“Oh, wasn’t it?”
The elevator spat them out on Peter’s floor.He put a hand on the small of Theo’s back while he looked over at the waiting area, just to make sure the asshole vampire wasn’t waiting for them, trying to ruin their day.
Peter made straight for Michael’s office, and as expected, the siren was there and on the phone.
“You pick, honey,” Michael said as Peter gently but firmly shoved Theo into Michael’s office.“I’m fine with chocolate or strawberry cream filling.Yes, of course.Corvin, Peter just walked into my office.I’ll talk to you later, all right?”Michael hung up the phone and turned his attention to Peter, then to Theo.“Do I need to babysit again?Please tell me I won’t have to outrun any loups-garous in the middle of the night this time, Peter.”
“Loop what?”Theo asked.
“Theodore, meet Michael, lawyer colleague and siren.Michael—” Peter put his arm around Theo’s middle.“—this is Theodore.And I just need you to keep your eye on him for a few hours while I’m taking meetings.And no, no loups-garous, just a tenacious vampire ex who is stalking him.Nothing major.”
“What?”Theo asked.
“Oh, wait.Wait.Not a client?”Michael asked.His eyes wandered to where Peter was holding Theo.
“No,” Peter said.“Not a client.Which is why I would like you not to let him out of your sight even for a second.”
Theo held his hands up.“I don’t need a babysitter.And since when are sirens guys?I thought they were all pretty girls with seashell bras.”
Michael straightened.“Well, excuse you.I’m not explaining the birds and the bees to him, Peter.Or why seashell bras are not a thing.”
Peter waved it off.“That won’t be necessary.And Michael is more of a bodyguard rather than a babysitter, Theodore.I gather the wedding is coming along nicely, Michael?”
Michael shrugged.“Cake decision fatigue, I think.So your not-a-client situation is human?”
“Quite.”Peter reeled Theo in that much closer to him.
“He’s the reason you didn’t reschedule that performance review with Dina?”
Peter sighed theatrically.“I have no time for performance reviews at present, Michael.In fact, I have meetings to get to.Do tell your sweet, sweet fiancé to go with dark cherry and dark chocolate.I hear you cannot go wrong with those.”Peter turned to Theo, who eyed Michael warily.When Peter pressed a kiss to Theo’s lips, he melted, much like that dark chocolate might have, and his jade eyes went wide.“I won’t be all that long, Theodore.”
Peter brushed his fingers through Theo’s hair.It was unnecessary, but Peter was beginning to enjoy the silky feel of the strands running through his fingers.
“Right,” Theo said, voice dreamy.
Peter left to deal with his gargoyle clients, even if half his mind was still occupied with how best to go about ridding Theo of Bernard, permanently.
18
Theo
Theolookedatthesiren lawyer.He was a handsome guy—dark hair, blue eyes, narrow waist—and he was looking Theo over with just as much interest as Theo was examining him with.
“Michael, was it?”
“Only Peter and my mother call me that,” the lawyer said.“Call me Mike, like everyone else does.You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Peter this non-grumpy.Ever.”
“Huh?”
Mike waved Theo over to a table in the corner of his office.Files were stacked on it, but Mike piled them all on a chair so the light wood was visible again.
“Well, Peter gets grumpy, and when he gets grumpy, he gets even more intimidating than normal.”The lawyer shrugged.“My fiancé calls him Peter the Terrible, and Peter likes that.How’d you two meet?”
Theo put his bag on the table.“I, uhm… Long story.”
Whatever Peter had said, Theo wasn’t going to go around and tell people they’d met at a brothel where Theo worked.Or had worked?Everything’s happening so fast.I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.I’d go back to camming, but that would make it even easier for Bernard to find me.Perhaps I… Maybe I can get work stacking shelves or something.
Mike crossed his arms.“Sorry.I don’t mean to pry, but I’m just so surprised.And curious.It’s not really like Peter to…umm…get close to people, I guess.I’ve never seen him do anything even remotely romantic for anyone.You’re why he’s been working from home though, right?”
