Page 61 of The Magic of Revenge
"I have a body, Kai. For the first time. I'm trying to decide which textures appeal to me on a skin-to-material basis. How else will I know what I like?" I asked, rolling my eyes a little because, duh.
"Are you planning on making clothing out of area rugs?" he asked, looking down at me.
"Why the fuck would I want to do that? That would be hideous. And stupid." I started spreading my arms and legs like Fischer had done in the snow as a kid. Oh, this was an interesting sensation.
"Then why does it matter if the fibers of the rug appeal to your skin?" he laughed, shaking his head.
"What if I wanna fuck on a rug sometime?" I asked and his eyes widened before his brow furrowed as he considered that.
"Damn, there’s a method to your madness after all. I'm impressed," Kai chuckled before he hopped up and walked over to a window to look outside.
"What are you doing?" I pushed up off the rug smoothly and walked over to where he was. He jumped when I got there quicker than a normal person and I laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. What are we doing? Recon? Spying? Bird watching?"
"Dude, no. I'm just looking to see where Saige is," he said, and continued scanning the lawn.
I frowned. "I thought she was going for a walk with her grandma."
Kai huffed and ran a hand through his hair. "She is. I'm just making sure everything is okay. Okay?" His tone was a little snappy and I wasn't sure what I'd said to make him unhappy. Kai sighed and turned to me. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I'm just a little on edge since everything." He threw his hands up and started pacing.
The rest of the guys started filtering into the room, watching Kai with interest.
"What's up, K?" Cam asked, stopping in front of his friend and halting his repetitious behavior.
"I was just telling Faris that I'm a little antsy. I don't really like not being able to see Sprout."
Cam's face softened in understanding and he pulled Kai into his chest, giving him a tight hug.
"I think that's normal, K," Sloane piped in and I glared at him as I slid my back up and down the bricks of the fireplace.By the sun, that feels really abrasive and slightly painful and... this might be my favorite texture yet.
"The fuck you doing, Faris?" Fischer questioned, sitting down in the spot Kai had vacated.
"As I told Kai, I'm using a skin-to-surface test to determine what I like and dislike. So far, bricks are winning," I grinned, pleased at my findings.
Kai's head whipped over to where I kept dropping it like it was hot. I watched his gaze trail from me to something up on the wall. Curious of what could draw his attention from me, my eyes snagged on a huge macramé that had tons of intricate knots and thick ropes...
"Don't even think about it, vamp boy," Bram told me, killing my dreams.
"You're no fun," I pouted. But still, I would get my body on that art before the day was out. Mark my words.
"I think we need to have a discussion. Regarding several things," Cam said as he sank down into a huge recliner.
"Agreed," everyone added, including me. Because yeah, I had shit to discuss. Lots of it. But I was going to wait to see what they wanted to talk about first, because I'd slid from the bricks over to the couch and picked up a pillow that was covered in sequins. Why in creation would someone want to put this on their face? The words 'Have a nice day' were shimmering in a multitude of colors. The sequins themselves didn't feel too great.
Bram sat down beside me. "Run your hand up from the bottom and push the sequins up as you go." He leaned back and waited for me to do as he said.
I followed his instruction and my mouth fell open as all of the colors disappeared and were replaced with just black and white sequins... but the words changed too. I held the pillow out and a laugh ripped out of me as I read the new expression. 'Fuck you.'
"Um, so this is mine now. Thank you." I tucked the pillow under my arm and got comfortable. "Are we gonna talk or stare at each other all afternoon?"
They continued to stare, so I stuck my tongue out. Losers.
Cam cleared his throat. “Well. I think this is the perfect time to clear the air and get out any issues, ideas, or new developments that have happened over the course of the past few weeks." He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. But before he could continue, Saige strolled into the living room, burrito in hand, and froze mid-bite as she realized she'd walked in on a discussion.
She groaned. "What did I miss?" Her eyes were a little red and hinted at an underlying sadness that I really didn't fucking like. It made me want to find whatever had made her that way and rip it into a thousand pieces, then throw it into the air like confetti.Confetti... I wonder what that feels like...
"Nothing, sweetheart. We're just about to talk about everything, get it all out on the table so everyone is on the same page," Fischer told her and she nodded, her body relaxing in clear relief that nothing new had transpired.
"That's a good idea," she agreed, looking around the room for a place to sit. Nearly everyone moved at once, either making space or reaching for her. She laughed and shook her head. "You guys are nuts."
