Page 35 of Becoming D'Vaire
“Sebastian’s here.”
“Sebastian?”
“He’s one of the guards who watches over the Volkovs. He likes tacos. He was excited. Of course, he could have had a really nice dinner last night, but you know I forgot my phone,” Grigori babbled. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to show that he remembered it and his notebook and pencils went flying onto the floor. “Fuck.”
“Need some help?”
“I got it,” Grigori responded as he slid down from his seat to get all six feet and three inches of himself under the table to pick up his belongings. He smacked his knee into the table leg and managed to rap his forehead on the edge of it as he finally got all the damn pencils, then straightened back up.
“Did you get everything?”
“I think so.” Grigori peeled his shirt from where it was sticking to his chest. He was glad he was smart enough to wear a dark one, so his dilemma was less noticeable. “I’ve managed to piss you off. I didn’t mean to. Could you tell me what I said to make you mad? I don’t want to do it again. I didn’t expect to be this nervous. It was so easy talking to you on the phone. I thought I’d be okay, but I have to admit—your eyes, they do something to me. It’s a physical thing, it’s like I’m drowning or something.”
“Drowning?”
Grigori grabbed his drink and sucked down half of it. He was making things worse, not better. “In a good way. It’s like I’m losing a battle with myself, I want to fall to my knees and confess all my secrets. And I don’t know…just be alone with you. Like I’m going to surrender all of myself to you. It’s both wonderful and a little scary since we just met. Sorry, I know I’m not good at saying flowery stuff. The worst assignment I ever had was one to write twenty poems. My brain doesn’t work that way. Math. Science. That’s my wheelhouse.”
“Fine, you want to know why I got upset?”
“Absolutely.”
Delaney leaned in slightly. “I don’t see anything wrong with being a virgin. Some people choose to wait for their other half and not get involved in casual sex. I’m one of those people.”
Grigori’s brain stopped. He didn’t consider himself possessive, but he wanted to kiss Fate’s feet. The wizard was his.All his. He couldn’t have held back the smile if he tried. “Wow.”
“I get a little pissed off with this attitude that to be a man or whatever you need to get laid. I want it to mean something.”
“As the person you’ve saved yourself for, I’d like to tell you that if my dick had hands, he’d be clapping. Thank you, that’s a beautiful gift.”
Delaney’s dark eyes hit the table. “Hopefully I won’t suck.”
“You’re against oral sex?”
The wizard’s head lifted, and he cocked it to the side. “I meant, I hope I’m not bad at sex.”
“Oh, thank goodness—my heart stopped.”
“It might take me awhile to get the hang of sucking.”
“I’d like to volunteer myself as your willing test subject.”
“Grigori?”
“Yeah?”
“You okay? You’re still sweating profusely.”
“Oh shit, does it stink? I hate this.”
“No, you don’t stink. I can just see it on your forehead, and your shirt’s becoming a second skin. The view of your chest is nice, but I don’t want you to be so nervous.”
“It’s getting better the more we talk. I promise. I don’t know why this happens. I’ve been this way my whole life. I must be a freak—everyone else in my family is elegant and poised. I’m the complete opposite,” Grigori explained. He desperately wanted a subject change. “You didn’t bring Greggory?”
“At home he eats in a sink—that’s how messy of an eater he is. We just hose him and Roger down afterward.”
“Roger is Idris’s familiar. Named for Chieftain Cadlyr.”
“Did you memorize everything I told you last night?”
