He snorted but didn’t deny it.
“You made me dragon steak,” Aflora said, still focused on her plate. “Because Sol suggested it.”
Zeph glanced uneasily at her. “Yeah, he suggested it to Kols. Did I make it wrong?”
“And you added salad patty.”
“Yeah, that part just seemed appropriate based on what I know of Elemental Fae cuisine. Seems like a popular side? But I had to use magic because we don’t have a lot of those root vegetables here. So, uh, I hope it’s okay.”
She finally looked at him. “I thought we agreed on burning thwomp and fire gnat juice.”
My lips twitched at the mock condescension in her tone. Teasing had to be a good sign, right? Maybe it meant she was past the idea of rewiring our connection, or had at least put it on hold. Regardless, I’d take it.
“Yeah, sorry, all out of burning thwomps, I’m afraid,” Zeph replied, his tone contrite. “But if you don’t want the dragon steak, I’ll eat it, and you can have my turkey sandwich.”
He made to reach for her plate, and she batted his hand away. “Don’t you dare.”
Zeph smirked at her. “Oh, you want it now?”
“Did you poison it?” she countered.
He nodded. “Yep. Laced it with an agreeable charm so you’ll do everything I say for at least a week.”
“I actually think you might mean that,” she replied.
He grunted, grabbed her plate, and set it in her lap. “Eat, Aflora. Or I really will enchant you.”
Rather than snipe something back at him, she plucked a leaf off her plate and used it to rip a piece off her dragon steak, then made a show of putting it in her mouth.
Suddenly, food was the last thing on my mind.
And her lips were all I could see.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“No,” she replied without missing a beat. She finished chewing and swallowed before looking at me. “I’m not ready to do that again yet.”
Zeph met my gaze over her head, then we both gazed down at her. “All right, sweetheart,” I conceded. “That’s fine.”
My Guardian nodded in agreement. “I’m not ready to fuck yet either.”
She glanced at him. “You’re not?”
“No.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear just loud enough for me to hear as well. “I won’t fuck you until you beg, pixie flower. And even then, I still might not fuck you. Do you want to know why?”
“Why?” she asked as if hypnotized by his voice. And maybe she was.
“Because you haven’t earned it yet.” He kissed her on the cheek, then reached for his plate and began to eat.
“He’s a dick,” I told her conversationally as I grabbed my own sandwich. “And, unfortunately, he means it.”
When Zeph set his mind to something, there would be no changing it. He was a stubborn ass like that. But on this, I sort of agreed with him. Until we were in a better place with Aflora, sex was off the table.
However, that didn’t mean we couldn’t play in other ways.
Such as in her dreams.
I smiled at the memories of all the times I joined her in her mind. Mmm, that was fun. Maybe we’d do it again later. After Shade finished toying with her.