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When the doorbell rings again, Paige makes a break for it, but Slade abandons Thor in the living room and strides toward the door with quick paces. He tosses her an easy grin. “Nice try, firecracker. But you’re here for the duration.”
She scowls, and for a split second I think she might stamp her feet. “You can’t hold me here against my will.”
The delivery driver pauses, bags in the air outstretched toward Slade, and cocks his head. “Ma’am are you okay?”
Paige growls at him, the delivery guy blanches. “I’m serious.”
Slade turns to Paige. “Go on, firecracker. Tell the nice man you’re being held captive by the big bad man.” His voice is so charged with taunting and challenge, that if she doesn’t launch herself at him and gouge his eyeballs from his head with her teeth, I’ll be amazed.
“He’s fine, I just hate him. We’re here for a mutual friend’s dinner party. I’ll stab him with the steak knife.”
The delivery driver doesn’t look convinced that everything will be okay, but he’s got that “I need to get the hell out of here,” look on his face. Slade passes the food back to Thor before taking the billfold out of his pocket and passing two notes to the driver.
“It’s paid for.”
Slade nods, tucking the wallet back in his pants. “That’s your tip.”
The driver looks at the two fifty dollar bills, eyes wide.
Paige groans.
Thor chuckles.
Aside from Matthew and Austin, we’re now all standing around watching the situation unfold. The thick tension filling the air around us.
The driver looks at the money, looks at Slade, looks at the money, looks at Paige. “If her body turns up dead somewhere and the cops come knocking, I’m hanging you out to dry.”
Slade’s face turns fake-serious. “It’ll likely be my body, not hers, but you do what you need to.”
When the door closes, Kenzie bursts into fits of giggles. “We’re going to end up on the evening news.”
Instead of the dining room, Thor carries the food into the living room. “Can you grab some paper plates, Addison please?”
He meets my questioning stare. “Matty’s having so much fun with Austin that I don’t want to interrupt them and pull him away. Austin says he’s cool with it, so I figured we’d eat in here so we’re all together.
When I return with plastic silverware, disposable plates, and napkins, Thor has already started to open all the food and lay it all out on his oversized coffee table and the nest of end tables.
With two couches, and two armchairs, Thor’s living space has enough room for all of us. Kenzie sits on the floor at Austin’s feet, Thor and I take up the second couch, leaving the two chairs for Paige and Slade.
Slade plates up a pile of food, but instead of sitting with it and digging in, he turns to Paige and gives it to her.
This is not how I expected this evening to go. At all. I thought it would be a relaxing evening with friends instead of watching whatever... foreplay? Or whatever this seems to be between our friends.
Paige doesn’t say thanks, but accepts the plate of food with a glare before pulling her feet up underneath her on the seat and diving into her food in silence.
Chattering and eating is the most comfortable part of the evening. We keep it to safe topics. Since the girls and I have been friends for a long time, we can carry a conversation. The boys join in where they can, and the discomfort that settled into my stomach at the start of the evening when Paige arrived and wanted to stab Slade, has dissipated. A little.
By the time it’s time for everyone to leave, however, my shoulders sag with exhaustion. I’ve definitely reached my limit. I’m three margaritas in, Thor opted to have a beer instead of the margarita I poured for him, and then he stopped. He seems to have stepped into the caretaker role when I met him, and no amount of offering him the best margaritas in the land is making him tuck it away. Not even for a night.
Kenzie pauses at the door before she leaves. “If you guys ever want us to sit with Matthew for a night so you could get a real date night...” She pauses and glances between us, a familiar sizzle settling into my cheeks. “Austin and I could watch him for a few hours. He really took to him in there. And I mean, like, not right now. I know it’s too soon. But we could come over a little more often and get him used to the idea. Even just a meal out, just the two of you.”
She pulls me into a giant hug, planting a kiss on my cheek. “Think about it?”
Thor tugs her into a hug, air kissing her cheek. “We will. Thank you so much, Mackenzie. It was a pleasure.”
When it’s just us left, Thor closes the door behind Slade, and grabs me by the waist, angling me so I’m between him and the pane of wood at my back. He kisses me, deep, and slow, and with such tenderness my whole body springs to life.
“Thank you.”
