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But when Khaos parrots it back to me, there’s no humor. So…he will be sitting in the front row?

Why does that make me more nervous than the opening game itself?

Because the kitchen light’s on before we get in there, Khaos puts me behind him to go in first.

“Dad?”

Graham?

“You’re back?”

“That woman’s got a thing tonight.”

My mom is here, too? Khaos and I are going to have to be more careful. She could’ve seen us.

Also, why is Graham talking like that? Normally he’s very soft spoken and supportive. Right now his voice is like gravel and he almost sounds mocking. Is he jet-lagged? I don’t even know where they flew in from.

“I heard about last night’s—”

“Kota’s here,” Khaos says suddenly, stepping aside to reveal me.

My stepfather immediately straightens, pasting on a smile.

His voice back to an easy lilt, he greets, “Good morning, Kota. Didn’t see you there.”

“Um, yeah, Khaos is…” I gesture to the giant next to me with a thumb. “Tall.”

Khaos frowns at me.

Ignoring him, I retrieve my water bottle from the fridge before ducking into the pantry to stuff a few more snacks in my bag.

Khaos and I have been open with our affection for each other, but that was because we had the place to ourselves. With our parents here, I don’t know how to act around him. We may be sleeping together but we are still stepsiblings. Not everyone is going to be okay with us crossing that boundary. I can guarantee my mom won’t.

The conversation in the kitchen doesn’t pick up in my absence, and when I come out, the two men are just staring at each other, almost identically.

Does Graham know about us? Khaos said his dad confides in him. Does Khaos reciprocate?

“Where’s my mom?” I ask to break up the silence.

“Catching up on that beauty rest. You know how important that is.”

My polite partial smile slowly dissolves the lower Graham’s gaze falls down my body.

Um. That wasn’t rhetorical?

“Shouldn’t you get going,” Khaos suggests coldly.

For a second, I’m thrown. But then I remember we need to behave like we did before we were sharing a bed. Back when Khaos and I hated each other.

Or at least tried to.

“Sooner the better,” I sneer before spinning to leave.

“Have a good day,” Graham says as if I didn’t just insinuate I wanted out of here asap.

While his son doesn’t say a word, he does turn to follow me.

No, Khaos! That’s going to be suspicious!