He groans, hand dragging down his face. “You caught that, huh?” He peeks at me through the gap in his fingers. That small action is painfully adorable.
Ezekial tsks mentally.“And you said Kane didn’t know how to flirt.”
Sai’s markings flare, his gaze cutting.“At least I wasn’t humping a fucking wall all night.”
“I—I wasn’t… I was just… near it,”Ezekial splutters.
I bite my lip, barely holding it together.
“Oh. My. Fuck.”Sai lets out a single, incredulous laugh.“You wereactuallyhumping it?”
“Gentleman, please can we postpone this conversation for when we are in lesser company.”Julien casts a stern look at both men. Then those deep, entrancing eyes flicker to me. “Please, take a seat, Jasmine.”
He gestures to the table.
A long, rectangular table which has too many empty seats, five to be exact. All the men are spread out with at least one empty chair between them.
“Do you always sit at tables like this?” I search the vacant restaurant. There’s no one else here but us, and there’s so many more suitable tables.
I hear the buzz of their minds as they consider my question, but I’m already moving, heading towards a table nestled in the corner. A large bay window sits behind it, covering it with warm light.
“We could sit here?” I point to the circular table. “Less space.”Without waiting for their response, I take the seat with my back to the window. “It’ll be easier for everyone to speak—”
To my right, the space fills with blue flickers, and a hum rushes along my skin just as Sai appears. To my left, a towering figure slips into the seat as though he had always been there. Thetwo brothers follow behind, eyeing the remaining seats beside Julien and Sai with clear distaste.
“Before you fuckers saya thing, this is fair and you know it.”Sai leans back, draping his arm along the back of his chair, his fingertips graze the top of mine.
“I agree,”Julien adds.
I stifle my laughter again, turning to glance out the window at the many people rushing along the high street. I frown. “Why is it empty in here?”
“Martha opens up early for us. Perks of being an enforcer, Bread.” Sai smirks.
I groan.“No, please. No more nicknames, Sai.”
“No can do. It’s either baby or bread, so choose wisely.” He winks, his markings warming the back of my neck.
“Bread? Does someone want bread?” Martha sweeps into the room mid-conversation, oblivious. “I can bake some before you leave!”
She places a silver platter filled with pastries and a jug of coffee onto the table. All mentions of bread vanish as the warm, delicious smells fill the air.
“No need, Martha. Thank you,” Ezekial says with a polite, I-am-a-gentleman smile, which somehow makes him even more attractive.
“Enjoy my dears!” And with the clap of her hands, she scurries off.
There’s no time to consider my next move, because they’re all moving instantly. A mixture of shadows and flickers hovering over the table, all taking action.
There are cups of coffee in front of everyone before I can even blink, and the pastries soon follow on plates. I don’t know who’s doing what because they’re all doing something. Like a well-oiled machine, a repeated routine, and a soft warmth fills my stomach at the thought.
This is their routine, their norm, and they’ve included me.
When Ezekial begins talking, mentioning that the new recruits start date has been pushed back another week due to the ‘lockdown’, their conversation flows effortlessly.
Every so often, I’ll feel a brush of something. A glance, a silent check-in, a wisp of shadow, while I happily indulge in the mound of pastries someone assembled for me.
Between bites, I steal glances at them—mid-conversation, sipping from their mugs, laughing, smiling—and it makes me feel... warm. These terrifying men, these powerfully dark-beings, are having a meeting over coffee and pastries in a quaint bakery, and it’s all just so…
Cute.
