like as a young a young man.
"I am. The coast is clear."
He took his hands down. "That's good because I really don't need to see my future sister-in-law naked."
Alice felt like the world shifted beneath her feet. She gripped onto the side of the couch for support. "Lael, I'm afraid you've gotten the wrong idea. Your brother and I are very good friends. I'm his client, which complicates things. I'm not going to be your sister-in-law."
"Yeah?" Lael shook his head. "I've never seen him look at anyone like he looks at you. I've never come home and found him on the couch with any of his other clients before."
She needed to change the subject immediately. "Why did you lie to him?"
Lael stood very still, the smile falling off his face. "What?"
She walked into the kitchen. No matter where she was, the kitchen always became her safe spot. "You heard me."
Lael walked up behind her, stopping at the island. "How did you know I lied?"
She shrugged. "I was a teenager once. I know when someone's cutting class."
Lael tapped his hands on the island. "Are you going to tell him?"
"I'm not your mother, Lael." She opened the fridge to see what was inside. Food seemed to magically appear in there. She was going to have to ask someone how that happened. "I think you should tell him before the school calls and tells him."
"What are you going to cook?"
She pulled out one of the drawers and found something that looked appealing.
"Chicken sound good?"
"Food always sounds good. I don't usually care what I'm eating."
She groaned. "That's so far from how I feel, I can't even begin to relate to that statement."
Silently, she moved to the island and stood next to Lael. "Get me a pan to cook these in and some olive oil, please."
He nodded and scurried around the kitchen to do as she asked. "I hate math. The teacher gives me a hard time. I really fell behind in it when I ran away."
She raised an eyebrow as she poured the olive oil into the pan. "And you thought it was a good idea to miss more school so you could fall even further behind? Seems pretty stupid."
He banged his hand on the counter. "I'm not dumb."
"No." She shook her head. "I didn't say you were dumb. I said missing school when you've already missed was dumb." After seasoning it with salt, she dropped the chicken gently into the pan. "And you clearly have a temper."
In a move she'd learned from her mother, she stared down at the hand he'd banged on the counter as if it was a bug she wanted to squish.
"I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't display my anger like that."
"You're very strong. You have to be careful how you express yourself."
Cooking helped. It calmed her, to concentrate on accomplishing a goal, instead of over thinking things.
"I don't think Draco was ever young, and Ace is rapidly forgetting how to be fun."
Alice shook her head. "It's called being a grown up."
A vision of Ace's joyful face as he left to go do something about the missile filled her mind. He, obviously, had his own version of fun at this point. It wasn't what anyone else considered amusement. Apparently, however, it worked for him.
"What happens next? Ace brings down the missile and then what?"
Lael walked to the fridge and took out a soda. "I doubt if he's bringing it down alone. He probably has Zee or one of the other Superheroes with him. When they get done they'll probably hit a dance club and then stumble in sometime in the middle of the night. It's his MO."
Alice's knife slipped, hitting the side of her finger. She dropped it and hissed as she put the now-bleeding wound into her mouth and ran to the sink to wash her hands.
Damn it, when was the last time she'd done something like that?
"He's going to go to a dance club?" While she was here and they'd just had sex?
She knew there was something else she should say but heaven help her she couldn't think of what it was.
Lael nodded. "You okay?"
"Yes." She pulled the cut out of her mouth to look at it. "Could you get me a
"I am. The coast is clear."
He took his hands down. "That's good because I really don't need to see my future sister-in-law naked."
Alice felt like the world shifted beneath her feet. She gripped onto the side of the couch for support. "Lael, I'm afraid you've gotten the wrong idea. Your brother and I are very good friends. I'm his client, which complicates things. I'm not going to be your sister-in-law."
"Yeah?" Lael shook his head. "I've never seen him look at anyone like he looks at you. I've never come home and found him on the couch with any of his other clients before."
She needed to change the subject immediately. "Why did you lie to him?"
Lael stood very still, the smile falling off his face. "What?"
She walked into the kitchen. No matter where she was, the kitchen always became her safe spot. "You heard me."
Lael walked up behind her, stopping at the island. "How did you know I lied?"
She shrugged. "I was a teenager once. I know when someone's cutting class."
Lael tapped his hands on the island. "Are you going to tell him?"
"I'm not your mother, Lael." She opened the fridge to see what was inside. Food seemed to magically appear in there. She was going to have to ask someone how that happened. "I think you should tell him before the school calls and tells him."
"What are you going to cook?"
She pulled out one of the drawers and found something that looked appealing.
"Chicken sound good?"
"Food always sounds good. I don't usually care what I'm eating."
She groaned. "That's so far from how I feel, I can't even begin to relate to that statement."
Silently, she moved to the island and stood next to Lael. "Get me a pan to cook these in and some olive oil, please."
He nodded and scurried around the kitchen to do as she asked. "I hate math. The teacher gives me a hard time. I really fell behind in it when I ran away."
She raised an eyebrow as she poured the olive oil into the pan. "And you thought it was a good idea to miss more school so you could fall even further behind? Seems pretty stupid."
He banged his hand on the counter. "I'm not dumb."
"No." She shook her head. "I didn't say you were dumb. I said missing school when you've already missed was dumb." After seasoning it with salt, she dropped the chicken gently into the pan. "And you clearly have a temper."
In a move she'd learned from her mother, she stared down at the hand he'd banged on the counter as if it was a bug she wanted to squish.
"I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't display my anger like that."
"You're very strong. You have to be careful how you express yourself."
Cooking helped. It calmed her, to concentrate on accomplishing a goal, instead of over thinking things.
"I don't think Draco was ever young, and Ace is rapidly forgetting how to be fun."
Alice shook her head. "It's called being a grown up."
A vision of Ace's joyful face as he left to go do something about the missile filled her mind. He, obviously, had his own version of fun at this point. It wasn't what anyone else considered amusement. Apparently, however, it worked for him.
"What happens next? Ace brings down the missile and then what?"
Lael walked to the fridge and took out a soda. "I doubt if he's bringing it down alone. He probably has Zee or one of the other Superheroes with him. When they get done they'll probably hit a dance club and then stumble in sometime in the middle of the night. It's his MO."
Alice's knife slipped, hitting the side of her finger. She dropped it and hissed as she put the now-bleeding wound into her mouth and ran to the sink to wash her hands.
Damn it, when was the last time she'd done something like that?
"He's going to go to a dance club?" While she was here and they'd just had sex?
She knew there was something else she should say but heaven help her she couldn't think of what it was.
Lael nodded. "You okay?"
"Yes." She pulled the cut out of her mouth to look at it. "Could you get me a
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