InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Achieve Happiness."

It was still warm enough for Akito to follow his mother around in just a pair of sweats and a large tank. He had played a game of pick up basketball earlier that morning, and when he’d circled back to his mother’s ridiculously large house, he had caught her on the phone with another contractor that was quoting her an insane price. He had finally had enough, that was the forth call in the past two weeks. After fussing at Maeve for over an hour, his mother caved, thus bringing the two to Tarrytown to pick up supplies.

His large dark pick up was parked around the corner, the bed already filled with the big building materials that his mother needed. She was now fussing about grabbing some lunch while they were in town, and how there was a good place just up the street. A quick walk, two blocks later, and Akito was ready to ask if she actually knew where she was going.

The words had been on the tip of his tongue, as Maeve stopped, slipping into Cool Beans with an excuse about grabbing them coffee. She had her phone in her hand as soon as she was in line, and he let out a sigh. She was probably setting up another appointment with someone for something. Like that ridiculous ball she was intending to throw for her birthday.

Akito dragged his dark eyes away from his mother in line, unable to stop the eyeroll. That dark gaze landed on a familiar face across the street from him.There was no chance that it was her, was the thought as he lifted one tattooed arm to wave. Could it?

---

Life could be incredibly strange sometimes. For Jani, she was just putting one foot in front of the other, getting up every morning, getting ready for work, going to work, coming home, going through the self-care motions as best as she could while every second that ticked by seemed to draw her further down into a well of numbness. The abortion had failed, and Rick knew how to get this demonic spawn out of her, but he needed time, so she was giving him a week.

One week felt like an eternity.

But still, she went through the motions. Today, she had a craving. She was doing her best not to acknowledge why she was having a craving, but she couldn't get the thought out of her mind, and so she'd left the office at lunchtime and started walking to the sandwich shop near Cool Beans. Although she'd been in Tarrytown long enough for people to casually recognize her while she was out and about, it took longer than it should have for her to register that the man across the street was waving at her.

It took even longer for her to realize that not only did she know him, but he was certainly not a resident of Tarrytown as far as she'd known. But seeing Kit so out of context from the college fling they'd shared nearly six years ago was really fucking with her head. She gave a small shake of her head before lifting one hand to wave back at him, almost as if in a daze. And then, looking both ways before she stepped into the street, she jaywalked so she could reach him quicker than going all the way to the crosswalk.

"Kit? What are you doing in Tarrytown?" she asked, still utterly baffled at how small the world apparently was.

---

The moments that passed so slow as Jani recognized him had him regretting raising his hand, it definitely wasn’t her. Until, well shit, it was her crossing the street. He gave a chuckle, shaking his head as she walked up to him, his brows raised in amusement, hands stuffed into the pockets of his gray sweatpants. “Uh,” he realized in that moment, he couldn’t say that he was visiting with his mother. When his mother did grace them with her presence, she would look younger than he was. He had let his beard grow out a bit, and had already dealt with one shop clerk call her his sister.

“Here with my cousin, she just moved into this gaudy fucking house,” he said with a laugh, giving a glance towards Cool Beans door, where he could still see his mother in line. Maybe he’d tell Jani who she really was, right this moment didn’t seem like the time.

Akito brought his attention back to Jani, wondering what the odds were that he’d run across her here. He’d have accused his mother of meddling, but his mother didn’t know about Jani. Sure, she knew that he had been dating in college, but he had always tried to keep his dating life private. “What uh, what’s brought you to Tarrytown?” he found himself asking, curious if she might just be a tourist. Now was a popular time of year wasn’t it? With the leaves changing and all.

---

It did occur to her that he could just as easily turn the question back on her, especially if he had been in Tarrytown for a while and they'd just not crossed paths all this time. But his answer reassured her that he was, in fact, new in town. "Oh damn, really? What are you doing to help with the house?" she asked curiously, surprised that the numbness gave way enough for her eyes to wander down to his exposed biceps in appreciation. Even back in college, she'd had a great appreciation for his physique.

