Page 26 of Hearts of Stone
I sink down into the chair and contemplate my answer.
He cracks the eggs into the pan and looks over his shoulder at me, “Would you prefer I bend you over the table and inspect for myself?”
“Fine. It’s fine.” I blurt quickly.
“Which?” He sounds amused but I certainly am not.
“My bottom is sore but... I think the cream you... used on me worked. Nothing else hurts.”
“Good, good,” he seems pleased. “I’ll have Ben help me print up the daily wear trainer for you today.
Before I can stop myself, I mutter, “Oh goody.”
He chuckles as he places thick slices of crusty bread on a cast iron skillet.
“Tell me, bride, what kind of a business did you own?”
“Do.”
He looks over his shoulder at me again, his dark, shapely eyebrows raised, “Pardon?”
“What businessdoI own. It’s still mine. I’ll be returning to it in three hundred and sixty-two days.”
When he silently lets that go, I add, “I brew beer.”
“You own a tavern?” He questions as he pulls out plates.
“No, I sell barrels to several nearby taverns. I managed to clear out my cellar before I was picked up by the government.” I frown. “My assistant will be able to sell the few barrels that are still aging in a few weeks but the batches that I just started will be lost. I sent samples of my yeast strains to another brewer a few hours away, hoping he’ll be able to keep them alive for me.” No point in telling him that having a reason to travel and visit taverns and inns is a great cover for the work I do with the Bell’s Rebels.
He places a plate in front of me and stands, leaning against the counter. His body is lean muscle and his shaggy black hair invites fingers to play in it. Aside from the grey of his skin and his wings, he’s pretty much what most human women would consider a perfect masculine specimen. It irritates me.
But a whiff of him hits me.Cedar trees, that’s it. Fuck, he smells incredible.
“I’m sorry for the loss of some of your product,” he says earnestly.
It makes me madder and I look down at my plate, not wanting to get thrown over his leg for a spanking if he sees how annoyed I am.
“Is your assistant related to you?” he asks, between bites of egg.
I blink. “No, why?”
He shrugs. “So that the business would go to them by law if you stay as our center.”
I slap my fork down on the counter. “Iwon’tbe, so it’s not an issue.Sir.”
The prick merely looks amused. He raises one sharp eyebrow. “You’d leave a child of your blood with us?”
I won’t be having a child, but he doesn’t need to know that.
I shrug. “That’s the idea, isn’t it?”
He steps closer, though the island is still between us. “What if it wasn’t?”
Ben suddenly slips into the chair beside me.Damn, he’s quiet. They all are. I should put bells on them.Ben glares at Arch, fury hardly hidden.
His tail goes to my thigh, stroking lightly. I grit my teeth.
“Arch,” Ben says.
