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“Figured what out?” I ask, exaggeratedly fluttering my eyelashes.
Ro rolls her eyes, then the biggest smile I’ve ever seen spreads across her face. “That I’m pregnant, dork!”
The two of us squeal in unison, like we used to do as kids. As teenagers. As young women stepping into adulthood for the first time.
“Oh my god, Ro!”
Constantine grabs the can from my hand as if we planned the move. Then I’m hugging my cousin, squeezing her tight. But not too tight, because her “I swear, he’s really a big green teddy bear” fiancé is giving me major stink-eye over her shoulder. Or at least I think he is. With his dark eyes and perpetual scowl, it’s hard to be sure. But it feels like a stink-eye occasion for some reason.
“Role reversal. You’re the brat now,” she says, smacking my shoulder after releasing me. “I had a whole amazing plan for telling you about the baby. Tomorrow, at my house, in the beautiful nursery Dak busted his ass to finish, solely for that reason.” She cranks around to face him, cupping his green jaw and kissing him, protruding tusk teeth and all. “Sorry, baby. I’ll make it up to you.”
Baby? She calls her hulking, monster fiancé baby?
And he doesn’t seem to mind. Not that I’d be able to tell if he did.
She plants a deeper kiss on him, one that has him pulling her back onto his lap, where he not-so-subtly rocks her back and forth while they make out as if Constantine and I aren’t sitting right here.
Okay, then…
I inch backward until I connect with Constantine, but pervy me can’t stop staring at the extreme PDA in front of me. Angling my head up and back against his chest, I whisper, “Should we leave the room?”
He tips his face down, close to mine. “If we do, they’ll have sex on my couch, and that’s a mess I’d rather not have to clean up.”
“I heard that,” Ro says, breaking her lip-lock to look at us and stick out her tongue. She really hasn’t changed since moving here. Falling in love with a monster and getting pregnant with his baby don’t seem to have mellowed her sass at all. “Since you look plenty comfortable and not traumatized at all,” she makes a circular swirling motion toward us, “Dak and I are going to head home.”
“But you just got here.” There’s not a lot of life in my protest, I admit.
Ro’s snicker tells me our year apart hasn’t diminished her ability to read between the lines with me. “We’ll have some bestie time tomorrow; it’s all arranged. Constantine’s going to take you to his coffee place at nine-thirty, and we’re meeting up with Dela, another human who lives here now. She’s a sweetheart, you’re going to love her. From there, we’ll do a bit of shopping while you check out everything Fate’s Falls has to offer.” One eyebrow rises over mischievously twinkling eyes. “Well, almost everything.”
“You’re still a brat,” I say, rolling my eyes at her while pushing up from the couch.
She takes my hand and lets me pull her to her feet, then bear-hugs me. “You wouldn’t want me any other way.”
It’s true. If Ro didn’t tug me out of my comfort zone, I’d probably never leave it. Right now, that means I’d still be back in my little apartment, alone and lonely as I plod through life, wishing for things I’d never find there.
Things I’ve already found here.
Generic conversation is passed around as we all head for the front door. One more hug from Ro, then she and Dak are on their way home, likely to fuck each other’s brains out. If they can’t keep it under control sitting next to us on the couch, I can’t imagine what they’re like in private.
The energy in Constantine’s house changes as soon as he locks the door behind them. All the sexual tension from earlier comes rushing back the moment we’re alone.
“I’m going to clean up the food and drinks,” I say, trying to focus on anything other than wanting to climb him like a tree.
He shakes his head. “I’ll take care of that later. Can I get you anything? Another drink, different food?”
Your body rubbing up against mine would be good…
“No.” I shake my head emphatically, probably looking like a weirdo in the process. “I think I’m ready for bed. Alone,” I add, heat rushing to my face and between my legs. “Even though I’m tempted to ask you to break your promise that nothing will happen between us tonight.”
“I’m not sure I could deny you if you did.”
The pull between us is magnetic. I move closer, stopping with little more than a hairsbreadth separating us. “I’m not sure I can deny myself.” Unable to resist, I place my hands on his big chest. “I swear I’m never like this,” I say, looking up at his non-human face while sliding my palms over every inch of his shirt-covered torso. “I don’t do stuff with someone I just met. I’ve never been someone to rush into things. But with you, I just want to jump in and do it all.”
A rough huff of breath accompanies a deep rumble in his chest. “Doing it all will take time.”
“It’s not that late…” Am I doing this? Going for it? I think I am. “And I’m not tired anymore.”
“Not time as in hours.” He cups my waist and pulls me tight against him, so my soft body molds around the very large, hard bulge in his jeans. “Time meaning preparation.”
