Page 93 of Enchanted

Ethan whirled to face me. “Really?”

“Really. And I promise everyone will keep their clothes on this time.”

Darius snorted. “The twins?”

“Love that you didn’t need any information other than that they were nude.” Ethan grinned.

“Never do with those two,” Darius muttered before straightening up. “I’ll leave you two to have a look at the room on your own. Just come on down when you’re ready and we can have a chat. There’s an en-suite through there too, so make sure to check that out.”

He disappeared, moving a little too fast for a human, but Ethan didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy opening the door Darius had indicated and gasping. “Oh my god, this is lush. There’s no way I can be this lucky.”

“Maybe your luck is changing.” I slid up behind him, bracketing his hips with my hands as he rested back against me. “Feels like mine is too.”

Ethan sighed, snuggling closer to me. For all our talk of friendship, there was no denying how much we were both in this. He couldn’t refrain from touching me any more than I could him. “I like that. This could be the start of something new. Something great.”

I knew he wasn’t just talking about the room.

I kissed his temple. “I promise you that it is. The start of the greatest journey.”

One that would end with us as mates. A small part of me couldn’t wait.

But a much larger part of me was content to just enjoy the journey.

When we got back downstairs, Ethan and the others fell into easy conversation. Dahlia asked him about his work, expressing a keen interest in seeing his photography. He then entered into a long debate with Quill about the taste difference between branded and non-branded cereal. They both had very strong opinions on the topic, launching into an argument about Coco Pops.

Darius didn’t contribute much—he never did—but he was listening closely. From the small smile on his face, he felt as good about Ethan moving in as I did.

Make no mistake, I’d rather have had Ethan move in with me, but I hadn’t been lying earlier about not wanting to rush him. Ethan and I had all the time in the world.

And what he needed more than anything was more friends.

I suspected that spending time here, with these three demons, would be better for him than anything else.

“I have one final question,” Quill said solemnly, his hands wrapped around an almost finished cup of tea. “And I’m afraid your answer will determine whether the room is yours.”

Ethan and I both stiffened. Him, out of nerves, and me because I would literally kill Quill if he took this away from Ethan now.

The demon threw me a wink, too fast for Ethan to notice, and I relaxed.

“What is it?” Ethan asked.

“Do you have a problem with me watching Below Deck?” Both Darius and Dahlia groaned, clapping hands over their eyes. “Because these fuckers do, and I need someone else in my corner.”

“Um…” Ethan’s eyes darted nervously between Darius and Dahlia before he looked at me helplessly. I nodded in encouragement and he turned back to Quill with a smile. “Depends on which chief stew is your favourite. I’m a huge fan of Aesha, personally, but I also love Kate. The rocket blanket is the stuff of reality TV legend.”

Quill lit up, reaching across to take Ethan’s hands in his. “I knew it. We’re going to be besties.” He turned to point at Darius. “See? And you said no one else watches it.”

As they started to argue, I leaned over to whisper in Ethan’s ear, “Didn’t take you for a reality TV fan.”

He gave me a wry look. “You have a lot of time to kill during chemo, and mindless TV is a great way to do it.”

No, the way to do it was with someone who loved you at your side. I fucking hated that Ethan hadn’t had that. I thought I hated Dave more for that than for cheating on him.

“Enough.” Darius clapped his hands together to stop the bickering. He smiled at Ethan. “Now, when can you move in?”

“Um, is today too soon?” He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. “No worries if it is, I can get a hotel for a few nights until you’re ready for me.”

“Today is perfect,” Dahlia announced, getting to her feet. “Darius and I are both around. We’ll take you back to your old place and help you pack up your stuff.”