Page 27 of Micah

Just a few—

He pulls away, and I’m chasing him with my mouth before I realize he’s speaking.

“… get that? This is the third time it’s rung.”

The real world crashes back in, and I hear my phone ringing. If it’s Zac, I swear I’m going to tell Grandmother that he’s lonely and wants help meeting people.

The ringing stops, and I lean in toward Cam. “I guess it’s not important,” I murmur, only to be cockblocked when it starts again. “Fuck!”

He laughs. “Come on, put me down. I’m getting hungry anyway. Answer it, and then we’ll go to dinner.”

How can he think of food at a time like this? I’m hungry too, but not for whatever Garrett’s cooking.

My disgruntlement must be obvious, because he leans forward and plants a kiss on my mouth. “Don’t frown at me. I know you’re only grumpy on the outside. Put me down, and I promise we can have shower sex later.” He pauses. “I’mgiftedwith body wash.”

I don’t doubt that at all.

Regretfully, I put him back on his feet, wait a second to make sure he’s steady, and then pull out my phone. It’s ringingagain. “What?” I snarl.

“Don’t what me,” Asher growls. “Garrett cooked, and you’re a rude asshole. Get over here and show my husband proper appreciation for his hard work.”

I roll my eyes. Garrett’s great, but the way Asher worships him, you’d think small forest animals came to do his chores. “We got held up, but we’re on our way.” I glance at Cam, who’s putting his sweater on inside out. “Five minutes.”

Asher’s talking when I hang up on him. I do it deliberately, of course. He thinks that because he’s the oldest of our little group of cousins, that gives him authority over the rest of us. I like to keep him humble.

“Not like that,” I warn Cam, stopping him before he can pull the sweater over his head. I free his arms from it and turn it the right way out. “Okay, now try.”

He sighs in exasperation and consternation. “Not again. That happens to me way too often.”

I can’t help smiling. He stops with one arm in the sweater and smiles back. “You’re so understated,” he says randomly.

“I am?” I don’t even know what that means.

He nods. “Yeah. Most of the time I don’t know what you’re thinking or feeling because your face is like…” He makes a stone face. “But then sometimes I see you smile, and it’s nice.”

Oh, I get it. “We demons have more subtle facial expressions than other species,” I explain. “Teleporting takes a lot of energy, so we have denser muscle mass, and it doesn’t react the same way yours does.”

His jaw drops, sweater forgotten. “I had no idea! I’ve been around demons before—I mean, not much, but still—and I just never knew.”

“When we’re around other species, we try to exaggerate things like smiles and frowns so you can see them better. I guess I’m out of the habit, living here with only demons. I’ll try harder.”

“No.” He puts his free hand on my chest. “You don’t have to. I like it this way—it feels like I’ve won something when I make you smile big enough for me to notice.”

Warmth spreads from his hand through my torso, and I find myself grinning.

“See! Like that. I did that. Besides, you shouldn’t have to change to make me more comfortable. I’ll learn to spot the subtle expressions.” He pauses and tips his head. “Well, I’ll try. But I’ll probably get distracted and forget or just not notice.”

“If it’s something you need to know, I’ll use words,” I tell him dryly. Because even though it’s only been a little over twenty-four hours since we met, I’m absolutely sure he’ll get distracted and not notice. “Put your sweater on.”

He looks down at the forgotten clothing dangling from one arm. “Oh. Good idea.”

While he’s getting dressed, I think disgusting thoughts in an attempt to chase away the remnants of my boner. My cousins will never let me hear the end of it if I held up dinner because I was horny. They probably suspect, but I’m not going to confirm it for them.

Two minutes later, we’re sitting down to dinner while Cam apologizes earnestly to Garrett for the delay. “I had some bruises Micah needed to check.”

Garrett frowns a little. “Are you okay? There isn’t a doctor or sorcerer healer in town, but Micah can take you to Zurich.”

Zac coughs, and Asher outright smirks. Assholes.

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