14. You want to eat sea bugs? #4
“My coffee is better, I recently had my coffee, and I’d sulk if I had to drink inferior coffee.
Anyway, I didn’t order minty grass. I ordered spicy grass I plan to add sugar and cream to.
It’s like a dessert to go with my sea bug feast. I’m excited.
You get to try something new, and I get to eat sea bugs! ”
“I’m concerned the sea bugs will rise up and try to feast on me.”
“You’ll be okay. My mother said you’re not allergic, so you can eat without fear. She thinks one of the Quinn brides, at some point, was allergic to seafood, and gorgons are obsessive compulsive.”
“Gorgons really are, especially when it comes to the health and safety of a bride. Huh. I wonder who is allergic. Or was.”
“We’ll call your grandfather after dinner and ask. Then we’ll talk to the kids about Annie.”
“That’s a good idea. We may have to get grandfather to do the talking, though. He’s better about integrating new gorgon women into the hives. I don’t want to accidentally traumatize them more than they’ve already been traumatized.”
“Is it because of how they were raised?”
“In part. They’re different. That’s fine. We’ll figure it out, especially after we’ve dealt with Morrison.”
“I think my father is trying to herd Morrison to Long Lake for us to deal with. My mother said we would be wise to be there by noon the day after tomorrow, and that we should be nosy in Maine first before going there. Apparently, my father is interfering more than he should.”
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me. Your father is who he is, and he’s always been known to push the limits.
That’s why he holds the position he does in the Egyptian pantheon.
As long as he doesn’t break certain rules, he’ll get away with it.
Since there are a disturbing number of pantheons with interest in us, I expect your father will get away with a great deal while on his quest to protect you.
He’ll protect me because if he doesn’t, you might cry, and I don’t think your father is at all prepared to handle you while you’re crying.
I’m not prepared to handle you while you’re crying. ”
I smiled, as my husband hated when anything upset me.
I might one day, with sufficient coaxing from him, get used to that.
“I can’t tell if that’s your expression upon realization you can easily control me through the power of tears or if you’re simply smitten with my handsome looks and can’t help but smile.”
“Can it be both? I am rather smitten with your handsome looks, but if I’m honest, I’m not sure I’m mean enough to fake crying to get my way about anything. Unless you’re refusing to come to bed. But that won’t be fake crying. That’ll be real tears.”
Upon the arrival of Quinn’s salad, I observed with interest while he investigated his appetizer. “This is deceptively normal in appearance, although there is partially cooked fish on this. Why is the fish only partially cooked, Bailey?”
“Because it’s like the fish version of a steak, Sam. Think of it as a very strange steak, seared for your enjoyment.”
“Enjoyment?”
I grabbed one of my shrimp by the tail, dunked it in my cocktail sauce, and chomped on it. “I am going to save you one of my sea bugs for you to try. But you have to eat your manly salad so you have strength for later.”
“You are the reason you felt the need to run away and go on a road trip to escape my sexy ways. I am going to remind you of this often, mostly so you don’t try to go on a road trip without me in the future. Road trips are much better when you’re with me.”
I couldn’t argue with him, so I didn’t. “Try your tuna.”
While his expression remained somewhat skeptical, he speared a piece of his tuna as ordered and nibbled.
He blinked, nibbled again, and when the fish didn’t rise up to eat him, he took a proper bite.
“I feel like I have been deceived my entire life, warned against the perils of fish. Though, honestly, the stench of fish in the microwave did a pretty good job of warning me away from fish.”
“Microwaved fish is a sin. Fresh fish, seared for your enjoyment, is a delicacy to be enjoyed. Just watch out for bones. They’re sharp and will poke you if you try to chew on them.
I recommend you check for bones, even in a good place like this.
Well, I’m assuming it’s good. My sea bugs are tasty.
” As my husband had earned his share of my sea bugs, I dunked one into the cocktail sauce and deposited it on the rim of his bowl. “That is your prize.”
“Why did you not talk me into trying this earlier?”
“You kept feeding me really good steak and bacon.” I’d considered lobster a time or two at the grocery store, except the price had done a good job of deterring me.
“Seafood seems like extra special occasion restaurant food. I am saying that because I don’t know how to cook lobster, and I wasn’t spending that much on a lobster to ruin it. ”
“I have noticed you are infatuated with bacon.”
“Especially when you make it.”
“I’ll admit, that makes being your personal chef so much better. You hover while I make it. And the things you’ll do for a greasy burger and fries.”
I licked my lips and indulged in another shrimp. “I’ve been told shrimp can be grilled, but shrimp were always too expensive for me to get.”
“I see I will be bringing sea bugs into our home and questing to learn how to grill them for you. What other strange things are you going to make me learn how to cook?”
“I can tell you what not to cook. Restrain me if I ask for pickles on ice cream at any time. Pickles by themselves? That’s okay.
I can work with that. Ice cream by itself?
I can definitely get behind that. But do not ever let me mix those two together.
I don’t care if I cry. Don’t let me do it. Distract me somehow.”
My husband grinned at me. “I’m not getting between a woman and her pregnancy cravings, Bailey.
If you ask me for pickles on ice cream, I’m going to shudder from horror, but I’m going to provide it for you.
That was the first piece of advice my father gave me upon learning you’re pregnant.
A wise man does not come between his wife and the pregnancy cravings, no matter how strange those cravings may be. ”
Crap. “That’s terrifying. If you make it, I’ll have to eat it, and that sounds wrong.”
“It really does.”
“Do you think we can beg Sariel for an aversion to make sure I never walk down that dark road?”
“That will be the first thing I do when we get home. I’m going to ask a rather odd question, so please don’t think too badly of me.”
“What?”
“How are we going to deal with Morrison if your father sends him our way?”
“Isn’t it premeditated murder if we discuss how we’re going to deal with him in advance?”
“He’ll force us to kill him, thus making it a self-defense verdict, especially as part of his bail condition is to stay away from you.”
“There’s a restraining order?”
“Yep.” Quinn shrugged and ate more of his salad, and I smirked when he eyed the shrimp on the edge of his bowl with interest. “I initially didn’t want to tell you because it would worry you.
If there’s a restraining order, then obviously somebody believes he needs to be restrained.
That somebody is my grandfather, because he was quite upset over what he found in your memories.
He won’t tell me, because he would rather I not be charged with premeditated murder. ”
“Which leads you to believe his actions were closer to the rape scale of things than not.”
“I don’t think you were raped, but there is a huge spectrum of things he could have done to you that all count as violations.
If my grandfather believes it is best to bury it, then it’s probably best to bury it.
That said, you were most certainly a virgin when I got my hands on you.
There is a reason people say virgins are extra special treats for incubi and succubi. ”
“You are so bad, Samuel Leviticus Quinn.”
“I am. So, how would you like to bury him?”
“Big fire leaves little smear,” I muttered.
My husband frowned. “We probably need to report he was dispatched if he attempts anything.”
“Probably. But big fire leaves little smear, which in turn, is very little to clean up. I view it as reducing burial fees should anyone actually want that bastard’s body.”
“And considering how hot you’re rolling, you won’t have to work hard to make a big fire.”
“But a big fire would be so much better with napalm.”
“I should have known you would try to work a napalm bender into this somehow.”
“I bet Perkette would give you the recipe for her special blend, and I could easily con the CDC into giving me the good neutralizer.” I fluttered my lashes at him. “Pretty please?”
“You are so going to owe me for this, Bailey Ember Quinn.”