Page 88 of Moonlight Hearts

I curled my toes in the messy puddle I was standing in, possibly spreading the mess even farther.“That from a man who’s going to make this huge pumpkin disappear in his oven.”

“Oh, that?Yes, I guess that’s magic.Now, to perform that trick, I need the audience to leave me be.Go take your shower, my heart.The cookies will be done right when you come back downstairs.”

I put the cup aside and draped my arms around his neck instead.“You could’ve told me you don’t want to be disturbed while you cook.”

“I don’t mind having you here, and you can’t disturb me.Just don’t help yourself around my kitchen when I’m here, hmm?”

I leaned my forehead against his, enjoying the closeness.

“I have to say yes to that, you know.You askedverynicely.”

His dark eyes met mine.“Damn right I did.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Before,whenIhadbeen a child hiding in my own family, dressing up when there were guests had been an unshakable rule of the household.Now, I knew no one would mind if I showed up wearing my bathrobe for the rest of the day.

Well, Soyer might not have liked that very much, not that I was going to anyway.I picked out one of my new sweaters and my nicest pair of jeans.The sweater was a light, caramelly brown with a big knit pattern and wide sleeves.Soyer had liked it a lot when I’d tried it on, so I had bought it, even if it was more expensive than the clothes I normally went for.

When I went back downstairs, I found Soyer had changed as well, and he was now wearing a black button-down shirt.He was overseeing a team of four who were setting up a big table and chairs.They’d moved the couch out of the way and turned it so that if you sat, you’d have Soyer’s picture wall at your back rather than facing you.

Soyer was the dark center of the action.He had his arms crossed and was leaning against the kitchen island.Behind him, cookies were cooling on a rack.He had his eyes on the workers, and given that I spotted Jules carrying in four chairs all at once, I assumed they were from the building.

I stepped onto the stairs, and when my foot hit the metal, Soyer looked right at me.Perhaps I should’ve used the attention to draw out the moment and take my time going down like a popular actor, but I didn’t.

I cleared my throat when I got to the bottom.“Hey, Jules.Do you want a hand?”

Jules looked over the back of the chairs as he was spreading them out around the table.He looked kind of shocked.

“Of course not, sir.We have everything under control.”

“Amory.”Soyer was crooking his finger at me, drawing me in as if he’d caught me with an invisible rope.“First you take the pleasure of pouring coffee from me, now you want to take the satisfaction of arranging the table to perfection from the werewolves?”

“Oh.”I looked back at the quartet.They weren’t paying us any mind, but if they had even half of Ben’s sense of hearing, they’d be able to hear every word.“I just didn’t want Jules to hurt himself.”

“Hmmm.”Soyer put his arm around my shoulders.“Let me get you another cup of coffee, my heart.Would you like to try the cookies?”

I looked at where they cooled.“Your not-a-holiday-cookie holiday cookies?”

“Amory.Are you trying to argue with me?Don’t you think it’s in your best interest if you don’t?”

He slid his hand down my spine, his touch soft.He let it rest at the small of my back.None of that was suggestive in any way, but even so, I shivered with his “threat” of pleasure and bit the inside of my cheek.

“If they’re not Christmas cookies, what do you call them?”

He picked one up.They reminded me of chestnuts, both because of their round shape and the deeply browned color.Soyer looked at his creation.

“I’d like to call them delicious, but I have to get someone to confirm that for me.Open your mouth.”

I glanced at the werewolves setting up the table.They were making sure the chairs were spread out evenly, and two of them were starting to wipe the wooden surface down with cleaner.They weren’t looking our way, but there was no way they were missing something that was…sort of intimate?

Soyer was waiting for me to open my mouth though, so I did.I crunched down on the still slightly warm cookie, and it was a delicious explosion of flavor.Not just of a blend of chocolate and sugar, but also of spices that combined to create a decidedly Christmassy flavor in my mouth.

“This is totally a holiday cookie,” I told Soyer, covering my mouth while speaking and chewing at the same time.

“There you go again, spreading all your beautiful opinions, my heart.Keep it up, no one’s going to care that you’re wrong.Let me get you your coffee.”

I groaned, but Soyer clearly wasn’t in a mood to give in.Back by the table, Jules cleared his throat.I turned, and my jaw nearly dropped.The four of them stood in line by the door as if they were servants waiting for orders.