what about boys?” Rowan’s question catches her off-guard. I already know the answer.

She nearly chokes on her drink. “W-what about them?”

“I’m just saying, it’s college life. There had to be a few guys, right?” Rowan leans back in his chair, smirking. “You’re not going to make me kill anyone, are you?”

Her face is redder than the wine. “No. I’ve just been focused on school.”

The embarrassment rolling off her is enough to make me wonder. I lean in, my voice low so only she can hear.

“No one could keep up with you, huh?”

She glances at me, startled, her cheeks flushing even more, and I have to bite back a grin.

Avery swallows hard, clearly wanting the conversation to shift.

As the dinner drags on, I can’t stop glancing at her. The way her hand shakes a little when she reaches for her glass. The way she avoids looking directly at me. It’s driving me crazy in the best way.

Rowan’s talking to Ares about some business deal, but I’m not listening. Not really. My focus is on Avery.

At one point, our fingers brush when she hands me a dish, and I swear I see her flinch like electricity just zapped through her. I smile to myself, filing that reaction away for later.

The conversation goes on, Rowan completely unaware of the quiet storm brewing at the table. But I’m aware. I see every tiny movement she makes. Every breath.

By the end of dinner, I have enough adrenaline to run a marathon. The thrill of having Rowan right in front of us while I take every chance to touch her and bring that pink tone to her cheeks makes blood pump to all the wrong places.

---