Page 20 of Dragon in Denial
Ugh. What the hell am I thinking?
He cleared his throat. “Good morning.”
She narrowed her eyes and grunted.
He chuckled and lifted his mug. “Coffee?”
She grunted again and said, “Bathroom first.” And then she rolled out of bed and disappeared behind the closed door.
“Your mate is not a morning person,” Pongo said.
“She’s not my mate.” Ketu filled a second mug with the dark, aromatic brew. He had no idea if she liked it black or doctored. She hadn’t been a coffee drinker before he ran away to Detroit.
“There is much history between the two of you,” Pongo said as he loaded a plate with eggs and bacon and handed it to Ketu.
“Thanks.” He placed the dish on the small table. “We’ve known each other since she was five, so yeah, lots of history.”
“Not all of it is good,” Pongo said, handing him another plate.
“Is it ever, with that many years under our belts?”
“I suppose that is a fair assessment.” He filled a third plate and said, “I will eat out on the dock. When you are ready, I shall take you to the nearest town.”
“Thanks again for your hospitality,” Ketu said to the gargoyle’s retreating back.
When Antoinette joined him, he offered her the steaming mug. “Do you take anything in it?”
“Nope.” She lifted it to her lips, breathed deeply, and then sipped. When the hell had the act of drinking coffee become so damn erotic? “What?” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He shook his head and waved at the table. “Breakfast?”
She tossed him a suspicious look before making her way toward the smell of bacon and eggs. “Is there any hot sauce?”
A woman after his own heart. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce and handed it to her.
She grunted again.
“Definitely not a morning person, I see,” he noted.
She focused on eating and didn’t respond.
“Were you always like this? I remember you spending the night a lot, but I don’t really recall what you were like in the mornings.”
“Yes. Eulalie used to harass me endlessly. She was always so damn chipper the second she woke up. At least, until those last few months.”
Ketu dropped his gaze to his plate. He didn’t want to talk about his sister, because it hurt, yet he did because Antoinette probably had as many memories as he did, and in a weird way, it warmed his heart to hear her talk so fondly about his baby sis.
But he didn’t want to think about those last few months.
“Mental note: don’t talk to Antoinette until she’s had at least one cup of coffee.”
She grunted again. “I’d make it two if I were you.”
He smiled, and it widened when he noticed her lips twitching, like she was trying to suppress her own. But then she focused on her breakfast, shoveling eggs into her mouth and chasing them with coffee before saying, “So Pongo’s ready when we are?”
Ketu nodded and carried his plate to the sink, scrubbing it with a sponge before rinsing and placing it in the drainer. No doubt Antoinette was eager to get home to her son.
They’d cleaned up the kitchen by the time Pongo stepped inside with his empty dish. He looked around and nodded. “You are good guests. You are welcome back anytime, but I am sure you are ready to be gone. Come.” He placed his plate in the sink and motioned for them to follow him back to the dock.
