“Why are you wearing cashmere?” I croaked, spitting out a clod of dirt that had gotten lodged in my teeth. Moira was a thrifter, but the scarf and cap she wore looked unfamiliar and brand new. Very high quality from the look of it, and I made a point of knowing my cashmere.
Moira grimaced. “Long story.”
“Is Thorvin awake?”
“Not yet.”
“Then I have time before I have to punch him in the face. Spill.”
She gave me an exasperated look. “Ethan stopped by.”
Alarm rattled through me. I tried to rise and couldn’t.
“Shh,” Moira said, rubbing my bare back in comforting circles. “Everything is fine.”
“What does he have to do with that scarf?” I must have spent too much time in the dirt. My thoughts were completely scrambled. Moira couldn’t possibly be saying…
“Holy shit,” I wheezed. “Ethan gave those to you?”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Yes.”
I rolled onto my back and let out a cackle.
“Shut up,” she begged. “That’s not all.”
I squinted at her. “Did you sleep with him?”
Moira squawked. “Evie! No! Gods.”
“But you wanted to, didn’t you?”
Two spots of high color rose on Moira’s cheeks. “I am obsessed with him,” she admitted in a quiet voice.
Even though I was lying on the cold ground butt ass naked, it didn’t stop me from yanking Moira down to wrap her in a hug.
“Gross,” Moira said with a rasping chuckle. “Get off me, you perv.”
I laid a smacking kiss on her cheek. “You have a crush. This is wonderful news!”
“You hate Ethan.” Moira pushed me away and sat up, brushing herself off.
“Hate is a strong word. If it helps, I hate Thorvin more right now.”
She rolled her eyes. “There’s something about him. He’s wounded, damaged, and yet, he makes me want to know more about him.”
Moira told me about the cookies and Ethan’s teasing when he left. I could see she was horrified, not only by her reaction but by Ethan’s reaction, too. The way she spoke about him made my heart hurt. I thought for a while she and Soren had a thing going, but after this, I knew whatever it was had been nothing compared to this.
But Ethan? Gods. The man was a walking pair of heavily starched pants. He was uptight, rigid, and he clung to his idealslike a Remora to a shark. Yes, he was hot. All the Lords were, but Ethan was older or appeared that way, at least. My mind ran through a dozen things about Ethan that I didn’t like until I suddenly stopped.
I didn’t know Ethan. At all. He and I had never said a non-angry word to each other. I had no idea what colors he liked or if he watched television, or if he had a girlfriend or had ever been married. But Moira…
Moira knew he loved shortbread and ate it with the slow ferocity of a starving man in the desert. She also knew he liked feeding people and keeping them warm.
Ethan would have left my ass in a frozen tundra and tried to steal my clothing to boot, so Moira was already far ahead of me in the getting Ethan’s approval category.
I ran a muddy hand down Moira’s cheek. Her nose wrinkled but she laughed. “Asshole,” she said fondly.
“I can’t claim to know a single thing about Ethan, but I know he isn’t evil. He’s been surprisingly reasonable lately.” I lifted a shoulder in a muddy shrug. “If you want him, go after him.”
