Page 82 of Powerless
“You could never. Just go with what feels right.” He gave my ear a playful nip. “Worst case scenario, you come home with only me.”
“Hm, I like the way you put that.” I smiled up at him, leaning back into his chest as I started to sway to an upbeat song playing from somewhere. “Where’s the music coming from?”
“Check this out.” He took my hand and led me across the patio. “Dallas collects these things. Isn’t this nuts?”
Noelle and Larkan sat on the loveseat next to a black rectangular thing on one of the coffee tables, where the music was coming from. Or rather, she was sitting moreonhim. Good thing, Reaper was in too good of a mood to complain.
“Look at these, Mari.” Noelle handed me a stack of flat, square plastic cases. “Our mom and dads used to play these bands all time.”
“Wait a minute, you mean that’s a,” I sorted through the cases, which sure enough had round discs inside, “a CD player? A real one?”
“It has a radio and a cassette player, too. Dallas said he has a record player in his house but it’s too valuable to bring outside,” Larkan added.
“Why did the old folks have to have the best music, huh?” Reaper asked, taking the loveseat across from them and pulling me into his lap. He nuzzled my ear, crooning the song currently playing. “With me it’s gonna be a good story to tell. Cash, grass, and ass on the highway to Hell.”
“Hey, guys.”
I looked up, my heart jumping into my throat at the voice.
“Jandro, have a seat.”
Reaper scooted over to give his VP room to sit while subtly shifting me over in his lap—putting me in the middle.
“Where’s Shadow?” I asked, noticing the large man usually with him was absent.
"He wasn't in a partying mood, just wanted to chill at home tonight."
"Is heeverin a partying mood?" Noelle muttered, flipping through more CD cases.
"Hey, he came out last time and helped me grill corn! That's a lot for him."
"Sugar?" Reaper shot me an intense look that told me exactly what he was asking.
"He apologized in my office this morning," I answered. "All's said and done. It's behind us now."
He visibly relaxed. "Good." His eyes flashed with mischief now as he looked at me over his beer, and I knew easily what else was on his mind.
"So, uh," I turned to Jandro, my nerves eating away at me. "How are the chickens?"
He nearly choked on his drink. "You say that like you haven't heard Foghorn crowing at the ass-crack of dawn every morning."
"I actually haven’t.”
"She sleeps like the dead," Reaper shook his head at me. "I don't know how."
"I was a war medic and traveled by bus everywhere! I learned to take hard catnaps whenever I could."
"A little less catnap and a little more vampire," Reaper teased.
Noelle and Larkan chose right then to take a dip in the pool, and I knew the inevitable was coming.
Reaper's hand slid across my back and my heart felt like it was going to break out of my chest. I knew his touch was an attempt at being calming, but it only made me hyperaware of what was about to happen.
"Jandro," he began. "There's something Mari and I would like to ask you."
His VP's hazel eyes slid over to me, then back to him. "Yes?" he asked, his tone and expression cool.
"We're wondering if you'd like to join our relationship," Reaper's hand closed around mine. "As a second partner to her."
