Chapter Ten
Milo arrived at my place, and I opened the door before he knocked, ready to discuss what I’d unintentionally overheard from the office all the way to the burlesque club.
With a smirk on his face, a bottle of wine in one hand, and a basket of goodies in the other, he stepped inside, maintaining deceptively aloof surface thoughts.
Dammit. He’d come prepared to dodge any conversation.
“Sorry I haven’t been around, despite our coupling being the talk of the town.
Well, city. State really. There are a few international sites that adore me.
You too, now. It’ll pass.” Milo grinned.
“It’s the honeymoon curiosity phase. Who are they as a couple?
Where are they as a couple? What are they, a couple?
” He playfully raised his eyebrows. “Yet, I’ve been so busy with work and endless paperwork, we haven’t really coupled. Hopefully, tonight can change that.”
He was already playing defense with his words and thoughts, avoiding the giant demonic elephant in the room .
“Paperwork?” I asked.
“Ugh. Blegh. Yuck.” Milo’s mind glossed over infinite fine prints, countless signatures, and necessary notaries seared into his memories, which wasn’t an avoidance tactic.
He really despised all the legal paperwork and contracts involved in guild work.
“It’s endless forms. I swear the most dangerous thing an enchanter suffers from dying of these days is carpal tunnel syndrome. ”
“Your poor wrists.” I snatched the basket from his hands, glaring.
“Don’t worry. They’re still able to handle any late-night tasks you may desire.” Milo winked, clicking his tongue at the same time.
Insufferable.
This was the basket he’d safely secured before his trip to Gwendolyn’s Guns however, I’d looked up every article during classes, and not one mentioned the South Side. That was a thought I’d gleaned from his conversation with Enchanter Campbell.
Milo stepped behind me, twirling his finger.
The cork wriggled. I’d fallen so far behind him when I walked away from life as a professional enchanter.
Even my daily regime to catch up, and avoid ever being put in a situation where my life or my students’ lives were at risk again, paled in comparison to his talents.
The lightest touch of telekinesis sifted between the tight space of glass and cork.
The bottle trembled in my hand, but that came from my tension, not his.
Milo’s breath tickled my ear, and his carefree thoughts shifted to far more provocative ideas he had in store for later.
After a glass or two, Milo planned to pin—
POP.
The cork flew off, frozen midair, thanks in no part to my magic. Milo grabbed two glasses from the cabinet, waving the cork into the trash can. I poured the wine into the glasses. Red glugged out of the bottle, splashing as I filled one glass to the brim.
“Thirsty.” Milo wiggled his eyebrows, casting a suggestive innuendo for the word.
“Very.” I gulped half the drink. Tart sweetness danced on my tongue while I formed an elegant way to share my new discovery .
“Never understood why you loved this brand so much.” Milo sniffed his glass before taking a dainty sip. Whether it came from the fancy bottles his guild provided or a more refined palette, we shared a very different taste in alcohol.
“About that vampire attack.”
“It wasn’t a vampire. Told you, the press will run with anything.”
“Save the speech. I sort of, definitely, overheard you today. It wasn’t intentional, but I linked to your mind while you were at work. Also, saw you at Gwendolyn’s. Cassidy seems well, considering her occupation.”
Welp. Guess I dived right in. I finished my drink and poured another.
“You spied on me at work?” His brow furrowed.
I wasn’t looking at him, only the glug of the wine, but his emotions cast a crimson haze.
“No. I said unintentional. I just… It’s my telepathy. It’s been enhancing.”
“Evolving.” Milo grinned, revealing the giddy thoughts in an aura of gold he’d masked with an expression of shock.
“You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be?” There was delight in his blue eyes until they fluttered. His long lashes batted while he delved into his own world of infinite possibilities. “I use my branch on you all the time. Sometimes intentionally.”
“Damn clairvoyants.” I half smiled but mostly glowered. Cheery expressions were difficult; grouchy was my default face.
“I don’t see any way this could go wrong. You’re more than welcome to observe me whenever you want. And if you give me a heads up,” he slid his hand into his slacks, just the fingertips, exposing the cut in his muscular definition and flashing a shaved happy trail, “I can give you a show. ”
“No. I didn’t mean to link to you. It was an accident.”
“I don’t mind. You’re often in my head. Magically or just in thought.
” Milo’s grin faltered into a soft smile from his youth.
The kind of shy expression he held when we were teens, and he was too embarrassed to share his feelings.
Even internally, he used to bury his surface thoughts in panic and disarray.
“I’ll try to work on it.”
“Don’t. I’m okay with it. My branch syncs up to your life all the time.
I’ve had a million lives cross my clairvoyance, and yet I’ve had your life play by a million times on its own.
” Milo set his glass down next to mine, running his fingertips over mine.
“I get that sensation—the uncontrolled, fluttery one, and I’m okay with it.
Besides, I don’t know if you realize this, but you can be a bit obsessive. ”
“I’m not obsessive.” I wasn’t.
“Oh, you definitely are. It’s your most toxic trait.
That and your need to completely shut down and cut everyone and everything off so you don’t become obsessive.
” Milo puckered his lips and blew a kiss.
The light telekinetic burst tapped my cheek with a smooch from his lip balm.
An aggravating gesture to tease me. “Personally, I find your two modes endearing. I just can’t have you obsessing and interfering. ”
“I won’t. I wasn’t going to.”
“Okay, then sync your magic with me any day of the week. I promise all the meetings aren’t boring snooze fests. And some of the jobs are pretty cool, too.”
“Wait. Is this one of your clairvoyant reverse psychology moves?” I squeezed his hand, rooting out the truth no matter what he’d say next.
“Huh?” Milo feigned confusion as his surface thoughts tiptoed toward song lyrics.
I frowned. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. ”
“Perplexed is all that comes to mind.” Milo winked. “ That and how hawt you look in those skinny jeans. Trying something new? I’m loving the look. Love it even more when I— ”
“When you tell me not to do something because you know that’s exactly what I’ll do,” I blurted, flustered.
My neck warmed. “Because I get concerned, and sometimes when I can’t do something, I realize I can do something, and you feed into that…
subtly. Which, of course, makes me have to take action and fix things. ”
“Wow. Way to make me sound manipulative.”
“The point stands.” I crossed my arms. “Are you telling me not to get involved seriously or suggestively?”
“If I were being suggestive, telling would ruin it. And if I were being serious, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.
” Milo stepped toward me, closing our distance.
His chest practically touched mine, and he raised a single arm up.
Playfully, he tapped my forehead. “You’ve got too many thoughts in there, and you’re always anxiously sorting them.
I understand why me tracking demons makes you nervous.
It’s not anything like what happened…before. ”
He shifted his gaze, and his mind spiraled into intangible nonsense like he feared the wrong word, wrong thought would burst what he believed I’d worked so hard to improve on. I hadn’t worked hard on anything. Every step of progress came from his patience and love and trust.
“It won’t be like with Finn?” I asked, thinking of the other person I owed every fraction of my growth to.