Page 57 of The Human’s Heart

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Oh my Mother, you’re in on it, aren’t you?”

I tried, and failed, to hold back a laugh. “Maybe.”

He let out a groan and rubbed his face with his hand. “Whatever, man. Rude.” He turned to walk away, but I reached out and gently tugged on his sleeve so he’d turn back.

“All joking aside, I really think you should ask them out.”

He looked unsure. “What if they say no?”

“They won’t.”

“Really?”

“Look, I obviously don’t know them as well as I know you, but it’s clear that they like you, Quinn. I promise I wouldn’t say anything about it if I thought you’d get hurt.”

His gaze softened a tad. “Yeah… yeah, okay. Thanks, Hugo.”

“Anytime.” When he started to walk away, I called out, “If you do it by tomorrow, I’ll split the profits with you.”

I could see him shaking his head in disbelief, but when he looked to the side, I could also see a big smile.

“That’s cheating!” Jimmy yelled, and I laughed with a shrug as everyone else started putting their two cents in.

“Hey, mezelie?”

Without hesitation, I answered Zay through our bond. “What’s up? Everything okay?”

“Yes. I, um, so my study group finally finished, and someone suggested going out for some food and drinks. Is it okay if I bring them to your bar?”

“Babe, you don’t have to ask. That sounds fun, and I’d love to see you.”

“Awesome. We’ll be there soon.”

With a smile on my face, I quickly cleaned up my latest mess and continued serving my customers.

I knew Zay was about to walk in before the doors even opened. I could sense him getting closer to me, and I assumed it was a viramore thing. When he walked inside, he gave Quinn a wave at the door, then headed straight for me, not paying one bit of attention to all the looks people were giving him. I couldn’t blame them, not really, since he was so damn gorgeous.

But I didn’t want all those eyes on what was mine.

Luckily, Zaos walked straight up to me, reached over the bar, and gently tugged me close by the collar. Before I could say a word, he claimed my lips with his, and I couldn’t help but smile against him. I let him kiss me soundly for a few seconds, and I was almost distracted enough to start making out with him. But someone let out a catcall, and I realized I was at work, so I gently broke the kiss without moving back.

I smiled up at him. “Hi.”

“Hi, isa mezelie.”

“Missed you.”

His smile turned warm. “Missed you too.” He pressed a sweet little kiss to the side of my mouth, then let me go.

Before he could pull away fully, I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. He returned the gesture before waving at the group of people he’d brought with him. Apparently, they’d all made it past Quinn’s ID-ing and all that jazz while Zay kissed the hell out of me.

I knew my cheeks were flaming as bright as Quinn’s had earlier, but I tried to ignore it.

I obviously already knew Beatrix, so I gave her a small fist-bump before letting Zay introduce me to the rest of his friends—Dean, Rovra, Joey, Sidney, Judah, and Lilac. I’d heard about each and every one of them, so I felt like I knew them a little already.

Arzu came over. They’d already met Zay and Beatrix, of course, but I introduced them to the rest of the group before letting them lead the group to a table close to the bar. Arzu was a great server, so I knew they were all in good hands.

“Wow,” Jimmy called over. “You sure do got a handsome one there, Hugo.”