"Hey, you got new ink," she realized, her hand reaching out as if to brush across one of the new tattoos on his arm. Flushing as she realized what she was doing, she aborted the motion before making contact, dropping her hand back to her side.

That question had her eyebrows raising as she tipped her head back and forth. "That is… a long story, but the short version is that I needed a fresh start and… well, I'm still not really sure why I chose Tarrytown, but it's a hell of a place." Sometimes she wondered how things would have gone if she'd picked some other random city to run away to. What if she'd chosen Seattle? Demons probably hated Seattle, too overcast and depressing, what would be the fun in torturing people who were already gloomy? The thought had her stomach churning, as if the demonic spawn was reminding her of its existence. As if she could forget.

---

“I’m helping remodel some of the rooms,” he admitted, and was just about to elaborate when he noticed her eyes drifting. For a split second, he felt that attraction. The one that had him speaking to her after class, exchanging numbers for a study group that turned out to just be the two of them. He had thought himself slick in those days.

Then he realized she was looking at his ink, and that RBF split into a smile. “A lot of new ink, pretty covered right now,” he found himself oversharing, even giving her a wink. Yeah, he wanted to get her number. Even if they just caught up and had a beer. She could be married for all he knew. No use getting his hopes up.

“Is it?” he asked curiously, knowing he’d need to get the story from Jani at some point. Those words seemed to hold so much weight to them. He was just about to ask for her number, when Maeve came out of the coffee shop with two cups of coffee in to go cups.

“I got your usual, even though you’re being particularly grumpy,” she chided her son, handing over one of the cups that had a big DD for double double on the top. Jani didn’t go unnoticed by Maeve, and Akito found himself groaning. He’d have to do the introductions before his mother took it upon herself to.

“Maeve, I’d like you to meet Jani. Jani, my cousin Maeve,” he said while lifting one tattooed hand to wave between the two women. Maeve smiled brightly at the other woman, dressed in those ridiculous overalls held out her free hand to the other woman to shake. “It’s good to meet a friend of Akito’s,” his mother said happily, curious and sharp eyes finding her son’s gaze. She was going to ask him so many questions later.

---

With as built as he obviously was in that tank top, it was all too easy to imagine him doing the physical labor to help his cousin remodel, and Jani was surprised to feel that stirring of attraction when she'd be operating in such a high level of stress and numbness. The fact that she could remember quite clearly what he looked like naked probably helped. "Nice," she said, both about the remodel and the ink.

"Oh yeah," she confirmed, not having a chance to elaborate before his cousin joined them. Jani grinned faintly at the teasing and then held her hand out to shake the offered hand. "It's good to meet you too. We actually went to college together. I haven't seen Kit in… six years? I almost didn't recognize him out of context here," she admitted.

Looking back at Kit, she hesitated briefly before asking, "Are you going to be in town long?" She was torn between wanting to catch up with him properly and thinking he would be better off far away from her and all the insanity she was dealing with. What would he think if she told him she was pregnant with a demonic halfling and trying to get another half-demon to remove the parasite? Yeah, he was almost certainly better off if she just walked away. And yet, she didn't.

---

His mother wanted to know details, the look she shot him after shaking Jani’s hand was obvious. Akito just gave her a bright smile that turned on Jani when she asked if he’d be in town long. “Uh, at least a couple weeks?” he said, though maybe it was more.

Akito motioned with his head in the direction of the shop they had just been headed to. Maeve looked far too pleased with herself, seeing that her son was distracted enough that she could continue to flit about the street. “I’ll meet you at the shop,” she told her son with that mischievous smile, before she waved to Jani. “It was good to meet you.” And with that, the chaos that was his mother had swooped in and out fast enough to make your head spin. He knew damn well she was going to stop in every shop on her way.

