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Ava ventured behind him to grab a pair of wine glasses. Though neither could truly become inebriated, she occasionally appreciated the temporary feeling of tipsiness. Turning, she got an eyeful of the gorgeous man on the stool.
She licked her lips.
His massive shoulders, coiled with muscle, were defined even through his cashmere sweater. The tanned skin of his forearms reflected golden in the warm light, one inked in dark grey-blue and the other remaining a blank canvas. He was dutifully dishing out food for her, being meticulously careful with each deposited spoonful as though he’d been scolded in the past.
Her lips quirked, but her heart bloomed with appreciation. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had pampered her like this. To see the cocky male so domestic was surprising, but immediately treasured.
Coming up behind him, she pressed herself into his back, sneaking her arms around that toned waist to express her appreciation and draw him near. What she didn’t expect was Remmus swiftly becoming a statue, every muscle locking in place.
For a second, he didn’t even breathe.
The disconcerting reaction was there and gone again in less than a second, and Ava couldn’t tell if she’d imagined it.
Gently, she laid her head on the back of his shoulders, sighing in contentment. His warmth bled through her thin sweater, the minty scent of him tickling her nose. He chuckled, and she appreciated the depth of his voice.
“Since you’ve decided to become a barnacle instead of a wolf,” he said, “does that mean I get to eat all the baked spaghetti?”
She gave him one more squeeze around his waist before she detached, coming to sit next to him on the stools.
“Even barnacles eat, Remmus.”
Ava took a swig of hot chocolate, a satisfied purr rumbling through her as she closed her eyes and savored the richness. Beside her, he poured them both a glass of wine.
“What do they eat? Salt? Ocean water? Are they even alive?”
Laughing, her lips twisted in a wry line. “I think barnacles exist on the pure, undying love of whatever creature or inanimate object they’ve attached themselves to.”
“Well, as the creature attached to your barnacle affections, I’ll endeavor to feed you well.” Winking, Remmus raised his glass. “To barnacles.”
“Barnacles.”
Clinking her glass on his, Ava took a sip before forking several mouthfuls of baked spaghetti into her mouth. The silence was only punctuated by Remmus’ delighted sighs, and she took it as an indicator that he was enjoying the meal as much as she was.
“So, what did our pal Orren have to say while he was trying to creep on you in dark corners?”
Ava had almost forgotten. Swallowing, she shrugged her shoulders. “Seems our friends at Citizens are deep in it. Using my keen powers of seduction, I was able to get him to brag about their contacts with the military.” She sneered. “And the fact that they’re abducting wolves again.”
“They are?”
Remmus’ head turned to catch her eye, giving her a chance to revel in the beauty of his gaze. Shards of blue interspersed the green, the color difference dazzling up close. She would’ve said the crystalline clarity of each color was impossible, yet here he sat before her. Somewhere, deep within, a question formed in her mind, but she shook it off.
“Ava?”
Blinking, her cheeks burned red. “Sorry, got distracted.”
“By my devastating good looks?”
“Something like that.”
“You were saying about the wolves?” he prompted, gently nudging her with his elbow before downing another swallow of wine.
“Yeah.” She traced her fork through the puddles of spaghetti sauce staining her plate. “Orren said they were ‘walking on the wild side and grabbing a few feral wolves where they could’. I think they’ve got some in holding cells somewhere.”
Years ago, when the Citizens had first arrived on the scene, they’d begun shooting wolves with the intent to turn them rabid. Though the werewolves now had the vaccine to combat the effects of the concoction they’d brewed, it always remained a question of whether or not the wolf would be strong enough to resist.
The Raeth was quiet for a beat. “We’re going to find them.”
Something in her chest unknotted, and for a second, her eyes burned. Remmus was a ray of sunshine in the darkest of night, and his overwhelming positivity seared through any bleakness she felt.
