“Connor,” I say quietly. “I will never be against you and neither will Mira. She’s upstairs, in our kitchen, making all of us breakfast eventhough you’ve been a complete ass to her. You need to give her a chance for my sake. Please.”
Connor’s lips thin, but his posture relaxes with dejection. I love the guy; I don’t want to alienate him, but he makes it very damn difficult to be his friend.
“Fine,” he says after several moments. “I’ll give her a shot. If she betrays us or fucks us, though, you’ll need to handle her.”
That’s the best endorsement I can hope for from him.
Seamus stands from the couch, stretching his arms above his head with a loud yawn. “Well, I’m starving, and the scents wafting down here are delightful. I’m heading upstairs to see what’s cooking.”
Even though Seamus has given up his quest to fuck Mira—he now seems more focused on her friend, Valerie—I still don’t want him alone with her. I don’t wantanyman other than myself alone with her. I follow him upstairs, making my way into the kitchen. Mira’s dressed in a tight shirt and even tighter jeans, back turned to us as she hovers over the stove. Bacon sizzles on one pan, and she’s flipping slices of French toast on another. On the kitchen island sits a large glass bowl filled with cut-up fruit.
“If you guys want to start setting the table, it’d be much appreciated,” she calls over her shoulder.
Seamus sighs. “Here I was hoping I’d manage to jump-scare her. The girl has eyes in the back of her head.” He moves to follow her instructions nevertheless, just as Connor makes an appearance.
“Smells good,” he grunts.
“Tastes better,” Mira retorts, bending to pull a pan from the oven. Connor’s eyes fall to her ass, glimmering with appreciation; I damn near stab him in the neck for looking. Instead, I glare at him until he averts his gaze and walks away, shaking his head with derision.
I walk over to Mira, wrapping my arms around her from behind and resting my chin on her head. She gives my arm a squeeze before loading several more slices of soaked French toast onto the pan, sprinkling them with cinnamon and brown sugar.
“Bacon’s about ready if you want to plate it up,” she says. “The croissant casserole is also ready. Just another few minutes for the French toast.”
“Thanks, baby.” I kiss her neck, smiling when a little shudder runs down her arms.
Once everything’s done, we settle in the dining room for breakfast. Mira’s quiet, and it takes me a few minutes to realize that she keeps glancing at the window, her expression nervous. She must be remembering what happened the night I got shot. Home invasion is a touchy, difficult subject for her, and she had to experience ithere.
I stand, pick her up, and deposit her on my lap. She melts into me instantly, back relaxing against my chest, resting her cheek against my neck. She presses a kiss to my jaw, and my cock twitches. I inhale a deep breath and try to focus on food. Getting a hard-on when Ijustnegotiated a fragile peace with Connor is not the way to go.
Mira, however, isn’t on board with my thoughts. When she feels my dick start to stiffen, she sucks in a short breath, thenwriggles on my lap. My jaw clenches as I reach around her and focus on slicing off a piece of French toast, holding it up to her lips. She stares into my eyes, wraps her lips around the fork, and hollows her cheeks as she sucks the French toast off of the tines. I suppress a low groan. The little minx isteasingme.
“As riveting as this foreplay is, I have places to be today,” Seamus says. “I’ll meet you lot back here at five. Mira, do say hello to that lovely little firecracker next you speak to her. And tell her to text me back.”
Mira’s eyebrows rise as she quickly chews and swallows, turning to face Seamus. “You’re talking to Valerie?”
“Talking’s the minority of what we’ve done,” Seamus replies with a suggestive smile. “Tell her to respond, love. I’m eager to see her again.”
Mira bites her lip. “Um… I should see her at school today, but Val doesn’t usually date.”
“I’m well aware. We’re not dating.”
Mira clears her throat. “She doesn’t usually… spend more than one night with a guy.”
“Ah, but I’m not justanyguy,” Seamus says with a smile. “Tell her to answer, love. I’ll take care of the rest.” He tips Mira a wink, stands, and leaves. Connor exits shortly afterwards, taking his and Seamus’s plate to the kitchen.
“Trying to get me hard in front of my legion?” I growl in Mira’s ear. “That’s not very nice.”
“I don’t have to do much,” she says with a breathless laugh. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, but you’re very excitable.”
“Only for you, baby,” I say. “But unless you want to get fucked over this kitchen table and be late to school, I highly recommend you ease up. You’re sore and I’m insatiable; there’s no need to tempt the beast.
Mira gives me a demure look. “What if I like the beast?”
A long breath escapes me. “Then you better be ready for him to feast on you, because he isravenous.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Dorian