Thankfully his mother did provide a distraction for Akito to grab his cell phone from the pocket of his sweats. He flipped open the gray razor, holding it out to Jani. “Program yourself in, I’ll shoot you a text when I get back to the house?” he found himself asking, even if she had just asked if he would be in town for a while. She was likely just interested in reconnecting with old friends, he could do that.

---

If he really was only going to be in town for a couple weeks, it probably was best that she not burden him with the truth. Jani didn't want to pull him into any of it, and she certainly didn't want to provide another target for Gabriel. Just thinking about the demon had a shiver snaking down her spine, her stomach churning. She hadn't lost her stomach so far in this deeply unwanted pregnancy, and she didn't plan to start now.

It seemed clear that his cousin was the meddling sort, probably the one in their family that always had the latest gossip, and she wondered what Kit might tell Maeve about her later. What would she tell Ram about Kit if she decided to share this run-in with him? She wasn't sure her brain could imagine that scenario with everything else she was mentally juggling.

With a faint smile, Jani hesitated only briefly before taking the phone, typing in her number and then her name, tapping the button to save the new contact before handing it back to him. "Yeah, sure. I guess… I was just on my lunch break. And you've got some… shopping? To do," she said, still a bit discombobulated with seeing him again after so many years.

---

---

---

---

There hadn’t been time for Akito to find himself a new outfit. He’d gotten sucked into his mother’s chaos, and instead of actually getting anything done that afternoon, he spent it following her around from shop to shop. By the time he had unloaded the truck into her garage, he had just enough time to start dinner. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a good miso ramen for the pair to split. There was supposed to be a good storm later, and so he had raided his mother’s kitchen for everything he would need to make the comfort food of his childhood. Even making up some rice to go with it all.

One thing he had picked up from one of the many stops Maeve had forced on him was a small devil's food cake with cream cheese frosting. While small, it was still too much for two people, but Akito was sure he could pawn some off on his mother or something. Then again, she had said she’d become a were. He’d dated a couple of them over the years, and their metabolism meant they ate so much more. Maybe they’d finish it between the two of them anyhow.

The knock at the front door was loud enough in the empty house that he heard it from the kitchen. “I’ve got it, stay in your library,” he called out to his mother when he heard the rustling from the library. It was followed by a sigh, before he heard the doors closing again. She had already tried her case when she’d come by to poke at his chopping skills. She argued that since this woman already knew that she was his mother, of which she had given him such a look, that she should get to meet her again. Properly this time, had been her words. Akito had shut it down faster than the contractors he’d fired today, thankfully only receiving a pointed look from her.

The kitchen was just off to the left, so he didn’t have to make the trek down the ridiculous grand staircase that spilled open into the foyer, a large glittering chandelier hanging from the ceiling. While it was impressive, the cobwebs and disuse of the house were evident. The former owner had been an ancient vampire that rarely left. There was dust layered in certain rooms, which was why Akito was here to help. His mother had bitten off far more than she could chew with the gothic mansion. He’d give her credit though, she had fixed up her library first, and it was immaculate.

“Hey,” he said with a rare smile as he pulled open the large door. “I wasn’t lying about the haunted house part,” he found himself saying, as he stepped aside to let her in. There had been so many other things he’d wanted to say, and yet that had come out first.

---

This wasn't a house.

As Jani pulled up to the mansion–because, really, it couldn't be called anything else–she found herself blinking and questioning everything she'd thought she'd known about Akito in college even more. Even though she'd not interacted with Maeve much earlier, she could guess that the woman was on the eccentric side. She supposed that might be why Kit had always seemed so… normal. Not boring–no, Kit had never been boring–but steady and reliable.

After parking, she grabbed the carton of ice cream off the passenger seat and got out of the car. She knocked on the front door and didn't have long to wait until he was opening it, still wearing those casual clothes that showed far more skin than should be legal. It stirred something in her, and she pulled her lower lip between her teeth as her eyes took in all those muscles in a more deliberate way than she had earlier. She hadn't bothered to change after work, either, far too antsy to see him again.

