Page 35 of Siren in Love
Mike wanted to groan but he clamped down on the urge.“Okay.Werewolf movie it is.”
Corvin bounced on the couch.“Yay!It has great reviews about the romance in there too.”
“How wonderful.”
Corvin raised his finger at Mike.“I can tell you don’t mean that, but in the end, you always end up enjoying the movies I pick for us, right?”
Mike nodded.“Hon, I enjoy that you like cuddles with your movies.”
Corvin stuck out his tongue.“Nope, I know you’re having fun too.”
Mike leaned forward for another kiss.“Okay, you got me there.You’re fun, and I love having you.”
Corvin didn’t say anything back, but Mike knew it was because he was getting kissed.Corvin, sometimes, was easy to please.
Twenty minutes later, Mike found himself in the kitchen, slicing celery and cucumbers for movie snacks.Corvin had insisted there be “nice snacks” for their “guest.”Corvin was also too kind to start the damn werewolf movie without the werewolf.
Mike glanced at his fridge and the photos Corvin had put up there.He’s always smiling.He always looks good in photos.I think he’s too kind.I probably shouldn’t have taken in the damn werewolf because Corvin is too kind to tell him to shut up and mind his own business.I would never, but I can see the appeal of island life for sirens’ lovers.
Corvin came into the kitchen, his caramel popcorn bowl in his arms.“Hey, you’re going to make the yummy sandwiches too, right?”
“What’re the yummy sandwiches, hon?”
Corvin groaned.“We both know you know.”He shuffled another step closer, his house socks barely making a sound.“The orgasm hummus sandwiches.”
“I didn’t hear that.What did you say?”
“Orgasm hummus.”Corvin crunched down on another handful of popcorn.“Make it so!”
“If you finish that entire bowl of popcorn by yourself, how are you going to eat sandwiches on top of that, hmm?”
Corvin pointed at his popcorn.“This is just a snack.”After looking over his shoulder to make sure John hadn’t come back down, he whispered, “He looked really hungry.Come on, let’s feed the poor guy.”
Mike groaned, not just because Corvin was too soft, but also because he could hear John coming down the stairs.The werewolf didn’t make a lot of noise, but Mike wasn’t likely to miss even a pin drop in his own home.“Okay, okay.You want to keep me company while I make them?”
But Corvin had seen John and pointed, mouthing,Company.
Not ten minutes later, Mike had to listen to them chatting.They seemed to get along pretty well, Corvin unbothered by John’s forwardness.Before long, Corvin waslaughing, enjoying himself, and the celery sticks took the brunt of the foul mood this induced in Mike.
Once he was done with the sandwiches and the dippable snacks, he arranged the food on plates and carried the cucumber and carrot sticks with dip into the living room, where he found John on the couch right next to Corvin, the popcorn bowl now in John’s lap and already three-quarters empty.
Before Mike could unleash his song at John, Corvin got to his feet.“I’ll get some plates.Thanks for making all this.”
On his way to the kitchen, he stopped to kiss Mike’s cheek—normal behavior for Corvin, but to a werewolf, it was going to be a signal about where Corvin stood.Mike’s mood improved considerably.
“I like him,” John said.
“You keep your hands off him.”Mike was careful to keep his voice too low for Corvin to hear.
“No touching unless asked to, understood.”John’s wicked smirk was bluster, but it also made him look disturbingly pretty, like some damn trickster god.
“You little—” Before Mike could finish, Corvin came back with the sandwich plate stacked on top of three others.Mike followed him on another trip to the kitchen to make some lemon water, and eventually, they started the movie.
Since it wasn’t the kind that required one to pay careful attention to the plot, Corvin soon started a running commentary.Mike hated when people talked during a movie, but when Corvin did it, it always improved the experience.It was more than half the reason why movie nights were always good.
“Oh, I like how they’re going with silver bullets.You get the feeling it’s aconite everywhere else these days,” Corvin said when the shooting started.Mike had unsubtly settled himself between Corvin and John and had his arm around Corvin’s shoulders.
John had finished his third sandwich and gone for a fourth.As a saving grace, he knew not to talk with his mouth full.“But both are such bullshit.I mean, if you think about it, why would one single plant kill werewolves?I don’t mind the susceptibility to poison, but why only the one plant?Makes no sense.And the same with bullets.I mean, sure, a headshot can kill most things, but why would silver make any difference?”
