CHAPTER 16 #2
Arwen nodded, smiled, and kissed Iro once more before she returned her attention to the city below them. When they exited the helicopter, Iro took Arwen by the hand and walked her over toward the waiting SUV.
“You know you don’t have to impress me, right?”
“Pardon?” she asked as she ushered Arwen into the car.
“That was amazing and probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I really don’t need fancy helicopter rides or expensive dinners. I would be just as happy ordering Chinese food and watching a movie.”
“Well, I made no dinner plans, so would you like to compromise and end our night with Chinese food and a movie?”
“I could really go for some braised kao fu with mushrooms.”
“I have no idea what that is,” Iro replied, laughing before she told the driver to head toward Arwen’s place. “I assume they deliver?”
“There’s a vegan Chinese place on my way home. They do deliver, but through one of those apps, and they don’t pay their people fairly, in my opinion. On top of that, the restaurant pays more to be on the app, so I try to go there myself when I’m in the mood for it.”
Iro took her hand and wondered how she’d managed to find the nicest human on the planet.
She certainly knew she didn’t deserve Arwen.
The choices she had made while living with Cassia – feeding on humans and worse – meant that Arwen was quite out of her league, but Iro couldn’t stay away from her as much as she knew she should.
“I don’t like that they lose money,” Arwen added. “Is it okay if we stop by and pick something up? It’s vegan, but there’s a barbecue place a block away if you want something with meat in it.”
“I’m okay,” she lied.
She really wasn’t. She needed blood. She hadn’t eaten since before she had spotted Cassia on the street – or, rather, smelled her coming up behind her.
She had meant to when she’d finally gotten home, but she had been so worried about Arwen that she’d just started looking at information her own security team had given her before she had hired them.
She had wanted to know if she could hire someone to tail Arwen without Arwen knowing, but she knew they wouldn’t be able to do much against Cassia unless she told them to bring silver with them instead of a gun, which would be a little suspicious.
Right now, though, she needed to focus on being more careful because a hungry – truly hungry – vampire was not a good thing.
It especially wasn’t good because she needed more time to rest out of the sun, and Arwen smelled so sweet.
Arwen, of course, chose that moment to rest her head against Iro’s shoulder, and Iro breathed in the fresh scent of homemade soap and, yes, blood, still the sweetest she’d ever smelled.
She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the pulse in Arwen’s wrist as they held hands, or the feel of Arwen’s heart as Arwen leaned in and pressed herself to Iro’s chest.
“How many helicopters have you been in?”
“What?” Iro laughed.
“You seem either tired or bored, so I’m making conversation.”
“I’m not bored, Arwen,” she said and kissed the top of Arwen’s head. “I don’t think I could ever be bored with you.”
“I doubt that. I’m very boring.”
“How are you boring?”
“You’ve only really seen me at the bar, or when you’re taking me on extravagant dates, but normally, I’m just working, or I’m at home.
Being a lawyer seems really interesting when you’re watching them argue in court on TV, and it’s all dramatic, but it’s not like that at all.
It’s much slower, mostly less intense, with fewer dramatic objections. ”
“I bet you’re amazing in court,” she replied, focusing on picturing just that. “May I see you argue someday?”
“Oh, no way.” Arwen laughed, wrapping an arm around Iro’s waist. “I’m rarely in court for a trial.
I’m a litigator, yes, but we typically end up settling.
So, it’s mainly arbitration or depositions.
Sometimes, we go in front of a judge for a ruling, but not often.
Most people I go up against know they’re guilty of something, so they like to avoid a big trial because then, everyone else will know that, too. ”
“I guess I can’t watch you in a deposition, huh?”
“I’m usually behind the camera while the person we’re questioning is in front of it. I promise you, babe, it is very boring. And when I’m not doing boring things at work, I’m doing boring things at home.”
“Go on,” Iro said as she squeezed Arwen’s shoulder.
“You already know I make my own soaps and toothpaste; that kind of thing.”
“Yes.”
“Well, sometimes, I also make my own paper out of old paper. I recycle it. I have a whole kit thing.”
“A paper-making kit?”
“Yeah. You take the stuff you want to recycle, and you kind of pulverize it. Then, you press it, dry it, and eventually, you have a single sheet of paper.” Arwen laughed again.
“You can make more than one sheet, obviously. It’s fun, and I end up with my own paper that I can use and remake over and over again, never having to buy new paper.
I use legal pads at work, and I kind of hate it, but they work for me and I need them.
I’ve tried a smart notebook thing and a tablet, as well as my laptop, but I just work better with those, so to make up for using all that paper, I make my own for home. ”
“Will you teach me?”
Arwen shifted to look at her and asked, “You want me to show you how I make paper?”
“Why not? We could do that tonight instead of watching a movie.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like you could fall asleep during that movie. Are you sure you’re even up for dinner?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Iro replied and cupped Arwen’s cheek. “And I would love to make a single sheet of paper with you tonight, beautiful Arwen.”