That was exactly what he was doing.
He reached over the center console, setting his hand on Aaren’s warm thigh. Aaren turned to him with a shy, eager smile, and Hades’ heart skipped. Aaren was still there, and still real.
He didn’t want to jinx himself, so he kept his thoughts carefully tucked away, parking behind Varian Lagerstrom’s law office.
“Ready?”
Aaren straightened his shoulders and nodded, determined. “Let’s fix this.”
“You’re sure you’ve thought carefully about this,” Hades couldn’t help saying. “Once we get my name on that contract, you’ll be mine for ayear.” His voice dipped low with anticipation.
Aaren blushed bright pink. “Yes.”
Hades rumbled, pleased. “If I were a dragon, you would be the treasure at the very center of my hoard.”
The words had fallen out of his mouth before he could think. For a moment, he felt embarrassed. This was probably how Aaren felt a lot of the time.
“Me? Really?” Aaren’s blush deepened. “Not... a plate of really good lasagna?”
Hades laughed. “Ifyouwere a dragon, would lasagna be at the center of your hoard?”
Aaren wrinkled his nose. “Well, no. For one, a lasagna would disappear in minutes if I was hungry. Even if you had a machine that made lasagnas forever... It’s still just lasagna.”
“What do you suggest, then?” Hades asked, curious.
“... A portal to a grocery store,” Aaren said with a deep, considering frown. “Plus a kitchen, so I can cook whatever I bring home from the store. That would be the true definition of 24/7 good food.”
“I like it,” Hades rumbled, taking a moment to picture that setup, then another moment to wish portals were real. “Speaking of good things—you haven’t used your credit card.”
“Oh!” Aaren’s eyes grew wide. “You’re right. I haven’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just... I haven’t reallyneededanything lately,” Aaren said. “You’ve got everything I want, so I’ve just been wearing your clothes and eating your food. And when I did need something, like the Philly cheesesteak, you went out and bought the ingredients for me.”
Damn,if that wasn’t a good feeling.
“Well, if you think of anything, be sure to use the card.”
Aaren gave the most adorable wriggle. “Okay.”
Hades couldn’t help leaning in and kissing his nose.
Aaren grinned. “Why a nose kiss? Is that from a pickup line?”
“Oh boy,” Hades said, but he was grinning back. “Is there a pickup line that involves nose kisses?”
“Yeah! I think it said something about snot too. Let me look.” Aaren pulled out his phone.
“Only you,” Hades murmured, shaking his head fondly.
Snot. In a pickup line.
Then again, they were expecting. Snot was going to be in their near future. A lot of it.
Hades shoved aside his panic before it could grow, cutting the engine and getting out of the car. Aaren was so distracted in his pickup line hunt that Hades had time to open the passenger door and fish him out of the car.
“When Emmy finally gets his book printed, I won’t have to look through all these notes and pieces of paper anymore,” Aaren said. “It’ll all be in one place! That’s going to be so handy.”
