I uncorked one of the hangover potions and downed it before I forgot, then went to the back to put on pajamas.
When I came back out to brew a pot of coffee, Cernunnos sat in my living room.
I stopped in surprise, then smiled. “Want some coffee?”
“It’s already brewing.”
I glanced over to see the pot already dripping. “Thanks.”
He patted the cushion next to him. I was still upset with him, but it was way past midnight, and I was exhausted.
I curled up next to Cernunnos. His arm settled around my shoulders, and he turned to pull me across his chest. A heavy sigh came from deep within me.
“I know,” he murmured.
His fingers toyed with my hair. “Cliona said she saw you this evening.”
“Did she tell you where?”
His fingers stilled. “She did.”
“Cliona’s booze is evil.”
His chest rumbled with a laugh. “Did you get caught?”
“Almost.”
“Almost doesn’t mean yes.”
I smiled against his chest. “True.”
“Did you find out anything good?”
I popped my head up. “How much do you know?”
“Enough.”
“Everything then,” I grumbled. Two mugs of hot coffee floated over to the coffee table. I sat up and grabbed them both.
Adjusting myself to face him, I handed the other mug over and watched my sort-of boyfriend.
He was gorgeous and otherworldly, smart and clever. He was also devious and meddling and occasionally far more manipulative than he should be.
His lips curved as he took a sip of his coffee. “When you watch me like that, I can see the conflicting opinions war on your face.”
He also saw far more than I wanted him to. “Have you ever had a real girlfriend? Like me?”
He tilted his head. “One where I sat like this with coffee and conversation?”
I immediately regretted the question. Nothing good could come of asking my thousand-plus-year-old, hot, sorta boyfriend about his past relationships. His last serious relationship had been a freaking goddess.
And I was a dysfunctional vampire with serious mommy issues.
I nodded. In for a penny, in for a pound.
He thought about it for a long moment. “When you’re as powerful as I am, there’s always an expectation in relationships. I always have to be on. Cliona was a little different, but she, too, never wanted to see vulnerability. Fae have difficulty with true honesty.”
I stayed quiet and sipped my coffee.
