Page 31 of Enchanted

Fucking Gloria. If the chance to take her out without repercussions ever arose, I’d be first in line for the honour. Right along with every other Seraphim.

I watched Ethan from the corner of my eye as he studied the tiny screen on his camera. He had this adorable little crease between his brows as he flicked through the shots he’d taken. Despite his initial nerves, he’d sunk into a place of concentration that was mesmerising to behold.

I still couldn’t believe he was here. That we’d pulled off this crazy plan that meant I got to spend an entire day with my mate.

Okay, so it wasn’t how I’d choose to spend it. I wanted to spoil Ethan, especially after his comment about not being used to people feeding him. Cooking was my love language. Ez and I were the chefs in the Seraphim. We spent hours in the kitchen, preparing meals for those we cared about. Sometimes, if you couldn’t say something with words, you could say it with food instead.

It had thrilled me to no end to feed Ethan. I’d been horrified when I’d realised he was planning on just pushing through without taking time to eat or rest. But not as much as I had been by the realisation that this hadn’t occurred to me in the first place. Thankfully, Ez had been in the kitchen when I’d burst in with the intention, no the need, to provide for my mate. Between the two of us, we’d thrown together a quick charcuterie board.

It was ironic really, that sign of how we were meant to be, especially given how appreciative Ethan was about the simple meal. The groan he’d let out…let’s just say, it was a good thing he hadn’t been paying much attention to me. Wasn’t sure there was any way to hide the erection that sound had given me.

I loved to cook and Ethan loved to eat. Wasn’t much to build a foundation on, but I’d take it. Even if we couldn’t be together, maybe we could be friends. That would be enough.

I’d make sure of it.

“Ready?” Ethan asked.

“Yep.” I smiled. I kept doing that. Not just because being in his presence made me ridiculously happy, but because of how he blushed whenever I did. “Where do you want me?”

His teeth sank into his bottom lip, and I had to will my cock not to harden again as his gaze swept over me, lingering on my abs.

“How about against the wall?”

God, how I wanted to tell him he could have me against the wall. Anywhere he liked, really. From the flush on his cheeks, I suspected his brain had gone there too.

I leaned back against the wood panelling. “Like this? Is this how you want me?”

Okay, so maybe I let my voice dip a little lower than usual. Sue me. I’d always been a flirt. Wasn’t my fault Ethan wasn’t mine to flirt with.

Even if he should be.

Ethan’s eyes shot down to his camera as he fiddled with the lens. “Let’s start with your left foot against the wall. Right arm curled up over your head.”

My heart plummeted as he refused to look at me. Shit, I’d made him uncomfortable. That wasn’t what I wanted.

Dial it back, Rami.

I got into position, focusing on the task at hand. “This okay?”

“Yep.” He threw me the briefest of glances before training his eye on the lens again. “Great.”

Fuck. I’d scared him. I needed to bring us back on a more even keel, get him relaxed around me once more.

I waited until he stopped to switch out his lens before asking the question I’d settled on. “Have you always wanted to do photography?”

“Kind of. My mum got me a camera for my eleventh birthday. I went through a phase of capturing everything I could on film. Even built my own little dark room in my wardrobe.”

“That’s some dedication right there.”

“I guess.” He shrugged. “Didn’t last though.”

“Why not?”

He considered his answer carefully for a few seconds. “Peer pressure, maybe? I was sixteen and already picked on for being a redhead. Add in that I’d recently realised I was gay, and I was basically a walking advertisement for bullies. I wasn’t prepared to hide my sexuality or dye my hair…but giving up the photography was an easy concession to make.”

It took all my millennia of experience to keep my expression placid. To give no hint that I wanted to hunt down every person who’d ever made this wonderful man feel inferior and tear them to pieces. “Not easy if it’s something you loved.”

The wry smile he gave me had my heart racing faster. “That’s probably why I eventually came back to it. Life’s too short to waste it worrying about what others think.”