“Wait, wait.” Parker pulled Nick close, dragging him down for a kiss. “You know that whole sweaty, too hot forGQthing does it for me.”
With a blush, Nick pulled back, heading upstairs. After a quick shower, he was still fixing his tie when he came into the kitchen. Parker had put out four plates of the bacon scramble he’d made. Holding one plate above Prometheus, he said, “Sit. Siiiiiit.Sit.”
“Prometheus. Sit,” Nick ordered.
The dog settled on his haunches. Parker shook his head. “It doesn’t count if you do it; the not-a-dog already listens to you. Now, Runt?—”
But the demon cat had already hopped up on the island and was eating enthusiastically from her plate.
“No,” Parker said, pulling the plate away. Runt hissed but didn’t swipe at him, which Nick had to be grateful for. He wasn’t sure that Major Crimes would take pet-related hospitalization as an excuse for not showing up.
Parker put the plate on the ground next to Prometheus’ and shook his head.
“I swear no one in this house listens to me,” he said.
“It’s because you never mean it when you tell her no. She knows you’re a big ol’ teddy bear softie.” Nick pushed his tie over his shoulder and sat down, taking a bite of the eggs. “These are really good, Parker.”
“I’ma softie? Who bought Prometheus that expensive, organic dinosaur bone thing to chew on?” Parker said. “And you take him to the vet every time hesniffles.”
Nick coughed and then gestured to the massive cat house that Parker had set up in the unused dining room. He raised hiseyebrows until Parker’s shoulders sank, and he muttered, “Well, she liked it for ten minutes.”
“Until the next delivery box came in,” Nick said.
But he couldn’t help but grin at Parker’s grumbled “And it took so long to set up! I bought Allen wrenches and everything.”
When his plate was cleaned, Nick stood and nodded toward the door. “Ready?”
“Ugh, are we sure? We can’t call out sick? Claim that we got eaten by a whale or something?” Parker moaned. “It’s just way too early to be interrogated.”
“Parker…” Nick said in warning.
“I know, I know.” Shaking his head, Parker followed Nick.
In the car, Nick called the attorney, and she went over Parker’s statement four times until she had all the details and was sure he understood whatwaiting for her to agree he should answermeant.
“It’s okay. I always wanted to be in aLaw & Orderepisode,” he muttered. “Except, you know the only people with attorneys in those episodes are bad guys, right?”
“Bad guys who aren’t in jail,” Nick said. “I’ll take it.”
“I mean, a lot of times, theyarein jail,” Parker said. “The show is big on cops pinning the guy to the wall. Did you want to practice that part?”
Nick groaned. “Tell me you’re going to let her do her job.”
“I’m going to let her do her job,” Parker said.
“And you’ll listen to her?” Nick asked.
“Yes,” Parker said like he was choosing his words precisely.
“And do what she says.” Nick narrowed his eyes, glancing at Parker before turning his gaze back to the road.
“Anddowhatshesays,” Parker muttered, slurring the words together.
They arrived at the station at the same time as the attorney, and Nick appreciated how prompt Robin Keating was. Shewalked with them inside, and when Detective McArdle escorted Parker into an interview room, Nick couldn’t help the frown on his face as he watched them disappear.
“Nicholas King, Paranormal Crimes?”
Nick turned, smiling automatically at the detective approaching him with two cups of coffee.
