“Fun.” He repeated the word. Then, that hint of a smile I’d caught earlier fully surfaced. “I suppose it was.” He took a breath and stepped closer, a touch of resolve in his eyes now. “I can stay for a while. At least for a cup of tea.”
“Yay.” I beamed at him. “Let’s go.”
Lake followed me into the cottage, keeping a small distance between us. As I filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove, he hovered in front of the island counter, gaze sweeping around the kitchen.
Was he noting all the exit points like Maddox always did when we went someplace new? Checking for possible threats?
“I hope you like green tea,” I said. “Sorry, I didn’t even ask. I can make something else. Or coffee if you prefer. There’s milk and water too.”
“Green tea is fine.” Lake’s purple eyes moved to me, and the wariness in them was like a fortified wall meant to keep everyone out. “So this cottage is your home and your place of business.”
“Yep. I live upstairs.” I nodded to the table by the window. “That’s where I eat breakfast and stuff. The main dining room is for the customers during the day, but we eat dinner in there.”
Lake nodded. “Your males and the knights. I saw them earlier this evening.”
“Mhm. Kuya comes over sometimes too.”
“The demi-cat.” He touched the side of his neck. “The one with a fondness for biting.”
When Lake had snatched me from the road and carried me off into the woods months ago, Kuya had pursued us and pounced on him.“Kuya kill,”he had said before biting at Lake’s throat like a vicious little predator.
A laugh bubbled from me. “I’m sorry about that. I hope he didn’t hurt you too bad.”
Lake surprised me by smiling a little. “He didn’t. It’s nice you have someone who’ll come to your aid like that. A true friend.”
“Yeah. He is.” I turned back to the kettle as it whistled and removed it from the heat. My heart felt all wobbly. How had I gotten so lucky to not only have men who were crazy about me—and me equally as head over heels for them—but also friends like Kuya, Callum, and the knights.
Thank you, Lupin,I thought as emotion balled in my chest.For everything.
Once the tea was ready, I filled two cups and stacked the leftover blueberry muffins on a plate before setting it on the table. I also brought over the rest of a vanilla cake that had been slathered in royal frosting and decorated with chocolate dipped cherries. “There’s sugar if you want any with your tea.”
“I appreciate your hospitality.” Lake waited for me to sit before taking the seat across from mine. He added a spoonful of sugar and stirred it in. His movements were way too stiff. When the edge of the spoon clanked against the glass, causing a few drops of tea to dribble on the tabletop, he cringed and reached for a napkin, only for his hand to knock against the cup and spill some more. “Apologies.”
He was so awkward. A trait we shared. He wasn’t used to being around anyone and didn’t know how to behave.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I spill stuff all the time. And trip while walking across flat surfaces. So don’t worry at all.”
Relief flashed in his eyes before his gaze dropped back to the table. Had he been nervous I’d be angry? God. I just wanted to hug him.
“Have a muffin.” I pushed the plate toward him. “There’s cake too.”
He looked at the plate but kept his hands in his lap. Off the table. “I should leave. The hour is getting late.”
“But you haven’t drank or eaten anything yet,” I said, hearing the disappointment in my voice.
As Lake’s eyes flickered back to mine, I wondered if he’d heard it too. He curved his hands around the cup before taking a sip. His gaze roamed to the plate of muffins before averting back to his cup. He clearly wanted one but wouldn’t take it.
“Here.” I put one on the plate beside his cup.
Lake’s ears perked up before he took a bite. Three bites later, only crumbs were left. His pale cheeks gained a bit of color as he looked at me. “Thank you for the treat.”
The treat.Why did that sound so cute coming from him? Maybe the fluffy white wolf ears jutting from his silver hair had something to do with it.
“You’re welcome.”
“Is business going well?” Lake eyed another muffin but grabbed his tea instead.
“It’s been amazing.” I set the muffin on his plate and smiled as he wasted no time biting into it. “Better than I ever expected. I just hope it stays that way.”
