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“We could have been dorks together,” he laughed.

“King and queen of the dorks.”

Kaz looked thoughtful. “I could rock a crown.”

His timer echoed in the quiet bathroom. Miri blinked. That really was fast.

“Shouldn’t it need to sit for longer than that?”

“It’s dye made especially for monsters. I think this one is intended for dying scales, so it’s extra potent. I never let it sit longer than a few minutes, just in case it’s going to melt my hair off or something.”

Scale dye? Miri shook her head. Even though monsters were publicly acknowledged, they still lived in their own world to an extent.

Tossing his towel cape aside, Kaz kicked off his shorts and turned on the shower. Miri had a lovely view of his muscular ass as he climbed under the water.

“Are you going to join me or just watch?” he asked, holding the shower curtain open.

And end up bent over and clutching the wall tile while Kaz has his way with her? Tempting, but Miri had bread in the oven and frosting to finish.

“Neither,” she sighed. “I have banana bread to tend to.”

“Your loss, Queen Dork.”

With a grin, Kaz flicked the curtain shut.

Rolling her eyes, she mournfully headed back to the kitchen.

The semi-mixed frosting was waiting on the counter precisely where she left it.

Miri quickly dumped the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and beat it together.

The bowl went into the fridge and Miri was left to twiddle her thumbs until the oven was done.

She could always get a little work done… or browse online for new summer sandals.

Opening up her laptop, she perched on a kitchen stool and scrolled through endless photos of strappy sandals. Something in pink would be nice, but then it wouldn’t go with everything.

Oooh, maybe some heels?

A clawed hand tangled in her curls and tilted her head back. Miri yipped in surprise. The red demon laughed and pressed an apology peck against her lips. She glowered at Nico.

“Make more noise when you walk,” she growled.

“Who do you take me for? The other three stooges?”

Nico kissed her again, his tongue swiping over her lips before he tilted her upright and released his grip on her hair. He walked away to stare into the refrigerator. Still grumbling, Miri stuck her tongue out at his back. Dumb, sneaky demons.

“How was work?” she asked, her eyes drifting back to her computer screen. Oh, those yellow daisy sandals were adorable.

“Long. I had two cancellations this morning, but one of my sessions ran twice as long so it worked out okay?—”

The timer on the oven beeped, cutting off his words. Miri hopped off her stool and rounded the island. Slipping oven mitts over her hands, she reached into the oven and gave the bread a jiggle. Perfect.

Nico stepped around the open oven. He turned to help as she bobbled one of the pans and caught an empty mixing bowl with his elbow.

The bowl hit the floor and shattered. Dozens of colorful pieces scattered across the tile and under the cabinets.

Miri sighed, her eyes already scanning for the broom and dustpan.

Damn. That was her favorite mixing bowl. They didn’t even make that floral print anymore.

“Don’t move,” Nico warned.

He crunched over the debris in his heavy boots. He took the hot pans in his bare hands and placed them on top of the oven. His strong hands returned and gripped her waist to lift her out of the way. Miri’s butt landed on the counter before she could open her mouth to argue.

Nico grabbed the broom and started to sweep up the ceramic shards. She hugged her oven mitts to her chest and watched him calmly and efficiently sweep the entirety of the kitchen, gathering up every last particle of glass. And she sat on the counter, tucked away out of harm’s way.

All of her demons did that, Miri had come to realize.

They didn’t nudge her out of the way or ask her to move.

If she was in their path, strong hands would grip her body and casually shift her to their preferred location.

As a curvy girl, Miri had never had a boyfriend toss her around like a rag doll.

She’d never even had one try before. Getting moved around like a fragile ornament was kind of blowing her mind.

Ignoring her revelation, Nico focused on sweeping up the broken mixing bowl.

His dark brow wrinkled as he worked. They way he was engrossed, she would be surprised if a single piece escaped his attention.

He dumped the sharp pieces into a paper bag before tossing it in the trash can.

Before Miri could hop down from the counter, he grabbed a damp rag and wiped the floor for any lingering slivers.

“Wait there,” he ordered.

Miri sat on the counter, her feet swinging. What was he going to do? Install new tile? It wasn’t that big of a deal.

Nico returned to the kitchen, a set of pink, fluffy slippers tucked under his arm. He carefully slid them on to her feet and lifted her off the counter. Her toes were enveloped in a safe cloud of fluff as she stood on her own legs again.

Where the hell had he gotten pink slippers? She studied Nico’s concerned face. His dark eyes were still scanning the floor for any lingering glint of glass. He looked up and caught her staring.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Miri smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

She was just fine.