"Like, legit not lying? There's actual ghosts and shit?" she asked, her lips curved in a faint smirk. Maybe she should be freaked out by the thought, but for some reason, there just seemed to be something ridiculous and whimsical about the thought. "Maybe we can chill them out with some mint cookie crunch," she suggested, holding up the carton of ice cream as she stepped inside and out of the way so he could close the door.

---

Akito had already noticed that Jani still looked gorgeous, with her tight little body, that smile that could open any door, and her sass. That hadn’t changed. Now, as he stood there taking her in, able to let his eyes slip over her body so that he could take all of her in. He wasn’t trying to keep an eye on his mother, he was able to relax, and enjoy getting to see Jani again.

Her smirk, that spark of mischief that called to his kitsune. He had always so loved finding trouble with her, especially because he always ended up right where he wanted to be. Buried inside her.

It was why his own answering mischievous smirk met her question, licking his lips as he debated if he wanted to play with her. “I mean, I can guarantee you’ll hear some moaning later,” he teased, shutting the door behind her once she was inside.

Then it dawned on him, that last half of what she said, and surprised eyes met her gaze. “You remembered?” he asked with a big smile, chuckling as he held his hand out to take the ice cream. “Want to come to the kitchen with me? I got everything prepared, soup base going. I was thinking miso ramen, we can toss whatever we want into it. I’ve got pork belly, sweet potatoes, spinach, watercress, eggplant, potatoes, and I didn’t know what you’d like?” he had made sure that there were options. “I’ve also got steak, if you’re not up for pork belly.” because he hadn’t asked what she was able to eat, being a pregnant werewolf he wasn’t entirely sure there was enough protein on the planet to sate the beast. Weres already had such fast metabolisms.

---

That he was still so quick with a flirtatious retort shot heat between her legs, flustering her because she had felt so utterly not sexy since the full moon when she'd realized she was pregnant. That week had passed in a blur of numbness and tears and anger before she'd finally been able to go to the free clinic, and then that had failed, and her conversation with Rick, and now she'd just been waiting in a state of limbo. Sex had not been much of a thought in her mind.

Until now.

"Well, I doubt you've got in the habit of breaking promises…" she said, letting the thought hang with the unexpressed implication that he wasn't wrong. And why shouldn't they? They were both single, as established in their messages, and sex with Kit had always been fantastic.

Jani flushed a bit when he seemed so surprised that she remembered, though she handed the carton over without commenting on it. "Yeah, of course, lead the way," she said, since there was little hope of her finding her way to the kitchen in a mansion like this without a freaking map. "That sounds amazing. I've been eating a lot of steak lately," she admitted, "so pork belly sounds fucking delicious." It was one of the stranger parts of becoming a were, as she'd often go days without eating meat protein before she'd been turned, but now she needed it with every meal. She wasn't fighting it though.

---

“I’m not about to start now,” he found himself promising, from the tone of his voice, to the look he pinned her with that he hoped conveyed that he intended to devour her. After he fed her.

Being able to feed a woman scratched some itch that Akito had. He swelled with pride that she was up for the miso ramen he had prepared. “You’ll have to have my steak sometime,” he said, unintentionally maybe making an innuendo. It was that, or he had sex on the mind, and that logical little voice in his head said that he just had sex with Jani on the brain. He could still remember how it had felt to kiss her, and as they slipped into the kitchen it was all he could think about. “But you’ll love this pork belly, stop distracting me,” he told her as he narrowed his eyes at her. As if she were doing anything but breathing.

He went about slipping the ice cream into the freezer, wanting to be sure it would still be there for when they finished dinner. Maybe he’d lick it off her, he mused to himself, realizing his thoughts were once again distracted. It was his dry spell, he was sure of it. He needed to focus.

