I closed my eyes and nodded. He pulled away, brushing his lips against my forehead before wrapping me in one of his hugs.
“We should start dinner,” he said against me.
It was just the distraction I needed. While the electric pressure cooker worked its magic on the large roast, I made a small side of vegetables and helped Tor find more chairs for the dining room table. I wanted us all to sit together, but seven would be a cozy fit. Tor assured me no one would mind.
When we finished setting the table, we went through Tor’s supply of games.
The first knock on the door came just before the timer went off for the meat. Tor answered it so I could whip up the gravy. Something he said he hadn’t yet tried.
I smiled at Noru and Ashkii then waved them over when I saw them curiously watching what I was doing. It didn’t take long for the rest of the team to show up. I laughed and talked to the fey who I’d been around enough to know by name. Scath teased me almost as much as Tor did. Fallor quietly observed everything, and Hasten’s ears turned dark every time I spoke to him. He was easily the shyest of the group.
The gravy was a hit and disappeared just as quickly as the meat. However, the veggies, not so much. I finished those. When we were done, the fey thanked me for dinner and helped clean off the table, eager for the card games I’d mentioned. Two decks made Go-Fish interesting. The guys laughed and bantered with one another, and I loved the comradery.
When I broke out a bag of chips as the night wore on, Tor groaned and I could see a few of his friends grow curious. It turned into a round of making each fey try a chip. Not a single one of them liked the taste, but Scath said he would eat anything a female fed him without complaint.
The group got really quiet, and they all glanced at Tor.
“What?” I asked. “You’re making me feel paranoid. What’s Tor been telling you?”
Hasten’s ears turned dark grey when I pinned him with my gaze.
“Tell me what you know about women.”
“They are afraid to look at us.”
I shook my head.
“Not true. I’m not afraid to look at you.” I looked at Noru. “What about you?”
“They like different things.”
My wide smile had him smiling in return.
“Exactly. Women are all different. If one doesn’t want to look at you, try another. Or try a different way to get her attention.”
“Some women like when we don’t wear a shirt,” Tor said. “They will look at us for a very long time then.”
I flushed scarlet at that one.
“What are other things we can do to get a woman’s attention?” Ashkii asked.
“Stuff like this,” I said. “Asking honest questions.”
“Emily said that not all honest questions are good,” Hasten said.
Scath nodded. “Asking to taste a woman’s pussy is against date night rules. Emily said she would cancel date nights if we ask that.”
I cleared my throat twice while they all waited expectantly for my opinion on that.
“We’re private creatures by nature. We like clothes and coverings. Asking to see something we keep very hidden can be taken as an insult. It’s something a woman would only share with someone she’s very close with.”
Understanding lit every male face at the table.
“Emily said we must get to know a woman first. But I didn’t understand how we could know a woman when we couldn’t ask all of our questions,” Noru said.
“It’s about getting to know a woman in the right order. First, you need to know her mind, then her heart. Once you think you know both, you might get away with asking questions about her body. But even then, you might get slapped.”
They all nodded thoughtfully, and I hoped my explanation would give them a better chance with the ladies at Tenacity.