Page 80 of Mystique of the Fallen
With so many important people involved in the parade, Grant refused to overlook anything. Although it was the weekend, he’d already put in several hours of work, assigning combined teams of fallen knights, dragons, sentinels, and harpies to posts around the parade route. Now, he wanted a cold beer, some delicious dinner, and a couple hours of cuddling with Roman before he dragged him to bed.
Discovering a window into his past wasn’t something Grant had wanted. And what had shocked him the most was Roman’s involvement and the secrets he’d kept. Thankfully, he hadn’t interacted with Roman much while he was human. He wasn’t sure why that was such a consolation, but perhaps it was because he didn’t want Roman to have beautiful memories with another person—even if that other person was a former version of himself.
However surprising the mystery of his past was and Roman’s connection to it all, Grant had forgiven him for keeping the truth to himself. In the end, it mattered little in the present. Roman was his, and Grant adored his mate.
Things had easily gone back to normal between them, despite Grant’s inability to shove the entire debacle fully out of his mind. He supposed it was due to his detective abilities. What had happened to his human self? How had his life ended? And the most important question—why couldn’t he let it go and move on?
Grant yawned and headed for the kitchen. Plucking a beer from the fridge, he popped it open and drank deeply. Roman had disappeared at some point to run some errands, but Grant was hoping he’d return soon. As if he’d summoned him, the front door opened. Roman stalked in, and Grant immediately set his beer down.
“What’s wrong?” Grant asked. Roman’s blue eyes were a bit wild, and his expression was both frazzled and intense.
“Wrong? What? Huh?”
Scowling, Grant crossed his arms. “What in the world has gotten into you?”
“Oh, nothing. You know, I was just thinking we should go out to dinner.”
“You’re acting really weird,” Grant replied. “I don’t want to go out for dinner. I’ve been working all day. All I want is some good food ordered from the kitchen menu and some heavy petting on the sofa.”
Roman’s shoulders sagged, and his chin dipped toward his chest. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into a night out?”
The disappointment radiating from Roman was palpable, which Grant hated. He supposed going out and sharing a meal with Roman wasn’t the end of the world. “Promise me I still get plenty of making out when we get home.”
“In what world would I say no to that?” Roman asked. “If you don’t want to go, we could do it another night.”
“No, no, it’s fine. Are we going to grab some pizza at Andra’s or maybe a burger someplace?”
“About that,” Roman said. “Can you come to the bedroom with me?”
Grant grinned. “Oh man, was that whole going out thing a ruse so you could surprise me by seducing me before we eat? Because I’m totally game for that.”
With a sigh, Roman grabbed Grant’s hand and led him into their bedroom. Roman kissed the corner of Grant’s mouth, then let go of him and disappeared into his closet. A few seconds later, Roman emerged with a garment bag.
“Go into the bathroom and get dressed in this.”
“This isn’t some weird costume, is it?” Grant asked, taking the bag from Roman. “I’m not wearing anything stupid in public.”
“Why would I ask you to put on a costume?” Roman asked.
“I don’t know. You’re being weird.”
“Just go, please.”
“Fine,” Grant replied and trudged into the bathroom. He stuck the bag on the hook on the back of the bathroom door and unzipped it. Inside was a black jacket, a white-and-lime-green pin-striped shirt, and dark jeans. It was fancier than Grant usually dressed outside of work, but he was cool with it, so he quickly changed.
“There are a pair of new boots for you in the little closet in there,” Roman called out.
“Okay.”
As promised, Grant found the boots, and he sat on the toilet to tug them over his socks.
“Am I allowed to come out now?” Grant shouted through the door.
“Yeah, come on.”
Grant stepped into the bedroom and discovered Roman in an outfit similar to his own—only his shirt was a vibrant blue that brought out his fabulous eyes.
“You look good,” Grant said.