“I was thinking we would take our food to the atrium. It’s got a huge domed ceiling, all glass, she’s got some trees planted,” he was speaking as he went about dropping the pork belly and things into the soup. It would just be a few minutes and the soup would be ready. He leaned against the counter then, eyes drifting to her again. “It’s supposed to storm later, just a good end to the season storm.”

---

That was a hell of a panty-dropping look, and she surprised herself with the almost nervous giggle that slipped from her lips, a sound that seemed out of place coming from the usually strong and sassy woman. Maybe it was because she'd expected him to freak out about the fact that she was pregnant even though she made it clear she didn't plan to keep being pregnant. Or maybe she was still working through that feeling of rejection, knowing that Eric had chosen Maria and would continue to do so.

"I thought I already had," Jani shot back, her stomach fluttering with relief that she seemed to be finding her footing again. No, she didn't think he'd ever cooked her steak in college, but the innuendo had come through loud and clear, and she wasn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with him. She wanted to stop him, to ask him to just kiss her already so they could take the edge off the tension building between them, but they were walking into the kitchen, and she was distracted by the large, gorgeous gothic space as well as the scents filling the air. Her stomach growled, and she pressed her palm to it with a chuckle. "I make no promises. I like distracting you," she said with a smug tilt of her chin.

Jani shivered at the picture he painted with words, the idea of having dinner while the storm played on the glass domed ceiling sounded heavenly. "I haven't been here for storm season," she admitted. "I imagine it's different from Denver though." They certainly didn't get hurricanes in Denver, after all. Moving further into the room, she pushed herself up to sit on the island counter directly across from where he was leaning.

---

Having her in his space again, so close like this, brought back so many memories. He knew it wasn’t fair to compare her to the girl he had dated in college, but she was still partially that girl. This gorgeous sassy woman in front of him was the gorgeous butterfly that had pissed off a demon. He was going to ask his mother about them, see if he might be able to help in any way.

Right now though? He was enjoying her distracting presence, especially as she hopped up to sit on the counter across from him. “Mom and I watched the hurricane from there, it was wild. This old mansion was built by some ancient vampire that was more extra than my mother. She’s just been expanding on it,” he couldn’t help himself, having to point out that his mother was eccentric. It was obvious enough, he thought.

There was still at least ten minutes before the miso ramen was complete, and so he stepped forward towards where she sat on the counter. Large hands came up to place palms on the counter on either side of her thighs. He wanted to touch her, and so he let his thumb lightly brush against her thigh. “I can’t resist you anymore,” he muttered, just before he dipped his head in to kiss her.

---

The last thing Jani wanted to do was think about the hurricane that had blown through over the weekend. It had felt like some kind of omen at the time, with the abortion failing and then the storm hitting. But she could imagine how incredible it had been to watch it from the atrium. "Oh, that reminds me! Is your cousin-mother home tonight?" she asked, doing her best to widen her eyes innocently, though the teasing tone likely gave her away. If she had her way, he was never going to live that down.

When he closed the space between them and boxed her in, Jani felt her heart kick up a beat, her stomach fluttering in anticipation. "Then don't," she whispered, the words disappearing against his lips halfway through. Her hands came up to his shoulders then, sliding back to hold him against her as her legs wrapped around him, scooting herself toward the edge of the counter.

The kiss held all the sparks she remembered from college and yet so much more. Maybe because she wasn't human anymore? The why didn't really matter though, especially not with his soft, full lips pulling little gasps of pleasure from her into the kiss.

---

Jani’s snark wasn’t lost on him, and he snickered at her asking if his cousin-mother was home. Of course she was, he nodded his head in answer, because it was only fair. He didn’t want to catch his mother with a friend over, and he was certain he didn’t want her catching them. Even if she likely was slinking about in fox form to eavesdrop.

