“I’m here to guide.If I don’t do that, I’ll get fired.”The unspokenagainhung in the air.
Kenyon tilted his head, and for once, he didn’t look quite as dumb as he usually did.“That’s not true.First of all, you can always say an idea is too much.You don’t have to do whatever we say, and even if you wanted to help, you don’t have to do it the way anyone says—not even Carter.”
“Rude.”The familiar voice cut into our conversation, and I turned my gaze to find Carter breezing in as though nothing had happened.
He looked far too nice for this time in the evening.He wore a three-piece suit, and he wore it well.It showed off the way his waist narrowed, the wider set of his back and shoulders.
Thiswas what women meant when they said they liked men in suits.
Bastard.
Why had he dressed up so much?As though this were some date?It wasn’t even like I would guide him today, so was he just showing off?
Part of me wondered if he was just being respectful in some weird way.
That didn’t seem like this man, though.
“It’s true,” Kenyon said.“Even you wouldn’t force her to do this if she said she couldn’t.”
“You think I’m way nicer than I am.”He undid his jacket and removed it, slinging it over the back of the couch.It showed off the way the fastening at the back of his vest pulled in at his waist, and his wrists had cuff links with pearls in them.
I’d never thought a man could pull off pearls, but here we were.
“You want a drink?”Ingram carried a bottle of alcohol in his hand, but he stood too far away for me to identify it.
“Is drinking a good idea?”Kenyon asked.
“It helps relax people, and she looks like she could fucking use some relaxing.”Ingram unscrewed the top, then tipped it up and dumped a gulp into his mouth.He didn’t so much as grimace afterward, like he’d just swallowed a mouthful of water rather than hard liquor.
“She’s fried espers before.Perhaps we shouldn’t have her in a condition likely to cause that.”Shear snatched the bottle from Ingram’s hand, getting a glare in response.Not that Shear gave any reaction, as though he either didn’t notice the look or didn’t care.
Then again, none of these men seemed afraid of each other, none watched their backs.No matter what others said or thought about them, it was pretty clear they trusted each other.
“Drunk people are happy,” Ingram argued.
“Have you never heard of a mean drunk?”Kenyon pointed out.“For all we know, she gets extra feisty when she drinks.Not everyone gets cuddly like you do.”
Ingram shrugged and plopped onto the couch, his legs stretched out, his body slouched down.“Let’s be clear—I don’t cuddle.”
“Tell me again why you ended up spooning me the last time you drank yourself into oblivion?”Carter asked, crossing his arms.
“I never!”
“Wait,yourbed?But he crawled into mine later.”Kenyon twisted to move his gaze between Carter and Ingram as though he couldn’t quite believe it, like some scorned lover who found out he’d been cheated on.
“You left mine for his?”Carter played right along.
And for a moment, I forgot about my nerves, about anything except the absolute spectacle these men made.
It made me wonder what anyone would think if they saw them like this.These men were espers, some of the most feared and celebrated people in the world—even if these specific specimens weren’t thought of so kindly—and no would believe that they acted in this way.
“He’s more cozy to spoon,” Ingram said with a shrug.
“He’s saying you’re fat,” Carter added on.
“I amnotfat.”Kenyon crossed his arms, and I had to admit, I’d seen no sign of fat.
“You’re in the overweight category for BMI.”Shear set the bottle of alcohol on the coffee table.
