A glass of water appeared in front of Nia, sliding across the counter slowly. She blinked up at Lochlan. He didn’t say anything, just watched her with an unreadable expression, waiting.
“Thanks,” she murmured, wrapping her fingers around the cool glass.
“Would you like anything else? I have wine, sodas…”
He trailed off and she glanced up, catching something flicker across his face. Their eyes locked and the air between them shifted, thickened. For a moment, the kitchen quieted around them, the smallest sounds amplified—the faint clink of Nia’s glass as she set it down, the slow drag of his breath, the creak of her stool as she adjusted her posture.
“No,” she said finally, realizing he was waiting for her answer. “Water is fine.”
She looked away, heart hammering, fingers tightening around the glass. She should have said wine. Maybe vodka. Something to dull or drown out the awareness creeping under her skin.
Jade chose that moment to shove her nose against Lochlan’s leg. A slow, easy smile spread across his face as he knelt to scratch behind her ears.
Nia exhaled quietly, but her pulse refused to settle. That smile took his sharp, brooding features and softened them into something dangerously attractive.
Fantastic. Apparently, she had a thing for dog dads.
She chugged her water like it was an antidote.
Meanwhile, Lochlan moved through his cooking with infuriating grace. The scent of garlic and butter filled the air, followed by the richness of sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream.
Nia fidgeted. It smelled too good. He looked too good.
Then he bent down to check something in the oven, and—no man should be that attractive while cooking. It was like some kind of mating ritual, a dangerous combination of skill and seduction, a strip tease disguised as dinner preparation.
He plated everything with the same casual confidence he’d shown with everything else in the kitchen, slicing her chicken before setting it in front of her.
“We can eat here at the counter,” he said, nodding toward the stools. “I hardly ever use the dining room.”
Nia swallowed, nodding.
And if she stared at his hands a little too long as he passed her a fork, well. That was between her and the goddess.
CHAPTER 9
Lochlan
“WHAT THE STARS SAY TODAY - BEWARE ANYONE STARTING A NEW RELATIONSHIP.” —A PAGANS BLOG
Lochlan watched as Nia pushed her food around her plate. He hadn’t touched his, either—mostly because he was too busy wearing a hole into his jeans with his palm. He had been anxious, unable to find the nerve to talk to her, so he’d lost himself in the process of cooking.
Marry Me Chicken had always been a comfort meal, something he cooked when he needed to feel steady. He’d hoped the familiar steps would give him the balls to talk to her. Maybe some part of him had even thought the name would mean something. He was a fool.
The sound of her fork clattering against the plate broke the silence, and for a brief, embarrassing moment, he flinched.
“This is insane,” she mumbled, dragging her hands down her face like she could physically wipe away reality.
Insane didn’t quite cover it. He was married to his boss’s daughter—a woman who, despite her local fame, had hidden her connection to The Sword from the entire supernatural world. Lochlan had spent years looking up to this man—his mentor, his boss, the leader he’d shared drinks and long conversations with—who was now his father-in-law. And here he and Nia were, sitting in his kitchen, forced to live together by this man they both knew, for reasons neither understood.
But there was no point in saying any of that.
Instead, he reached out instinctively, wrapping his fingers lightly around her wrist. It was a stupid move—his heart reminded him of that by slamming against his ribs. But instead of pulling back she looked up, guarded eyes meeting his, and the tightness in his chest eased.
“It is insane,” he said simply, his voice low.
She blinked at him, lips parting slightly like she hadn’t expected him to agree. The air between them stretched thin, brittle. When her shoulders dropped a fraction, so did the tension in his.
“Are you alright? After seeing your father this morning…” He trailed off.