Her legs around him brought him just that fraction closer to her. It took all of his self-restraint to keep his hands from grabbing her hips to pull her directly to the edge. He wanted to feel her pressed against the front of his sweatpants, that were doing so very little to hide the fact that he had started to grow hard.

Akito broke the kiss after a moment, hungry eyes meeting her gaze. “I’ve got to get the miso ramen off the stove,” was said in a deeper than usual voice, gruff with lust. “Did I mention there’s this large couch in the atrium?” That smirk was mischievous as he pulled away, hands coming up to trace down her thighs and down her calves, before he was turning to the stove. It didn’t take long, just a few minutes and he had filled both bowls on the serving tray that was already set and waiting for the pair.

“Follow me,” he said with a nod of his head towards another set of doors. He led the way deeper through the house, further from the kitchen and library where his mother was lurking. He led the way inside the atrium, where there was a table already set for two with glasses of water, and wine chilling. He hadn’t been entirely sure she would want to drink wine, so he had alternatives. And deeper, just in the center of the domed ceiling, sat a large plush couch that had a few blankets neatly folded waiting for someone to snuggle up under them. The entire place lit by sets of string lights that gave the entire place a soft glow. He may have hated his mother’s eccentric taste, but he was definitely hoping to benefit from it with the set up she had in her atrium. There was always the chance that it was too much, but he hoped they’d enjoy the storm that was rumbling through.

---

Even in college, Kit had struck her as a man always in control. His ability to remember the task he'd needed to accomplish and break the kiss to actually do it felt a bit like a challenge, like she should try to see just how much she could push him to distraction. She wasn't sure when she'd decided she liked playing with fire so much, but apparently nothing could stop the impulse, no matter how much she got burned.

"Mmm, you didn't," she said, though she was excited to see this large couch in the glass-domed atrium.

Once the food was ready and he was carrying the serving tray, Jani hopped from the counter to follow him to the atrium, where she promptly stopped, looking around with wide eyes at how fucking stunning it was. And then she noticed the smaller details–the fairy string lights and the couch (large did not do it justice!) and the wine–and the romance of it all set loose butterflies in her stomach. Had he really set all of this up for her? Or was it just his mother's eccentricities that he was borrowing?

"Kit," she breathed, completely flustered and overwhelmed by the moment, by him. She waited until he set the tray down before flinging herself at him, her arms coming up to rest on his shoulders as her hands pressed against the back of his head. She pushed up onto the balls of her feet as she kissed him. It was either that or cry, and she really didn't want to cry.

---

Akito set the tray down on the table, straightening up after she had said his name. His brows raised, ready to ask anything, when he found himself with his arms full. Those strong arms slipped around her, large hands cupping her ass, as he helped to lift her up a fraction as he met her in the kiss.

She needed to eat, he was going to be sure she did just that. He broke the kiss after a moment, his forehead pressed to hers, his eyes still closed. He let out a breathy laugh, squeezing her cheeks that were in his hands. “I can’t take all the credit, all I did was move the table out here,” he said, his way of warning her that it was his mother’s decorations. He couldn’t take all the credit.

---

There he went again, breaking the kiss again before she was ready to stop. The asshole, she thought affectionately. At his admission, she matched his breathy laugh, letting her short nails rake over the stubbled hair at the nape of his neck. "Whatever, it still counts." He could have had them eat anywhere–she was sure this mansion had no shortage of spots that would have worked–but he'd chosen this one. It did amuse her to know the answer to her unasked questions, though, that he was borrowing from his mother's eccentricities.

Her hands slid down from the back of his neck, stroking over his chest, feeling the stirrings of arousal spike at the feel of his taut muscles under that thin tank top. "I still can't believe you're actually here," she admitted. After college, she'd lost touch with Kit, and life had gotten busy, and then there was Ben, and now here they were, six years later, kissing as if they'd just been hanging out at the lookout point because she needed distracting from the anxiety of an upcoming tax final. Maybe it was because of the atrium, those large glass panels that showed the stormy sky above, but she remembered that night so clearly, and her cheeks flushed as the memory flashed to what they'd done in the backseat of his car later that night.

