I leaned on my good arm and lifted my hips as he pulled my jeans down, revealing my black panties and the Keystone tattoo on the right side, below my navel.
When I caught his eyes lingering on the tattoo, I sat up. “That’s enough. I can do the rest.”
He stepped back a few paces. “Switch lost out on his chance. He’s probably an old fat bastard by now.”
I kicked off my pants. “Not that old. Just in his thirties.”
“Potbelly, seven kids, a part-time job at the gas station, probably a criminal record. I bet when he buys his carton of smokes and drives home in his El Camino, he thinks back with regret and wonders why he didn’t flatten you in the back of his Chevy.”
“Ford, actually. And that’s the takeaway you got from my story? Nothing about loyalty or teaching a woman to conquer her fears?”
He shrugged and strode toward the door. “Just an observation. Poor Switch. I’ll be sure to remember him in my prayers tonight.”
I fell back on the bed and laughed. “If you ever put your hands together to pray, you’ll probably turn into a pile of ash.”
He opened the door. “Be sure to sweep up my remains. You know how I hate littering.”
“I’ll collect your ashes and sprinkle them around your favorite bar,” I quipped.
“Maybe you should sprinkle them in your favorite bottle of wine. Then you can enjoy tasting me for the next century. Sleep well, Precious.”
Chapter 11
“Anyone want seconds?” I asked, eyeing a bowl of spaghetti.
A few people gave me quiet glares except for Christian, whose plate was empty as usual.
Maybe spaghetti for breakfast wasn’t the greatest idea, but it was the easiest thing to make. I was still sore from Niko’s training session where he had me balance on one leg while he tried to tip me over. Besides, inappropriate meals were part of my master plan to botch up my cooking week so badly that they’d never want me to do my rotation again.
Viktor shoved his plate away. “Do they not teach young girls domestic skills?”
I gulped down my water. “Sorry, Viktor. They just teach us how to be doctors, lawyers, and politicians.”
Gem pulled both feet up on her chair and stared at the floral print on her leggings. “Shepherd’s been reclusive this morning. I thought it was a hangover, but when I passed him in the hall earlier, he barely acknowledged me.”
Blue rested her chin in her palm. “Should we take him some food?”
Christian’s lips twitched. “Nothing goes with a hangover like noodles.”
Viktor stroked his beard and gave me a critical look. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you want to tell me about last night?”
“I told you everything that happened. Maybe the turtle didn’t sit well with him. They talked while I chased the kid around. I’m not keeping anything from you. If I was going to keep secrets, I would have left out the part where I climbed onto a Mage’s car and rode down the freeway.”
Gem gave an elfin smile. “I would have loved to have seen that. Raven flying like a bird.”
“We should have stayed behind,” Claude growled, tossing his fork down. “ThenIwould have been the one to give chase, not Raven. She could have been killed.”
“It doesn’t matter if it was you or me who jumped on that car,” I pointed out. “Gender has nothing to do with—”
“Bravado?” he finished.
“I was going to say aptitude. I didn’t chase after him because there wasn’t a man there who couldn’t or wouldn’t. I did it because it’s my job.”
He pressed his finger against the table. “You could have been hurt.”
Christian pushed away his empty plate. “You should quit while you’re ahead.”
“I wouldn’t say he’s ahead,” Blue added, a smile hovering on her lips. “Seems like Raven is leading by a point.”
