Page 48 of Riot of Autumn

“Yeah, well, my ass didn’t.”

“So why the secrecy?” Archer asks, recasting his line. “It’s not like we haven’t all been waiting for you two to start humping each other at any moment for the last, oh, fucking forever.”

“Jesus, Archer. It just happened. I haven’t even had time to absorb that it was real.”

“Don’t start stewing over it. You’ll overthink things and try to pick a fight…” Rhys warms me, shaking his head like I’ve already fucked things up.

“Ruby and I always fight.”

“That’s your love language.” Archer grins over at me.

“Have you been reading self-help books?” Davis raises one eyebrow at Archer.

“I’m at the library a lot. I peruse all kinds of shit. You might think of picking up a book and bettering yourself, Sir Grumbles.”

Rhys and I choke on laughter while Davis sighs.

“I read plenty. My personality is chiseled in stone. No book is changing this.” Davis points to himself.

“No one cares,” Rhys says, turning his attention back to me. “Are you and Ruby good?”

I run a hand over my head and try to contain the stupid smile that threatens to take over my face. “We’re keeping it casual. We’re not trying to keep it a secret, it only just happened.” I point my look at Archer, who shrugs as if to say, what are you gonna do?

“What does casual mean?” Rhys asks, sounding a little snarly. Like he’s a big brother asking my intentions toward his little sister.

I guess, in a way, Ruby is kind of like that. Except she’d probably kick his ass if she knew Rhys was getting all macho about this.

“It means we’re going to tread lightly. Christ, did you all plot out the rest of your lives with your girlfriends after the first time you slept together?”

A chorus of noncommittal sounds are tossed back to me.

“Girlfriend, huh?” Archer’s eyes are way too wide and excited.

“I just said we’re taking it slow. No labels, it’s just this thing we’re trying to figure out.”

“Are you going to form the bond?” Archer asks, always digging for one more piece of information.

“Fuck, I don’t know. You want to check and see if I’ve got a ring picked out, names chosen for our kids.”

“Ha, so you’re already talking about passing along the old magical genes. Sounds serious,” Archer says.

My only response is a groan. Fucking Archer. The three assholes I call friends, for some damn reason, finally drop the topic of my love life, in favor of talking about some new building Archer and Davis are renovating. Rhys gets a bite and starts reeling it in. While he and Archer are distracted by that, Davis turns to me, a knowing look in his eyes.

“How are you really feeling about everything with Ruby?”

“Davis, I didn’t know you were so touchy feely.” I deflect.

Davis just blinks at me, not reacting to my words in any way. “It’s you and Ruby.”

“What’s that mean?”

Archer shouts something at the fish he and Rhys are trying to reel in, and my attention momentarily flicks over to them.

“I have eyeballs. Whatever funky foreplay you two get off on is your business, but you and Ruby have been dancing around each other for years.”

“Davis, blink twice if you’ve been body snatched and you’re being held prisoner in your own mind. Shit. I know what it is.” I slap my thigh. “You’re one of the Fae, all glamoured to look like Davis, aren’t you? Well, you fucked up. Davis isn’t warm and fuzzy. He doesn’t talk about his feelings.”

Davis growls at me but doesn’t react otherwise. “Just because I don’t always express shit out loud doesn’t mean I’m a robot. Jesus, man. I care about the two of you. You’re like my family. Ruby’s actually related to me. I’m allowed to check in and make sure you’re not going to fuck this all up.”

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