Page 221 of Trick or Stalk

“I do.”

“Then come sit down.”

I stare at him. There's something strangely intimate about the request. Maybe because I've never had a man here before.

This house has been mine for weeks, but sometimes it still feels like hers. Like I'm temporarily occupying the space she left behind while I figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do with the rest of my life.

And now Hades is standing in the middle of it.

I look toward the fireplace. “Want a fire?”

“Sure.”

“I'll do it.”

His eyebrow rises. “I know how to start a fire.”

“So do I.”

“I wasn't questioning your survival skills.”

“Good.”

I crouch in front of the fireplace. Hades appears beside me.

“I said I can do it.”

“I heard you.”

“Then why are you down here?”

“Supervising.”

A smile curves my lips. “You're annoying.”

“So I've been told.”

“By a lot of people?”

“Mostly Wilder.”

“Your brother, right?”

Hades smiles. “You remembered.”

“What's he like?”

Hades considers the question. “A pain in my ass.”

“That wasn't what I asked.”

“It accurately summarizes twenty-some years.” He reaches past me for a piece of wood. Our arms brush. That stupid little electrical current shoots through me again.

His gaze catches mine. Neither of us moves.

Then Penny shoves her head between us.

I burst out laughing.