Page 55 of Werewolves Don't Howl
He stood up and started walking towards the house, his bare back a beautiful sight to see. “We’ll leave after breakfast. I hope that you got enough photos of me being adorabalized.”
“How could I possibly?” I muttered, watching his back flex and pull. Was he intentionally looking that gorgeous just to make me want to kill him? No. I really did have an extremely good selection of pictures to use for my article. Pity most of them were tangled with me. How could I publish photos of myself where I looked completely in love with the man?
I took a deep breath and rolled to my feet with Lynx snuggled against my chest. If we were leaving after breakfast to go home, I had things to do.
I made cookies for the first time since we’d gotten to the compound. The kitchen was weirdly empty without the dozens of people hanging out like usual. Maybe there was a big job going on somewhere that I didn’t want to know about.
“What about hugging?” Cross asked me as he had his lumpy shake for breakfast and I rolled out snickerdoodles.
“My mother will hug you a lot. My brothers probably will too, and it is a competition with them to see who can hug the hardest and longest, so you’ll probably have to reciprocate before it gets weird. Although you’re an elf, so you could probably stand there and look like an idiot while they have fun at your expense, and no one would think anything about it.”
He cleared his throat. “I actually was referring to you. If I should be cuddly with you.”
“Oh.” I stared at the cookies I was working on while my stomach twisted uncomfortably. How cuddly did I want the evil, vicious, manipulative monster to pretend to be? Very. Think of the torture. I flashed him a smile. “I’m so glad you asked. I am so cuddly, the most cuddly of all my siblings. They’ll think it’s so weird if you aren’t my first choice of chair, as well as being wrapped around me like a loufa every time I bake cookies. Which will be every day. And we’ll be staying with my parents. You’ll probably sleep with one of my brothers. They all snore and snuggle in their sleep, but you’ll get used to it.”
He nodded soberly. “I haven’t killed anyone in my sleep for years, so it should be fine.”
I turned to look at him, frowning darkly. “Don’t you dare put my brothers in danger!”
He kissed my nose, bending quickly so the shock of contact had me pulling away and scowling at him. His smile was very slight. “I would never dare. I will be on my best behavior.”
“While you’re sleeping? No, you don’t sleep, even here behind walls that should make you feel safe.”
“I sleep often enough, Miss Era.” His brows creased. “I should call you Delphi.”
“No, you’d call me Delphinia. An elf wouldn’t ever shorten something so exquisite. That’s what my father says, and I’d hate for him to be disappointed in my first and probable last Elven suitor.”
He tilted his head as he studied me. “Delphinia? It is exquisite. And I have permission to use your name?”
“Yes, senator. You’re supposed to be my boyfriend.”
“Then you will call me Cross.”
I shrugged. “Omar would probably make more sense.”
“It’s actually Omarsus, but Cross is easier to remember.”
I squinted at him. “You don’t like your name? But Omarsus is so delicately majestic, like a flying fish skittering over the top of the water in the moonlight.”
He wrinkled his pretty nose. “Yes, that is the literal translation. Your elvish is admirable.”
“Passable, not admirable. Do you have any other notable names lurking behind that pretty face?”
“Several. Silvaniustro is one of them.”
“Ah, the Silverton has roots. Moonlit woods, but the ending has a slightly ominous tinge to it. Some kind of death in the wooded moonlit clearing?” I frowned at him as I went over the origins.
“Not passable. Notable, or you wouldn’t notice that tinge of death. Miss Delphinia, you are the most finely educated fluff reporter I’ve ever met.”
“High praise indeed. Stop distracting me from my snickerdoodles. That’s what I should call you.”
“As you like, Miss Delphinia.”
I pointed my rolling pin at him. “It’s begun. You say it exactly like my father does, rolling the ending bits, so it sounds like there are five extra R’s.”
“It’s a lovely name,” he said innocently.
“Mm. Like Omarsus Silvaniustro.” I twirled every R and L, giving the U’s an extra emphasis.
