“Considering you’re a large tentacled alien, I just want to clarify that you don’t mean seeking the ocean’s bounty straight from the water, right?”
Qylar’s frown deepened.“No.”He chuckled. “Unless we’re talking about some damned fine sushi and then the answer is hell yes.”
Kenji sighed in relief. “In my tentacled form, I’ve gotten hungry and tried to eat things swimming around, but it grossed me out. I mean, little shrimp, plankton and seaweed isn’t so bad in a pinch when I need a boost of energy a few miles off the coast, but much more? Can’t do it.” He scoffed. “Yet I love seafood prepared and served on a plate. I guess I’m a hypocrite in that.”
“If forced to hunt the oceans for sustenance, I would.Ifit was a matter of starvation. The hunting I’m talking about is the best dives, holes in the wall, and food trucks this fantastic city has to offer. I think I’ve found most of them at this point.”
Kenji grinned up at Qylar. “No fine dining, hmm? Just the dives?”
“Therearea few upscale places I like—a couple a lot—but most of them are bougie and overpriced. They’re selling an image, not food. Give me a dive with a clean kitchen and massive plate of something finger-licking good, andthat’swhere I wanna eat.”
“So why did you bother cooking breakfast with skills like that?” Kenji asked with a grin.
“We went at it pretty hard last night. I wanted to let you rest,” Qylar said softly. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to Kenji’s forehead.“AndI was trying to be romantic.”
“It wasveryromantic,” Kenji said.
“I missed the mark.”
“In my opinion, romantic comedies are far superior to romance movies. This would totally happen in one, so you’ve made my morning.”
Qylar smiled down at him. He lifted a hand and cupped Kenji’s cheek. “I’m glad it did.”
They stared at one another, craving flaring in Qylar’s eyes. Kenji’s body reacted within seconds, eager to submit to Qylar’s need and fulfill his own matching desire.
“We should shower and get dressed so I can get you fed,” Qylar said, dragging his gaze from Kenji’s. “Otherwise, we might never leave this house.”
Kenji’s mind was still on a different kind of hunger. “Doesn’t sound so bad to me.”
“I won’t abuse your body,” Qylar said, his voice strained.
“Abuse away.”
“You said it yourself… you’re inexperienced. In time, we’ll be able to go at it for days. For now… you need plenty of rest between.”
“After one night, you assume we have all the time in the world, hmm?”
Qylar flinched, his eyes widening. “We don’t?”
“I don’t know yet.”We do. We belong together.“Maybe.”
Qylar searched his face for a few seconds. “I’ll take your maybe… it’s the closest I’ve gotten so far.”
Kenji smiled.
Qylar growled.
Kenji’s brows furrowed. “What?”
“We never went to pack you a bag last night. You’ll have to put on what you were wearing last night.”
“I hadn’t been wearing them long when you took them off me,” Kenji said with a smirk. “It’s fine.” He cringed. “Though, I might wear this t-shirt out, if you don’t mind?”
“It’shugeon you.”
“Yeah, but I specifically wore a snug t-shirt to visit you. I wanted my condition to be obvious when I took off my coat.”
“You wanted me to gasp, hmm?”
