Page 4 of Fae Devoted

After Jo unearthed Tucker’s weakness for sweets, she lavished him with her homemade sugary treats, sometimes using them to get her way. Baklava was his favorite, but he knew it was a time-consuming dish to make.

“What do you want?”

“Why do I have to have an ulterior motive?” She balanced the dish in one hand and grabbed her purse with the other, expression wide-eyed and innocent. “Maybe I wanted to spoil you.”

“Jo,” he warned, exchanging the yogurt smoothie for the square pan.

“Okay, okay, there might be a little something,” she conceded, leading him into the hallway and locking the door behind them. “Did I mention I made the phyllo dough from scratch?”

“Who do I have to kill?” He could count on one hand how many times Jo baked this particular dessert since she moved to the island.

Jo smacked him in the stomach.

Heoomph’dand rubbed his firm gut as if her light slap hurt.

“Oh,puh-lease,” She wrinkled her freckled nose at his dramatics. “It’s a tiny favor. Minuscule. It’s not even for me. Not entirely.”

She turned toward the lobby, sucking loudly on the smoothie’s straw.

“Quit stalling.”

“It’s no big deal.” She refused to meet his eyes, steps quickening.

“Bak-la-va.” It was worth repeating.

“Mom and I want to watch the new romantic comedy tonight, and Dad’s pushing hard for the latest action flick starring that stone guy.”

Stone guy?“You mean The Rock?”

“Stone…rock, whatever. The point is, we need your vote. If I have to watch the sequel toThe Godfatheragain, I’ll scream.”

He hid another smile. “Your sire is next in the rotation.”

The Long family held movie night in their home every other Thursday, and for the past six months, Tucker joined them whenever he could. Unless Jo’s older siblings were visiting for the weekend, the even gender dynamic often led to draws which were broken by the alternative selection rule. In the result of atie, they took turns choosing a classic to end the stalemate. Ellis Long choseThe Godfather IIevery single time.

“You could vote on the action film and avoid the substitute pick altogether.”

“Jacob, please? I promise to side with your choice next time.”

Would he even be here next time?

Jo stopped at the Complex’s front exit and stuck out her pretty bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. Tucker wanted to bite that lip, then soothe the sting with his tongue, but he didn’t have the right. Might never have the right now that he had to chase after his brother and somehow circumvent Daimhín’s influence without getting them both killed.

Tucker forced his thoughts away from things he couldn’t have, at least not yet. “A romcom, huh?”

“I used walnutandpistachios.”

“Roger’s honey?” The human beekeeper harvested the best in the territory.

“Who else would I use?”

He opened the glass door, and Jo walked outside.

“Drizzled extra over the top too.” She skipped down the steps, confident in the belief she’d already won.

And she had.

Tucker followed, his heart squeezing tight. He would do almost anything to make his she-wolf happy. Except she wasn’this, was she?