I blinked. What with being so busy trying to extract myself from the awkward situation, I hadn’t noticed. “He’s a vet. He probably can’t wear the ring if he’s doing surgery.”
“And the lonely heart’s special?” Robin asked.
“Maybe he just likes them,” I insisted. “He was showing me a picture of his family earlier today. And his wife is about ten years younger than I am, a slim, pretty blonde. If he had that at home why would he look at me?”
“Because,” Robin said slowly as though explaining a very basic concept to a complete dimwit. “Mortal men always crave what they don’t have. And I’m getting these.”
He dropped the tots onto the pile of groceries.
“So, why didn’t you stay married to Georgia?” Robin asked as he leaned on the counter while I washed the lettuce.
“Keep your voice down.” I cast a surreptitious look at the closed door to my mother’s art studio. Strains of Bobby Darin’s Dream Lover were barely audible.
“Why? Is that a taboo topic as well?” Robin moved over to the pot of bubbling sauce. “I’m going to need a list.”
“Not taboo, just uncomfortable.” I sighed and reached for the vegetable peeler. “I knew almost from the beginning that marrying George was a mistake. We were very good friends and had been dating for two years. Getting married was the next logical step, at least the way I saw it.” Mostly because unlike my mother, I wanted to be married.
Attacking the carrots with a vengeance, I summed up, “So we got married. But things weren’t great in other…er… areas.”
“You mean sex.” Robin raised a brow.
I glanced up at him sharply. “What makes you think that?”
“Lamb, you are a bubbling cauldron of carnal lust about to boil over.” His lids lowered to half-mast. “I sense that you have never been truly satisfied.”
“Ow,” I dropped the peeler which had just accidentally taken a layer of skin off the back of my thumb. “Damn it, that stings.”
I moved to the sink to rinse it off but Robin caught my hand.
“What are you doing?” I blinked up at him in surprise.
He didn’t answer. There was a swirl of amber and gold lights coming from his hand and he placed it directly over mine. Not touching, but near enough that I could feel the warmth.
Then, my skin began to glow with the same golden hue. The pain eased and the blood evaporated into mist leaving only unblemished skin behind.
Robin released me and I studied my hand, front, and back. “That’s some talent you have.”
“That’s not even my best one,” he crooned.
“Thank you.” I smiled up at him.
“What did I tell you? Never thank a fae,” he warned.
I shrugged. “I didn’t. I thanked my friend for patching me up.”
“Joey,” he murmured and moved even closer until we shared the same airspace.
I lost myself for a minute in the sapphire depths of his eyes. My heart thudded against my ribcage. Was Robin about to kiss me? What would it be like to kiss a fae prince?
I was mentally preparing myself to find out when his gaze shot to the kitchen door and he vanished. A moment later, Dragon came in carrying Puck in her arms.
I thumped back down hard on my heels, not realizing until I landed that I had been up on my tiptoes. So close. I had been so damn close to kissing the hell out of Robin. Which would have been wrong. He wasn’t even human!
No, Robin Goodfellow was a distraction I didn’t need right before I rewrote my life for an honest-to-goodness happily ever after. This was no time for a detour.
“What’s for dinner?” Dragon lifted the lid on the bubbling pot of sauce.
“Lasagna.” I made an effort to smile at her. “Sound good?”
“I don’t eat meat.” She lifted her chin as though I was about to challenge her on her diet.
“Well, that’s good to know.” I had been just about to fry up some ground beef to add to the sauce. “But cheese and dairy are okay?”
When she nodded, I busied myself with layering the no-bake noodles, cheese, and sauce into a ceramic casserole dish. Dragon set the cat down, washed her hands, and then took over the salad I had left unfinished.
It was nice to have help. Normally, my mother and I took turns making dinner. I couldn’t recall the last time I had prepared a meal with someone instead of for them.
The oven beeped, indicating it had come up to temperature.