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“If you’re planning to eat, you can help,” Will said simply. “Did you think we were going to do all the work for you?”
“Who says I was planning to eat?” He hoped he’d remembered to pack snacks, or he’d be raiding the pantry later.
“Have you had dinner?” Will asked.
“No.” The word was out of his mouth before Jericho realised that he’d been caught, hook, line, and sinker. Fuck, that washot. He wanted to prop himself up on the kitchen table and spread his legs and let them all have a turn with him. They were setting him onfire.
He slid his fingers across the back of Will’s hand, his fingers electrifying from the touch, before sliding the handle of the knife out of his palm.
“Don’t give him a weapon,” Sebastian said.
“I think that gutting you with it defeats the purpose of protection,” Peyton pointed out.
“Maybe that’s what he wants you to think.”
“He’s right here,” Jericho said, raising an eyebrow. “And what makes you think I’m notalreadyarmed?”
Sebastian and Peyton looked at Quinn in eerie synchronicity.
“You didn’t check him?” Peyton asked.
“I’m well aware that he’s armed,” Quinn said calmly. “He’s here to protect you. Having the means to do that is important. How can I help, Will?”
“Sit there and look pretty,” Will said, gesturing to the stools on the other side of the bench.
“You don’t think I could do that?” Jericho asked. He could have done that.
“There’s only room for two gawkers,” Will replied. “And you have potatoes and carrots to prepare, so get to it.”
Jericho’s gut clenched at the bossy tone. Turned on by someone almost ten years younger than him, bossing him around. Six would laugh himself silly. “Yes, sir.”
“Bumped down from looking pretty to a gawker in a matter of seconds,” Quinn said with fake resignation. He helped Peyton get settled on his stool, hands firm around his hips, before sliding onto the next one.
“It’s a tough world out there,” Sebastian acknowledged.
“Just be grateful you even got to be pretty,” Jericho said. He said a quiet thank you as Will passed him a plastic chopping board. He pulled the bags of vegetables closer to himself and sliced them open neatly at the top so they didn’t spill out.
“Are you feeling left out because I didn’t call you pretty?” Will asked.
“A little.”
Sebastian leaned across him to fill up a glass of water from the tap. His back brushed against Jericho’s chest, and Jericho breathed out, expanding so he pressed against him. Sebastian’s smirk was sly as he straightened and lifted his glass to his lips. Jericho’s lips twitched. Fucker.
Jericho paused as Will casually checked him out. After a second, their eyes met. “What’s the verdict?” He fluttered his eyelashes. “Am I pretty enough to join your boy band?” Hopefully, the double entendre wasn’t too subtle.
Sebastian choked on his mouthful of water, and Will rubbed his back in large circles. Sebastian rested his palm on Will’s chest as he cleared his throat. “’s fine,” he said hoarsely.
Will wriggled his mouth back and forth as he thought, tapping his chin with his index finger. “You’re very rugged.”
Jericho shrugged his mouth. “Eh. I’ll take it.” Rugged worked for him. People liked rugged. It wassexy. Also, he’d forgotten to brush his hair that morning, so at least it must look like it was deliberate. Usually when that happened, he put it up in a ponytail, but he could not for the life of him find a fucking hair tie anywhere.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Sebastian said. He was handed a square plastic chopping board and the chicken, along with a larger chef knife.
“Which one? You talk a lot.”
Quinn snorted. “Seb? No,” he said with fake surprise.
“That was uncalled for.”
