Page 85 of Blood Lovers

She leans her face up to my neck, resting her chin on my shoulder. “We are hungry. And we’d love to come. Right, Ryet?”

There goes my morning fuck. I force a smile. And is Joshua smirking at me? He is. “Would love to join you for breakfast, Joshy.”

The nickname almost makes him frown, but he’s good at this nice-guy shit, so he’s got it locked down before Syrsee even notices. “Great. Come on over.”

“We’re right behind you,” I say. “Meet ya over there in five.”

I close the door and Syrsee snickers, whispering, “You didn’t have to close the door in his face.”

I slip my hands around her waist and tug her up to me so her belly is pressing into my hips. “I was just about to jump you on that couch and the preacher shows up? What the fuck, ya know? Plus, we were moving out today. We need to go house-hunting in Post Falls.”

She pats my chest. “It’s two hours, tops. And two hundred miles there and back every day? That’s quite a commute.”

I make a face. Because I actually forgot that I work here and I need to renovate six cottages before May.

Syrsee snickers at my disappointment. “Pancakes help. Come on. Let’s go play nice with the church people so we can get free pancakes.”

I am a reluctant participant at the church breakfast at first. But after I see the spread they have I settle down a little, filling my plate with all kinds of human food that I’m not normally interested in. Today though—actually, since I met Syrsee—I’m famished.

I like the idea that Syrsee makes me more human, while at the same time, I feel like I can be myself too. It’s weird.

“You look like you’re thinking very hard about that bacon.”

I glance up from the food and find a pretty young blonde woman. And instantly, I know she is Joshua’s wife. I don’t know why it is. They’re not dressed alike, but they look alike in a couples sort of way.

I put two slices of bacon on my plate. “Nah. This bacon was just calling my name.”

“You’re Ryet, right? I’m Emily, Joshua’s wife.” She and I say those last two words at the same time. Which makes her smile grow into something more than just practiced welcoming. More like genuine delight. “Yes. How did you know?”

“Just a good guess.”

“Well, I’m glad to meet you. We knew that you moved into the cottages last month. And we saw you buying bathroom fixtures at the hardware store, so you’re fixing them up, right?”

I guess it’s been a while since I was so on a human’s radar, because her level of interest in me is annoying. Almost alarming.

There have been… oh, maybe three humans who have guessed that I am something more than just a single, late-twenties guy. So it’s been a really long time since someone was watching me so closely.

“Yeah.” I finally answer her. “I’m fixing them up. Did my own bathroom first.”

“Well, I can’t blame you for that. Those places are…”

“Disgusting?” Syrsee appears at my side holding her own plate filled with food.

“Yeah.” Emily laughs uncomfortably. And I’m not sure if it’s Syrsee who did that, or the fact that she had to admit my place is gross out loud. “Oh. How did the tea work?” Emily eyeballs me critically. “You do not seem sick.”

“What tea?”

But Syrsee takes over. “Oh, I didn’t end up using it. Turns out the aspirin was all he needed.”

I catch a flash of annoyance on Emily’s face in the form of a micro-crinkle in her brow. But it’s smoothed with a smile almost immediately, and another moment later she looks over her shoulder, pretends to acknowledge someone, and turns back to us apologetically. “Well, I have other welcoming duties. But I’ll see you two in church, right?”

She doesn’t wait for an answer. Just turns, hand in the air, waving at a random someone in the crowd of locals.

Syrsee leans in to my ear. And God, that apple scent is kinda turning me on. “We’re not going to church, right?”

“Darling, we’re stuffing our faces, then we’re gonna go back to your place, and then I’m gonna—”

“Ryet!”