"I thought you couldn't resist me anymore? What are you doing?" she asked him teasingly, her hands playfully slapping at his chest as if chiding him for not kissing her again.

---

A warm chuckle slipped from him, his smile growing at her admission. “You’re not alone in that. You’re.. You definitely grew up, you’re more beautiful than ever,” he found himself saying, allowing his thoughts to flow. He never saw a point in holding back. While he was immortal and she was a werewolf, her lifespan was much shorter than his own. There was no need to waste a minute.

Akito’s hands caught her wrists as she slapped his chest, a chest rumbling chuckle slipping from him. “Fucking feisty,” he muttered as he then took both wrists in one hand, lifting them above her head. “You need to eat, now be a good little pup,” as he said that word pup, he gave her a challenging smile, both eyebrows raised in amusement. “And let’s eat.”

---

And yet, he looked so much the same as he had in college. Maybe that was what had drawn her to him initially; he certainly hadn't looked like the scrawny beanpole guys that were still filling out into adulthood that had flirted with her back then.

Jani's chin tipped up at the muttering, the way his hands caught her wrists and lifted her hands above her head causing that heat to spike again, her nipples pebbling hard against her bra. "I seem to remember you liking that," she accused him lightly. Anyone looking for a meek and pliant sub should keep on looking, because that would never be her. When he called her a pup, she nipped playfully at the air in front of his face before leaning in to steal one more quick kiss.

"I've got something you can eat," she said, wiggling her brows at him when he suggested they eat. "Okay, okay. You're lucky I'm hungry," she said a moment later, twisting her arms in a bid to get him to release them so they could actually eat the dinner he'd made.

---

While Kit shouldn’t have been surprised, he still found himself at the strength she was able to casually exhibit. She leaned in so easily to steal that kiss, and he wanted to take her to that couch. He would be a dirty liar if he said that he hadn’t thought of taking her on it, when he had chosen this room to have dinner in. There had been no promises made by Jani, but just that run in on the street had distracted his thoughts all afternoon. The fact she had come to dinner the same day told him all he needed to know, she could feel it too.

Those large hands squeezed around her wrists a moment as she tried to twist, seeing what his strength felt like against her werewolf strength. Far more evenly matched than they had been six years ago, his grin grew feral as his dark eyes met her gaze. He had been the one to fight that she needed to eat, and so he let go of her wrists. “You’re stronger,” he said appreciatively, his smoldering gaze still holding hers. “I can’t wait to play with you later.”

As if he had said nothing, Aikto moved to slip into his seat at the table. He picked his bowl off the tray, along with his chopsticks. “So what do you do? You said you were on break from work,” he clarified where the question came from, wanting to get to know the new Jani. The one who had pissed off a demon, the hellion.

---

Her dark eyes warmed with desire, and she didn't know if it was because she was just generally randy without much of an outlet lately or if it was because it was him. Considering the memories he was able to invoke with so few words, she was leaning toward it being him. She let it go, though, following him to sit at the table as well.

Although she'd never gotten good at eating with chopsticks, Jani could use them passingly well, so she picked up a pair to dig into the ramen. "Bookkeeping for the city right now," she answered. "But to be honest, it feels a bit like a pity hire. The mayor and his wife have been helping me a lot recently, and he offered me the position. Not that I'm not qualified, but… I don't know, I might not want to do it long term. I'd feel better if I got something I could feel like I earned, if that makes sense?"

It felt strange to be so honest with him, and yet completely natural at the same time. How many nights had they lay curled up against each other whispering so many things, secrets and thoughts, to each other? Obviously he'd held certain things back, and there was probably plenty they hadn't discussed, but she still remembered an ease of conversation with him.

[Continue to Part Two]