I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. Were his biceps getting bigger? Did his pectoral just twitch? It couldn’t possibly be as hard as it looked. I should check later.
Shit. No checking, Hannah.
“I made a pre-breakfast treat,” Emily said, uncovering a plate of brownies.
My stomach growled hungrily at the sight of the dark brown squares, and I quickly grabbed two. Brownies were just the distraction I needed.
“I’m in heaven,” I mumbled after a big bite. Chocolate was the best way to forget man-problems.
“I figured you might be,” she said with a laugh. “What about you, Merdon? Are you willing to give them a try?”
I glanced at him as he took one from the plate. God, his hands were big. I mean, I knew they were big, but I hadn’t really looked at them. They were crazy big. Like cover-my-face big.
That’s not the only big thing, my brain whispered. The memory of the dropped fork incident at Mary’s had me flushing as Merdon took a tentative bite from his brownie.
I had to look away from his mouth. Could I be any more messed up?
“You don’t like it?” Emily asked after watching him for a moment.
Resisting the urge to peek at him again, I kept my focus firmly on Emily as he spoke.
“It’s good, but Mya warned Drav that the chocolate supply is limited.”
I’d forgotten about her chocolate cravings. Her current pregnant condition didn’t mean she could call dibs on the world’s remaining chocolate reserve, though. It wasn’t fair to the rest of us, including the fey who were still trying to figure out what they did and didn’t like to eat.
“It might be limited, but you can still have a brownie if you want it,” I said, doing my best not to look at him. “It’s not healthy for humans to eat too much of it. Moderation is the key. Just don’t try telling a pregnant woman that. It won’t end well for you.”
Emily giggled.
“Pregnant women or a woman enduring shark week. You’ll be mauled by both,” she added.
I grinned at her and ate the rest of my brownies.
“I should feel guilty that you’re doing all this cooking and offer to give you a break,” I said to Emily, “but you’re a far better cook.”
“Not true. Your biscuits are amazing.”
“Thanks.”
“Maybe you’ll consider making them to go with one of the meals?” she asked hopefully.
“Maybe,” I said, not wanting to sound too eager when the reality was that I’d do anything that could get me out of basement time.
The main breakfast, a filling oatmeal with enough pumpkin and seasoning that it tasted like pie, topped the brownies I’d already eaten. I scraped the last of it from the bowl and stood to carry my dishes to the sink.
The hair on my legs tickled my skin as I walked, and I cringed. General fucked-up-ness aside, how could Merdon possibly be interested in a furry-legged, she-man in the making? I double-cringed that my head went to what he thought of me. What about what I thought? When was the last time I cared about myself enough to self-groom? I used to shave my legs religiously, hating the feel of stubble.
“Any chance I could get a razor to shave before I need to start braiding stuff?” I asked Emily as I rinsed my bowl.
Silence met my question, and I glanced back in time to see the pair sharing a look and Merdon shaking his head.
“Great,” I said moodily. “I guess I’ll just stick with long pants from now on.”
“It won’t be forever,” Emily said, her voice laced with concern and regret.
I waved both away.
“Whatever. I better get ready or I’ll be late meeting Brenna.”
“No archery today,” Merdon said, stopping my retreat.
Turning, I forced myself to look at him.
“What? Why not?”
“You’re not ready. We’ll practice in the basement.”
The idea of rolling around on the mat with Merdon sent a jolt of panic through me and reignited my flush.
“Isn’t there something else we can do? Something outside? Something that doesn’t require touching?”
He tilted his head at me again. Crap. Could he hear the way my pulse was hammering? My palms grew sweaty.
“You’re teaching me how to avoid being bitten, right? Isn’t running the best option? How about I just go for a run around Tolerance?”
He shook his head slowly and then started toward me.
I retreated a step.
He moved faster.
I squealed and tried to bolt up the stairs.
His arm wrapped around my waist, and a moment later, I was draped over his shoulder