I stayed quiet the entire way home.

Mostly because I was still trying not to think about the fact that Vaelor's ass had been directly in my face for half the walk.

Very hard to stay angry under those conditions.

Vaelor carried me straight into the house like this happened every day, walked into the kitchen, then dropped me into a chair directly across from his own.

"There," he said calmly while sitting down. "Now we can have dinner."

Kaelen looked way too entertained.

"Our guest finally decided to join us."

I glared at Vaelor immediately.

The table was already set for three.

Platters covered every inch of the center.

Roasted meat.

Vegetables.

Fresh bread.

Pasta.

Actual effort.

Which somehow made him more annoying.

If he had acted like a normal person instead of dragging me through town over his shoulder like a kidnapped Victorian bride, I probably would've enjoyed this.

But no.

Apparently every moment of this man's existence had to feel aggressively Alpha.

"Sorry, Kaelen," I muttered while reaching for food. "If I knew you were actually waiting for me, I would've come sooner."

Vaelor slowly raised an eyebrow.

"And me?"

I looked at him flatly.

"What about you?"

"No apology for me?"

Oh, I had words for him.

Several, actually.

None of them polite.

"There's definitely something I'd like to say to you," I muttered.

"But apology isn't the word."

Kaelen coughed suddenly into his drink.

Vaelor smiled without warmth.

"Good to know."

Then his gaze dropped toward my untouched plate.

"Do you want me to serve you?"

"No."

I crossed my arms instantly.

To my surprise, he mirrored the posture immediately.

"Well." Vaelor leaned back in his chair. "Looks like none of us are eating tonight."

I blinked once.

"What?"

"If our guest refuses dinner," he said smoothly, "it would be rude for the hosts to continue."

Kaelen immediately stopped reaching for the bread.

Traitor.

I stared at both of them in disbelief.

This man was literally using emotional manipulation to force me to eat pasta.

Unbelievable.

"You are insane."

"Possibly."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

Then finally grabbed the serving spoon aggressively.

"Fine."

Victory flashed briefly across his face.

"This time," I warned, "you win."

Vaelor's mouth curved slowly.

"I always do."

God.

I wanted to throw the plate at him.

Kaelen looked between us with open amusement.

"You two act married already."

I nearly choked on a potato.

"No, we absolutely do not."

Vaelor looked at me strangely for half a second before lowering his eyes back to his plate.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Kaelen cleared his throat.

"I heard you visited the library today."

Instant relief.

A normal topic.

Finally.

"I loved it." I turned toward him immediately. "It's small, but the collection's amazing."

"Surprised we have books?"

Vaelor's voice cut smoothly across the table.

I looked at him.

"Well. Before meeting you? Maybe not."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"But after the caveman act and forced marriages straight out of the eighteenth century..." I shrugged. "I started reconsidering."

Kaelen bit down hard on a smile.

Vaelor sighed dramatically and dragged a hand through his hair.

"Life was simpler when women listened."

I stared at him in horror.

"You cannot be serious."

A slow grin spread across his mouth.

"Maybe I wasn't," he said lazily, "before meeting you."

I pointed at him immediately.

"See? That. That's exactly why I can't stand you."

"And yet," he murmured, "you keep looking at me."

Heat climbed straight into my face.

Damn him.

I focused very hard on my food after that.

Didn't help.

Not when his hands kept catching my attention.

Large hands.

Long fingers.

Strong wrists.

Everything about him looked rough and dangerous.

My imagination betrayed me instantly.

Those hands on my body.

Sliding over bare skin.

Holding my thighs apart—

I nearly inhaled orange juice wrong.

Jesus Christ.

I grabbed my drink immediately.

Cold liquid.

Focus.

Think about literally anything else.

Vaelor went completely still across from me.

Then—

"Fuck."

The curse slipped quietly under his breath.

His grip tightened hard around the fork in his hand.

"What?" I looked up immediately. "Are you okay?"

Unfortunately my voice came out rough too.

Which made everything worse.

Kaelen suddenly became very interested in his food.

Vaelor didn't answer.

His eyes stayed locked on my mouth.

Gold flickered briefly through the green again.

Wolf eyes.

Oh.

Oh no.

Kaelen finally cleared his throat.

"So," he said casually, "do you like whipped cream?"

I blinked at him.

"What?"

"Dessert." Kaelen smiled innocently. "Strawberry cream cake."

Vaelor's jaw tightened instantly.

Kaelen continued anyway, clearly enjoying himself now.

"Soft cream everywhere." His smile widened. "I'm guessing you'll moan for more."

"Kaelen."

Vaelor's voice sounded dangerous.

Very dangerous.

A low sound slipped from his throat anyway.

Not quite a growl.

Not quite anything human either.

Heat flooded my body so fast I nearly dropped my glass.

Kaelen stood immediately and grabbed his plate before Vaelor murdered him.

"What?" he asked innocently while walking toward the sink. "What did I say?"

Vaelor looked one second away from ripping the kitchen apart.

Meanwhile I sat frozen in my chair trying very hard not to imagine myself naked in Vaelor's bed covered in whipped cream.

Which, honestly, was becoming a serious problem.